Even though it's a follow up to the critically acclaimed Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has failed to gain much traction since being released in September. The game has racked up a couple nominations for best action/adventure game from the Game Critics Awards and The Game Awards 2018 but review scores were down almost across the board. Sales of the game took a nosedive, dropping 70 percent compared to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider isn't the first game to get the free demo treatment to boost sales. Bethesda tried a similar trick with Dishonored 2 when the sales numbers fell off a cliff. The tactic, along with a price drop a few months after the game's release, managed to send the game back up the charts.