South of Midnightis Compulsion Games' latest title. Following the 2018 FPS survival titleWe Happy Few, set in a dystopian alternate 1960s England,South of Midnightheads to the Deep American South for a modern fairy tale. The story and characters take inspiration from the area’s local lore and history and blend them with a classic Southern Gothic flavor to create a fantastical but darker tale of balancing life’s many tragedies and staying true to the people that we trust and treasure along the way.
Recently, Game Rant chatted with Compulsion Games CEO and Studio Head Guillaume Provost. During the discussion, Provost noted thatSouth of Midnighthad accomplished an impressive feat inreaching over 1 million playerssince its full launch on July 16, 2025. He went on to say why he thinks the game has landed so well for audiences, and how Compulsion endeavors to deliver quality experiences for Xbox Game Studios.
South of Midnightwas available 5 days early on April 3 for those who purchased the premium preorder edition.
South of Midnight Reaches Over 1 Million Players in Less Than a Month
Xbox Game Pass titles have been on a bit of a hot streak recently, withSouth of Midnightnow counting itself high among other well-received games, including ones likeAtomfall,which surpassed 2 million playersin April.Prior to that wasAvowed,andfollowingSouth of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33hasattracted big numbers in a short time. Provost stated that, among other factors, Compulsion’s choice of location forSouth of Midnightplayed a key role in its success:
“Obviously, when making a game that’s so heavily tied to a specific region and culture, you’re going to have a lot of sales that are proportionately based on that region.”
Compulsion wasacquired by Microsoft/Xboxin 2018. After finishingWe Happy Few’s season pass content and DLCs throughout the next year, the studio started looking at various ideas for a new project that would eventually turn intoSouth of Midnight. When asked about his feelings on the results so far, Provost said, “I can confidently say we’ve had more than a million players onSouth Midnightsince its release.”
South of Midnight’s Deep Southern Setting Helped it Resonate With 1 Million+ Players
Giving his thoughts onwhySouth of Midnightis so affectingto so many, Provost credited his team with focusing on an often overlooked part of the United States for game settings:
When we had the discussion originally, I thought that that specific region was pretty underserved in the video game market.Kentucky Route Zerois a good example, and you’ve seen it portrayed inRed Dead Redemption. But no one had really kind of dived in and mined the mythology of the area and looked at what made it iconic.
He continued by highlighting how he views Compulsion’s role as a Microsoft studio “is not to makeblockbusters likeCall of Duty, but to provide games that add distinctiveness, where we can either serve audiences that haven’t been served before or create projects that add diversity to the portfolio.” Provost concluded the interview by saying,
I’m passionate about that being part of the mission for the studio moving into the future. In terms of what audience, what experiences, and what areas of the world we’ll represent next, I can’t tell you. But I think it’s animportant role within Xboxfor us to be a brand that appeals to people from all walks of life.
