Rebel Wolves built a major game on a modest budget, and now the sales figures prove the attention the title received was justified. Their first release, The Blood of Dawnwalker, required an investment of only $40 million dollars to create — far less than what most big-budget RPGs demand — and it has already moved more than 1 million units within a few days. It is a striking result for a Polish studio that began with almost no resources.
A new Bloomberg report tracks the studio’s rise, tracing its beginnings in 2022 through its latest sale to NetEase Inc. The game first appeared for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 3, 2026, and it has since emerged as one of the year’s most unexpected hits.
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz’s Early Days
The game’s success traces back to its lead designer, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. He previously worked on some of the industry’s biggest hits, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. In 2022, he founded Rebel Wolves with a small team and began building a prototype for what would eventually become The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Tomaszkiewicz covered the first year’s costs on his own. His aim was straightforward: produce something worthy of a partner’s attention. When NetEase supplied the money to finish the game, it also took a 26% share in the studio.
The $40 million budget puts The Blood of Dawnwalker firmly in the AA category, which means it sits below the AAA tier where games often carry budgets of $200 million or more. For comparison, IO Interactive’s 007 First Light reportedly had a budget of more than $200 million. Sony’s struggling Marathon game is said to have had a similar budget, and games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West are also reportedly in that range.
A Small Budget, Big Reviews
Studios frequently regard a limited budget as a drawback. It leaves them with fewer funds for promotion, filmmaking, and refinement. Yet Rebel Wolves seems to have discovered a combination that succeeded even within those limits.
Metacritic recorded that The Blood of Dawnwalker has received “Generally Favorable” reviews from both critics and users alike. IGN awarded it a 9/10, calling it “an impressive, bloody cocktail of interesting ideas and well-written characters, making it one of this year’s best open-world RPGs.”
Sales Numbers Are Real
The sales figures are the clearest evidence of the game’s commercial success. Rebel Wolves told Bloomberg it is “extremely” happy with what it has seen so far, which includes reaching more than 1 million copies sold in just a few days.
The single-player RPG has drawn large audiences, according to SteamDB’s reports. The game is now sitting at a 24-hour peak of 24,495 concurrent users, up from a launch-day high of 78,188. These figures suggest that purchasers are actually spending time with the game rather than simply acquiring it.
Team Growth, Then a Pause
Once it became evident how successful the game had become, Rebel Wolves found themselves confronting a familiar dilemma: how far to expand. The studio’s founder explained to Bloomberg that his initial intention had been to prevent the company from getting too large, yet as ambitions grew, so did the size of the team.
Once a small operation with roughly 90 employees back in 2024, the company has grown to include 160 people. With The Blood of Dawnwalker sequels and other projects underway, Tomaszkiewicz said they “don’t want to overdo it.”.
“We decided that the size of the team we have right now is the most fitting for our needs,” Tomaszkiewicz said. “It’s still letting me know everyone. I can speak with everyone every day. I still feel like a creator and not a manager, which is the place I want to be.”
The remark carries weight. A great number of studio chiefs permit their teams to swell to a size where they can no longer keep track of the creative process. Tomaszkiewicz is fighting against that course, even as the studio’s standing grows.
What Comes Next
September 3, 2026 saw The Blood of Dawnwalker arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Further projects continue to develop unseen, while additional updates for the game’s debut are still being prepared.
Recently, New Game Plus was confirmed to be in development, alongside the sequels, which are also progressing. Tomaszkiewicz has stated that the team is working on additional projects, although he has not specified what those projects might be.
The Bottom Line
Rebel Wolves built their success by sticking to a clear creative vision and keeping things small. The studio opted for a reduced budget, a reduced team, and then held firm to that approach throughout the project. That discipline translated into a finished product that has been celebrated as a triumph of focus and restraint.
The budget did not hold back the game’s achievements. Reviews, sales figures, and player counts all show strength.
The studio’s growth is a reminder that success brings its own challenges. Tomaszkiewicz’s decision to cap the team size is a bold one, and it could set a model for other studios facing the same dilemma.
This open-world RPG came out quietly, without the kind of big marketing push that usually greets a blockbuster, and yet it has still earned strong reviews, sold well, and drawn plenty of players.
Key Figures
- Budget: $40 million
- Copies sold: More than 1 million in a few days
- Concurrent peak: 24,495 (24-hour); 78,188 (launch peak)
- Staff in 2024: Around 90
- Current staff: 160
- NetEase stake: 26%
The Comparisons
- 007 First Light — reportedly more than $200 million
- Sony’s Marathon — reportedly a similar budget
- The Last of Us Part 2 — reportedly in that range
- Horizon Forbidden West — reportedly in that range
There was no cap on what the game’s achievements could accomplish based on its budget. Its reviews are strong, its sales figures are strong, and its player count is strong.
Source material: “The Blood of Dawnwalker Cost Just $40 Million to Develop,” IGN.
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