Publisher Fireshine Games and developer Pugstorm announced Core Keeper has sold over 500K copies, alongside further developments for the game.

While Core Keeper has sold over 500K copies, the news comes not long after the game sold 250K copies within its first week in early access. The companies also confirmed Core Keeper is now Steam Deck verified, meaning it’s fully supported to run on Valve’s hot new Steam Deck handheld.

Core Keeper doesn’t appear to be slowing down in popularity at all, either, as SteamDB confirms the game hit a whopping 34,508 concurrent players as of this past Sunday. It’s worth reiterating that Core Keeper lets up to eight players enjoy a sandbox world, harvesting, crafting, and building as they go – it’s not a big shooter or battle royale title.

To celebrate the news, marketing director Sarah Hoeksma said the team has “some exciting plans for the game’s future” and can’t wait to share news “in the weeks and months ahead.” The developer also teased new gameplay features and content including new biomes and game mechanics are coming.

Here’s a rundown on the game:

Drawn towards a mysterious relic, you are an explorer who awakens in an ancient cavern of creatures, resources and trinkets. Trapped deep underground will your survival skills be up to the task?

Mine relics and resources to build your base, craft new equipment, survive, and power up the Core. Defeat giant monsters, discover hidden secrets, farm crops, cook new recipes and explore a procedurally generated underground world in a mining sandbox adventure for 1-8 players.

Features

• Mine Resources – Explore a vast underground cave of endless resources. Mine ores, discover hidden crystals, fossils & trinkets and survive a procedurally generated underground world.
• Discover an Ancient World – Delve into living biomes and fight cavernous creatures in a vast subterranean system. Scour the dark world around you and encounter the behemoths of the underground. Defeat them and take the spoils of victory to help uncover the mystery of the Core.
• Craft Items & Equipment – Customise your character and craft new items, armour and equipment to venture further into the caves. Craft a pickaxe to mine walls and resources, build bridges to cross underground lakes, and place torches to light up the profound ever-present darkness.
• Grow & Farm Crops – Tend your crops to grow a variety of plants by planting seeds found during your adventures. Find the perfect fishing spot and catch a plethora of unique fish. Combine the yield of your hard work farming and fishing in the cooking pot to discover delicious recipes with unexpected effects.
• 1-9 Player Sandbox – Survive alone or play online with up to 7 other players. Work together to mine resources, fight, farm, craft and survive. Specialise in your role to help your fellow explorers tame the unruly landscape you find yourselves in.

Core Keeper is now available for Windows PC (via Steam Early Access), and the game is expected to hit full release by the end of 2022.