Did *Graveyard Keeper* Actually Earn More After Going Free? DLC Sales Reached 1.07 Million Yuan

In the past two years, free giveaway campaigns have increasingly looked like precision-targeted distribution rather than simple profit-sharing. This time, Graveyard Keeper went free for a limited time on Steam, sending revenue from the base game to zero in the short term, while simultaneously boosting interest in its DLC and sequel. The result looks more like a complete conversion strategy than many conventional discount campaigns.

Let’s start with the most direct numbers. tinyBuild’s CEO revealed that during the base game’s free period, Graveyard Keeper generated about $250,000 in DLC sales, equivalent to roughly RMB 1.07 million. Combined with a 20% discount on the DLC, these new players clearly did not just “claim it and leave,” but completed the first round of conversion from trial to payment.

Objectively speaking, this kind of result is not common. Many premium games that run free campaigns can only achieve a short-term spike in concurrent players, while follow-up spending does not necessarily keep pace. This time, Graveyard Keeper surpassed 46,000 peak concurrent players, more than doubling its previous record, showing that it not only attracted traffic but also turned that traffic into an active community, which is even more critical for follow-up content sales.

From a design perspective, Graveyard Keeper was also able to benefit from this wave because of its product lifecycle. Early after launch, it faced criticism over balance issues, but through continued optimization, its reputation was gradually restored. It now has about 38,000 reviews on Steam with an 86% positive rating, placing it in the “Very Positive” range. For new players, this is essentially an older product that has already gone through market correction, almost like a test piece for a second-generation product, with a much lower entry risk than at launch.

Even more noteworthy is the efficiency of sequel carryover. During the event, Graveyard Keeper 2 saw rapid growth in its Steam wishlist numbers, reaching a total of 400,000 by April 13. Giving away the base game for free, selling DLC at a discount, and using the momentum to raise awareness for the sequel—this approach is more cost-effective than running ads alone, because it is built on actual gameplay and community discussion, making the conversion chain shorter.

Viewed among similar products, Graveyard Keeper this time looks more like a mature IP operation than a temporary promotion. For publishers, the value of older games lies not only in long-tail sales, but also in whether they can continue driving DLC purchases and building momentum for sequels. For players, with the current PC version priced at ¥76 and ¥71 after coupons, whether it is worth paying for depends mainly on whether you accept this kind of content structure, which leans toward management and process planning. If you have already claimed the base game for free, then adding the DLC now at 20% off is actually a more reasonable overall combination in terms of cost.

Graveyard Keeper is now available on PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, and Android, and DLC promotions are still ongoing on some platforms. Looking at this event alone, it sends a very clear signal to the industry: making an older game free does not necessarily mean devaluation. The premise is that the content must be layered and complete, reputation repair must be solid, and the backend conversion path must also be laid out in advance.