Developer James Bendon has revealed that Dinkum sales have topped 350,000 within the game's first month of its Early Access release. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a solo development effort, but given the game's fairly unique aesthetic and approach, solid sales are less surprising than it may have been otherwise.
What's the secret to these high Dinkum sales?
Speaking to GameDiscoverCo, James Bendon speculated on what might have led to Dinkum's impressive sales performance. Bendon says a "big map and the light survival mechanics" of the game have helped it establish itself among its peers, and that players might "appreciate what they've built" a little more because they've had to fight for it in the early stages. Dinkum's world is actually quite dangerous at the outset, tasking players with building a life for themselves in the midst of a harsh wilderness, so that gives players a greater sense of achievement, according to Bendon.
Bendon also shares some interesting insights into Dinkum's development. He says the game "took much longer than expected"; it was originally unveiled back in 2019, but Bendon admits to being "bad at keeping people updated" on the game's development, often going silent for months at a time. Dinkum was re-unveiled at this year's Summer Game Fest IGN Expo, complete with an Early Access release date, and the rest is history. Here's hoping Bendon can keep up Dinkum's solid sales performance going forward.
What is Dinkum?
If you're new to Dinkum, here's a primer on its quirky, endearing world. Dinkum is a farming sim-come-life sim with shades of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, as well as light survival elements. You'll be dropped into the game's expansive world with nothing to your name, and you'll need to slowly amass resources in order to settle down and create a life for yourself. The game's name comes from an Australian expression, "fair dinkum", which means something that's true, genuine, or excellent. Fair Dinkum, indeed.
You can grab Dinkum on Steam right now, where it'll set you back $19.99 for the Early Access version. Even though the game is in Early Access, there's lots of content to keep you occupied, and Bendon has also set out a Dinkum roadmap showing off features that are coming to the game in the future. Suffice it to say that if you love games like Animal Crossing, you should definitely give this one a go. If you've just picked it up and you're looking for a place to start, make sure to take a look at our Dinkum guides, which will set you on the right path, no worries.
