Manor Lords sells a million copies on first day, plans for next update revealed

Back to business after a fulminant launch

Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse

Last weekend was all about Manor Lords, the authentic medieval city-builder from Slavic Magic and Hooded Horse – the most-wishlisted game on Steam made some waves when it launched last Friday: According to publisher Hooded Horse, the title sold over one million copies in a day.

That success was apparent when the game cracked 100,000 concurrent players about an hour after its release, but is still staggering – we’re talking about an indie city-builder here. That’s not a genre you’d usually associate with numbers like this. It helps, of course, that Manor Lords is still available with a generous launch discount and got fantastic Early Access reviews.

Since yesterday's launch Manor Lords has already sold over 1 million copies & hit a peak Steam concurrent player count of 170k - highest ever for a city builder (or for other different genres like GSG/4x/colony sim). Congrats @LordsManor, we're honored to serve as your publisher! pic.twitter.com/559uGRp1NO

— Hooded Horse (@HoodedHorseInc) April 27, 2024

The one area the game is still weak in at the moment is its mass of content, so it’ll be interesting to see how player numbers develop over the coming weeks and how quickly Slavic Magic is able to deliver fresh updates.

Speaking of which, the developer revealed what the first Manor Lords patch will focus on: Some bugs revolving around homeless people have been discovered and will be tackled as a priority. Slavic Magic will also slow down the AI’s speed when it comes to claiming territories, as users felt quite heavily pressured by the current rate.

Balance-wise, the damage or archers will be tuned and the recently-added trade oversupply mechanics will be nerfed as well – the developer described it as “too harsh” as it punished regional specialization too much. Finally, the Sawpit will get a buff in the form of high efficiency and/or more storage space for timber.

It’s currently unclear when exactly the patch will be out, but players won’t have to worry about their save games – they should be compatible with the new version.

If you’re currently getting your start with the game, check out our Manor Lords beginner tips, learn about your military forces, and find out how to get sheep – it’s important!