Rain World begins with a vulnerable slugcat emerging into a hostile ecosystem. Movement is awkward, food is limited and many creatures nearby are faster, stronger and ready to eat it. If the slugcat cannot eat and reach shelter before the deadly rain arrives, the cycle ends.
That unforgiving design has also defined the game’s unusual journey. Despite a difficult launch period and years of publishing complications, Rain World has grown from a niche 2017 release into a remarkably successful long-term project.
A survival game that teaches through consequences
The game rarely explains its systems directly. Players learn by watching the ecosystem behave, experimenting with objects and surviving enough encounters to understand what is possible.
An enemy might pick up a stick and throw it like a spear. Later, the player may discover that the same object can serve as a platform, opening routes that initially seemed unreachable. These lessons come from observation and failure rather than conventional tutorials.
That approach makes Rain World harsh, strange and sometimes confusing. Death can cost progress, navigation can be unclear and certain situations may appear impossible. Later updates added easier playstyles and more guidance, but the core experience remains deliberately brutal and opaque.
From an inconsistent release to a renewed community
Videocult launched Rain World in 2017 on PlayStation 4 and PC, with a Nintendo Switch version arriving later. For a time, different platforms and regions received inconsistent updates. The PC version was reported at 1.5, consoles at 1.7 and PC in Korea, inexplicably, at 1.8. An announced Xbox release had not appeared, while bugs and patching issues frustrated an unusually persistent fanbase.
Akupara Games CEO David Logan and head of publishing Buddy Sola encountered the project while operating a newly formed work-for-hire company. They saw a game with a small but dedicated audience and an opportunity to rebuild its publishing and support infrastructure.
Akupara assumed publishing responsibilities in 2022 after extensive legal discussions. Its first priority was bringing the different versions closer together. At the time, the game’s all-time peak concurrent player count was around 600, but the strength of the remaining community suggested that Rain World had room to grow.
The publisher supported the Downpour expansion in 2023, adapted from a popular mod, and organised art contests, livestreams and alternate-reality games. It also released physical merchandise and finally brought the game to Xbox. The response was stronger than Akupara had seen from the communities around many of its other titles.
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Player numbers and sales surged
Downpour lifted Rain World’s peak concurrent player count to 8,500. The second expansion, The Watcher, reached 15,500 in 2025. Akupara says Downpour sold 186,000 units at launch, while The Watcher sold 128,000 at its launch.
During one Steam summer sale, the base game sold 1.3 million copies at a deep discount. Total sales since Akupara took over publishing have reached 3.5 million units.
Median playtime remains fairly low, reflecting the game’s demanding design. However, its active players are highly invested, and the broader audience includes people who primarily watch streamers rather than play themselves. That audience still buys merchandise and participates in community spaces.
Merchandise has become an especially significant part of the project. Logan said it generated more than seven figures in revenue, compared with the low-thousands performance typical of the publisher’s other games. He suggested the overall retail value could be considerably higher.
Publishing rights remain unresolved
Ahead of the game’s ninth-anniversary livestream, Videocult and Akupara announced a new physical collector’s edition. The announcement was notable for a nine-year-old game that once seemed unlikely to receive such a release.
Behind that celebration, however, the game remains connected to the remnants of its former publishing arrangement. Although Akupara holds the publishing rights and licence, unresolved ties to the former Adult Swim Games label remain. WB seemingly retired the label in 2024, after plans to delist its remaining library prompted concern across the development community. Publishing rights were later returned to some, but not all, developers.
Akupara has not publicly detailed the negotiations. Logan said the parties hope to reach a resolution and that the company wants Rain World to become fully independent, while acknowledging that earlier expectations of a quick settlement had not been met.
What comes next for Rain World?
Whatever happens with the remaining legal ties, Logan and Sola say Rain World will continue in some form. Further downloadable content appears unlikely: Videocult believes the nine-year-old game has been pushed close to its technical and creative limits.
A sequel has not been confirmed. When asked about Rain World 2, Sola declined to confirm one. Logan did, however, say the team wants to continue creating projects connected to the world, including games and projects that are not games.
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