Grim Dawn turns 10 with 6 million copies sold as Fangs of Asterkarn expansion arrives
Twenty years ago, Titan Quest came close to earning the title of "Diablo killer" — the label slapped on every isometric action RPG with color-coded loot back then. But critical acclaim didn't translate into financial success: Iron Lore Entertainment shut down a few years after release, having managed to ship only the Immortal Throne expansion. The developers, however, decided to carry their ideas forward in a spiritual successor — under the new banner of Crate Entertainment, they started work on Grim Dawn.
The road to release was long and rocky. The team first bought the Titan Quest engine from the bankrupt THQ, then assembled a prototype on a shoestring budget — to save money, they used the model of a starting shield instead of unique bridges. Step by step, through a Kickstarter campaign and Steam Early Access, Grim Dawn finally reached its full release in 2016. The persistence paid off. The game earned praise from critics and players alike, and over ten years its sales crossed the impressive milestone of six million copies. For an indie studio with no more than thirty people on staff, that's a remarkable achievement.
The first thing that draws you into Grim Dawn is its bleak, hopeless atmosphere. The world of Cairn was shattered by a cataclysm known as the Grim Dawn, which unleashed all manner of monsters. Cities and entire empires crumbled. And humanity's troubles didn't end there — after all the nightmares, from another dimension came even worse horrors.
To mark the anniversary, the new expansion Fangs of Asterkarn has been released, continuing the grim tale. Reviewers note that the game retains the signature atmosphere and depth that made it beloved by action RPG fans. The expansion adds new content while staying true to the dark, desperate tone that has defined the series since its inception. For longtime players, it's a fitting celebration of a decade of Grim Dawn — and a reminder of how far Crate Entertainment has come from its humble beginnings with a borrowed engine and a shield used as a bridge.
