Hands in the air! Contraband Police is conquering the Steam bestseller list and gamers’ hearts. Proud creators share the results
Developers from Crazy Rocks and the publisher – PlayWay – have reasons to celebrate. Their newest game, Contraband Police, debuted on Steam on March 8th and can now boast 250,000 copies sold and a place among the most popular productions on Steam.
Contraband Police was developed over six years, starting with a small team of three and later expanding to a group of five creators in the final stages. Despite the lengthy development time, the dedication of the developers has paid off with positive reviews from players. With over 4000 reviews, an impressive 94% of them are positive.
We were not far away from missing this success.
“In 2017, our company was on the brink of bankruptcy. In order to continue making independent games, we approached PlayWay and together with an investor, we chose the theme for our future production.” – recalls Stanisław Gromadowski, founder of Crazy Rocks studio. “Initially, it was supposed to be a simple simulator of searching for contraband at the border, and we had planned to complete the game within a year.”
Gromadowski, who is a violinist by education, has worked in the past at People Can Fly, CD Projekt, and CI Games. He founded his own studio in 2015, and their first game – free-to-play Street Warriors Online – gained popularity among many players, but didn’t generate significant income. Contraband Police became a hope for a new start. “We postponed the release date multiple times, but honestly speaking- after 3 years of work, I knew it was my life’s project. A production in which I can invest my many years of experience and create a unique game,” he recalls.
Contraband Police debuted on Steam on March 8th. Soon after, at its peak, the game reached over 8,100 concurrent players. The game created by Crazy Rocks has been occupying the Steam bestseller list for the past three weeks, competing with titles such as Sons of the Forest, Resident Evil 4, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. It’s worth noting that during the premiere week Contraband Police was ranked 5th among all games, in terms of revenue.
Contraband Police puts players in the role of a border control inspector in a communist country in the 1980s, where smuggling, corruption, and forgery are nothing surprising. The player’s task is to catch even the smallest violators. However, being loyal to superiors and the right values is not in favor of the local gang called Oberankov. Its members are desperate and ready for bloodshed.
As an inspector, we will have our hands full. Smugglers will try to surprise us with tricky techniques, but we cannot let ourselves be fooled. No amount of contraband can cross the border, and we have intelligence and special tools to help us with this task. It is also our duty to take care of the condition and equipment of the outpost, which will be invaluable during pursuits and shootouts. With the money we earn, we can upgrade and improve the base. Being the best pays off! The most skilled officers are handsomely rewarded by superiors.
