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In a nutshell: Despite being somewhat obscure, Arma 2 is arguably among the most influential PC games of the last 20 years. Developer Bohemia Interactive recently began celebrating multiple milestone anniversaries by revealing impressive lifetime sales numbers and teasing its next major release.
While reminiscing about the company's humble debut on Steam 15 years ago, the co-founder and CEO of Bohemia Interactive revealed that it has sold over 47 million units of its games on the platform. Virtually all of those sales are likely from DayZ and the Arma games.
Bohemia began operating on Steam when it launched Arma 2 in June 2009. Company head Marek Spanel noted that it sold just 174 copies on the first day before thanking Valve for providing a platform that allowed Bohemia's sales to grow exponentially. Of the 47 million units sold, about 41 million came directly through Steam, and the remaining six million through Steam codes from other stores.
– Marek Spanel (@maruksp) October 19, 2024On June 1st, 2009, our first day on the platform, we sold our first 174 copies of Arma 2 on @Steam. ð®
Fifteen years later, I want to shoutout @valvesoftware for creating a platform that connects developers with players worldwide. Here's to the power of digital distribution! ðÂÂÂ… pic.twitter.com/ySpOkWdC4K
Arma 2 is part of the company's series of military simulation games, known for their expansive sandbox gameplay and focus on realism. Arma 2 and its sequel can sometimes appear so realistic that news organizations have accidentally passed off clips as footage from real conflicts. Moreover, some of the most popular video games in the world can trace their roots to Arma 2's community.
A large portion of the Arma 2's success likely stems from when the game and its expansion pack were required to play the original version of DayZ, one of the most influential open-world survival games. DayZ would later grow from an Arma 2 mod into Bohemia's top-selling title on Steam.
Arma and DayZ modding eventually gave rise to PUBG and through it the entire battle royale shooter genre. Examples like Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone have ranked among the most popular console, PC, and mobile games for several years.
Bohemia also celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding earlier this month. At the end of a rock concert featuring songs from the publisher's games, a screen briefly appeared confirming that Arma 4 is scheduled for a 2027 release. The company's last major title, Arma Reformer, serves as a stepping stone to Arma 4, initiating the switch to a new engine.