Panic, the company behind the fun handheld gaming device Playdate, recently celebrated the first anniversary of its game sales store and shared that total consumer revenue from developing games for the device now exceeds $500,000. Last year, the company sold more than 150,000 copies of its games through a page called the Catalog, generating $544,290 in revenue for developers after taxes, fees and a 25% distribution fee.
Since its launch in 2022, this unique handheld console with a rotating handle that looks like a generator has sold more than 70,000 units worldwide. Panic has continued to support the device over the years by releasing Catalog and other free "Season 1" games.
The Catalog currently contains 181 games and applications, with more being added every month. Panic noted that this number does not represent Playdate's full game library, as it does not include the more than 800 games available for download on third-party platforms such as itch.io.
Among all Playdate users, 53% (38,000) have purchased a game through Catalog, which includes the two free games available in the store. Among those who have not yet purchased the game, approximately 32,000 players are still playing games included in "Season 1."
Panic plans to "continue to look for ways to promote the Playdate Game Store in the future to help developers find a wider audience for their game projects."