Mouse: P.I. For Hire hits 1.1M sales and a sequel is already greenlit
Four months after launch, Mouse: P.I. For Hire has sold over 1.1 million copies and generated more than US$30 million in gross sales — making it the most commercially successful original game Australian publisher PlaySide has ever backed. A story DLC is in active production, and a sequel has been confirmed in investor documents, though it isn't expected for at least two to three years.
The game
Mouse: P.I. For Hire launched April 16, 2026, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. It's a first-person shooter built around a deliberately retro look — think rubber-hose cartoons from the 1930s crossed with a hard-boiled detective story set in a city called Mouseburg. The gameplay pulls from modern DOOM entries: fast, fluid, and built around aggressive movement. The result is something genuinely hard to categorize, which is probably why it works. The game sits at 94% "Very Positive" on Steam, with over 3.3 million wishlists suggesting demand was pent up well before release.
The numbers
Sales split almost evenly — around 48% PC and 52% console — which is unusual for an indie FPS and points to strong console traction across all three platforms. PlaySide recouped all milestone, publishing, and marketing costs within a single month of launch. The game contributed AUD$24 million in net revenue to PlaySide's FY26 results, helping the company swing from a AUD$12.1 million net loss the previous year to a AUD$5.4 million profit. Total company revenue hit AUD$54.9 million, above its own upgraded guidance, per PlaySide Studios.
What's next
A story DLC is the near-term priority, though no release window has been set. The sequel mention comes from PlaySide's investor filings — there are no creative details, no timeline beyond the two-to-three year estimate, and no comment from Fumi Games. For now, the studio is letting the original run, which makes sense: with over a million players already in and a DLC on the way, Mouse has plenty of life left before a follow-up is needed.
