The cooperative adventure video game It Takes Two has reached the colossal sales landmark of 27 million copies sold which is an amazing success story, The Game Awards examining the Twitter account of The Game Business which stated the game has had its market surge non-stop since 2021. This number confirms the status of the game but, first, it is used to set the title apart as one of the best sellers and the most beloved duo gaming options in this era of modern gaming.
Well, so 27 million. Give that number a moment of silence. Twenty-seven million. For a game that is made entirely for two players at a time. That… that indicates a huge number of couples, friends, siblings, and even some very, very patient strangers who might have teamed up. The Game Awards revealed this and social media, as it always does, went with the comments. A lot of “well deserved” which is, of course, so true. But also a bit of fracas, because it’s the internet.
One of the first comments was just “That’s crazy,” and that is a very apt summary of the whole situation. Another gamer joked: “it’s a game for two how does it have an odd number of players.” Good point, PragmaticPrisma. Great point. Maybe one person bought it and has no friends? A depressing thought.
However, the dominant sentiment in the comments is the overwhelming love for the game. Some are calling it “one of the best co-op games ever created” while others say “it’s definitely one of the best ever.” Such is the case with hype, that’s the feeling you have when a game just works perfectly for its intended purpose. And a very large part of this success, as many gamers highlighted, is the introduction of the Friend Pass system. “Holy W,” one user shouted, saying that friends don’t even have to buy a second copy. What a wonderful thing! It takes away the biggest obstacle to co-op gaming: convincing your friend to cough up the money. Hazelight Studios was actually playing 4D chess with that decision.
Of course, not all comments were complimentary. As always, there is one person who grumbles. “This is totally a disaster,” was one account’s tweet, and a reply was, “No it’s good insane…” A typical Twitter row. Another user remarked: “Sales don’t matter, show me the players,” which is… a quite debatable opinion. A pretty odd one as well, considering that sales are the only way players get the game, but that’s okay. The view might be about active users, but still, 27 million sold is still a massive indicator of reach.
The human stories are also there but their impact is different. One player commented: “I played it with my girlfriend but she left me; it’s bittersweet seeing this become a success.” Oof. That one hit the feelings hard. Gaming memories are made with people and It Takes Two is actually made from that very human connection. A different comment was trying to offer some consolation instead of: “it ain’t game over, there’s someone out there waiting to play the game with you.” Look! What a beautiful emotion!
There was also some unrelated argument about another game, Split Fiction, with some people claiming it’s better and deserved the acknowledgments that it didn’t get. That’s cool everyone’s got a preferred game but it was a bit unexpected? We were talking about sales of It Takes Two when all of a sudden we had a duel. Gamers, man. Always comparing everything.
And we should not forget the practical side of things. Someone braggingly announced that they “got it for $3.99.” What a steal! Another person referred to the uplifting aspect that it has “0 microtransactions ❤️.” In a market full of battle passes and cosmetic shops, this is a valid selling point that the players recognized and appreciated. It is like a complete and polished gaming experience in a box (or a digital download).
What does such a huge number as 27 million really stand for? It shows that in an industry whose primary attention is on live-service titans and solo masterpieces, there exists a big and very keen audience for sharing a new, simple, creative, and cooperative-screen (or online) adventure. It is a strong exhibition of the imagination and the emotions’ capacity to win over a market as large as the biggest franchises. This is the lesson for every developer who plans to market multiplayer gaming through cheap but clever ways that do not involve taking away players‘ pennies and making them laugh in the process. For gamers, it is a reminder that the best gaming moments are not about conquering as a lone hero but about wandering a crazy, beautiful world with someone, enjoying a perfectly timed double jump, and celebrating a puzzle being cracked. It Takes Two did not just sell copies; it sold the experiences that were to be shared, and 27 million instances of it.
