Sons of the Forest Sees Massive Early Access Sales

In order to avoid having to delay Sons of the Forest, developer Endnight Games announced earlier this month that it would release the game in early access. Releasing a highly-anticipated game in early access at a price of $29.99 could have been a risky call. However, that move proved to be a smart one, as the game released on February 23rd and proceeded to sell more than two million copies in 24 hours! It's a staggering number of copies sold, and it shows just how excited fans have been for the game.

"Thanks to those who have joined us in our Early Access journey into 'Sons Of The Forest' We have sold over 2 million copies in the first 24 hours, and are very excited for what we have in store for players in the coming weeks," the company wrote on Twitter.

While the success of Sons of the Forest is stunning, it's not quite unexpected. After all, the game's release on Thursday actually caused Steam to crash, as the platform struggled to keep up with the demands of players. It is currently listed as the top-selling game on Steam, and is also the third most played game on the platform today, behind just Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Dota 2; Sons of the Forest reached a peak of 414,257 players today.

For those unfamiliar with Sons of the Forest, the game has been dubbed a "survival horror simulator." Players are searching an island for a missing billionaire, but the location is infested with cannibal killers. The game features a lot of the classic elements of a survival game, giving the player a significant amount of freedom. There are even different seasons, and those seasons have a significant impact on the resources that are available. Of course, the game's mutated creatures make survival even tougher than it would normally be! Players can choose to enjoy the game solo, or in co-op multiplayer.

Are you one of the two million players that downloaded Sons of the Forest on Thursday? Are you surprised by the game's success? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!