Control Resonant hits 1 million sales in 3 weeks, Remedy's fastest ever

Control Resonant sold one million copies in roughly three weeks after its September 24 release, becoming Remedy Entertainment's fastest seller in the studio's 31 years, according to reports. Alan Wake 2 took about two months to hit the same number.

Jean-Charles Gaudechon, who became Remedy's CEO in February, called it a very strong start. This is the first time Remedy self-published a game at this scale, which means they kept more of the revenue and called their own shots.

What Control Resonant Is

Control Resonant is the sequel to 2019's Control, Remedy's supernatural action game about the Federal Bureau of Control and the weird stuff locked inside its brutalist headquarters. The first game had you throwing objects with your mind, shifting a gun through different forms and exploring a building that didn't follow normal physics. If you played it, you know: it was strange, stylish and satisfying once you got the powers rolling.

The new one continues that story. Reviews have been mixed on whether it recaptures what made the first one work—Eurogamer gave it three stars and said it only partly echoed the first game's style, according to reports—but the sales pace shows plenty of people wanted more.

How It Stacks Up

A million copies in three weeks is Remedy's personal best, but other games this year moved faster: reports note The Blood of Dawnwalker hit a million in three days, Wardogs in one day, and Subnautica 2 reached two million in 12 hours. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve also crossed one million recently. It's a busy fall, and Resonant is doing well without setting any industry records.

For a studio that spent decades working with publishers like Microsoft, Rockstar and 505 Games, going independent and beating their own best time is a solid win. Whether the game holds up through the holidays and builds on that start will tell us if Remedy can stay independent and keep making the weird stuff they're known for.