Mercenary band simulator Wartales sells 600,000 copies in Early Access

Despite being only in Early Access, the mercenary RPG Wartales by Shiro Games has hit a milestone, selling 600,000 copies since April 12. In its first week, it was the tenth highest-selling game on Steam with over one million users having it on their wishlist. Have a look at the Wartales launch trailer right here:

In a statement, Shiro Games CEO Nicolas Cannasse said: 

“We're overwhelmed with gratitude by the positive community feedback. You are now more than 600,000 players who have explored the Wartales world, and so many of you have spent hundreds of hours enjoying the game and sharing your discoveries with other players. Thank you, it means a lot to us."

Wartales isn’t the first of its kind. The mercenary band simulator in a gritty fantasy world was also done by Battle Brothers and The Iron Oath. Wartales seems to have captured audiences with its RPG and survival mechanics, quiet character moments during camp scenes, and a turn-based combat system that resembles a medieval XCOM. It’s not necessarily original, just well-done.

You play the leader of a group of mercenaries trying to make it a grim, plague-ravaged, procedurally-generated world. Needless to say, life is tough: you need to keep your people fed daily and paid every three days. Your only goal is to stay alive by whatever means necessary. That means going from town to town looking for paying contracts. Some days you must take down a group of bandits. Other times, you need to hunt and slay monsters. In still others, regrettably, you may have to divest other travelers of their hard-earned gold. 

Wartales features various classes that you can level up to gain skills. You have the front liners like the axe-wielding Warrior, the powerful Brute, and the all-around Swordsman. Then you have support units, such as the Spearman, the Ranger, and the Archer. Finally, you have the Tactician, who excels in dealing poison and other negative effects to enemy units. Apart from soldiers, you can also capture and use beasts as fighting units.

Since anyone can die, it’s a good idea to have a roster of mercs to use, so long as you can keep them all supplied and paid. Death is permanent in Wartales and each day can be a mercenary’s last. That’s why story moments around a campfire can feel special and endear a character to you. 

Wartales is out now for the PC on Steam and GoG, and despite being in Early Access already has many hours of content available. Check out our price listings for an affordable Wartales PC key.