Red Barrels faced significant hurdles in getting its groundbreaking horror title, Outlast, off the ground. Co-founder Philippe Morin recounted that publishers were hesitant to invest in the project, with many expressing a preference for "rather invest $50,000 in 10 mobile games than $500,000 in [Outlast]." This reluctance, Morin suggested, stemmed from the prevailing mobile game obsession of the time and a perception of the horror genre as niche.
Despite having experienced developers, the team initially underestimated the challenges of publishing and marketing. After failing to secure publisher backing, Red Barrels turned to public investment programs, notably the Canada Media Fund (CMF), which provided a substantial $1 million investment. However, this funding was insufficient, forcing the developers to invest their personal savings, utilize credit cards, and leverage home mortgages, placing their financial security at considerable risk.
Morin described the development period as a desperate race against time and dwindling funds, with the team working extremely long hours to complete the game before their financial resources were exhausted. This high-stakes gamble ultimately paid off. Within five months of its release, Outlast achieved its sales target of 400,000 copies, generating enough revenue to provide the team with significant bonuses.
The success of Outlast was far-reaching. By 2018, the game had sold 15 million copies and spawned a franchise that includes a DLC, a multiplayer title, and the recent game, The Outlast Trials. The latter, a multiplayer survival horror experience, recently reached an all-time peak of 147,955 concurrent players on Steam, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the series and the horror genre.