With $3 million in Steam pre-orders, publisher says its horror-themed Stardew Valley-like "might be massive"

Pre-orders for Graveyard Keeper 2 are reaching some big, big numbers for an indie release. So much so that publisher tinyBuild is anticipating a huge launch for the horror-themed Stardew Valley-like.

On Twitter, tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik posted about where Graveyard Keeper 2 is currently sitting on Steam. The sequel's been wishlisted over 1 million times in total and has over 147,000 pre-orders, generating more than $2,500,000 in gross revenue. In a more recent post, this figure is inches off $3 million.

A recent demo brought in around 22,000 players, and since progress can be brought over into the main game when it's out, tinyBuild believes there are going to be "high launch day numbers." On the list of nice things to hear as a studio, this must be up there.

"Edging towards $3,000,000, tomorrow is the last pre-order day," Nichiporchik says, quoting developer Lazy Bear Games. "The launch for Graveyard Keeper 2 might be massive."

It's not hard to see why this is happening. This follow-up is eight years in the making, as Graveyard Keeper launched in 2018. That game's maintained a steady audience in those years through regular DLC and updates, peaking at over 42,000 players on Valve's store according to Steam Charts. The game's on Switch, PlayStation 4, and a number of other platforms too, meaning its audience is quite a bit larger in total.

Those numbers aren't too shabby for a project from a small team. As the name implies, the game centers around you maintaining a local graveyard, with all sorts of spooky goings on in the meantime. It's Stardew Valley for people who grew up reading Goosebumps - like me, who put a considerable number of hours into the first game and reviewed it once upon a time.

Interest in ConcernedApe's hit farming sim has only ever grown, and nowadays people are always clamoring for their next cozy, agricultural adventure. Graveyard Keeper 2 is primed for that, just in time for Halloween too - it launches tomorrow, September 22.

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