I don't think that's all of it though, and a lesson ED should learn. The other space games launched at the same time are both more successful than ED; one is an eternal alpha, the other is a cartoony game that had such a bad launch it became a meme and the poster boy for overhype. ED despite being an actual game with a solid launch ED now sits on the 3rd step of the podium. And I think the answer why is in that post - ED is just not a good person scale game.
Are they both more successful? I'm not sure how we measure it.
I suspect NMS has made the most profit although how much they have given to the publisher (was it sony? Cant remember) who overhyped the game and backed it's media pre-release hype, who knows. But even so NMS likely made the most profit. Frontier has made very good profit for ED, even allowing for Odyssey. SC is a scam so there's that, even if they have brought in the most money. However they've also spent the most money. No product for the highest income and highest spend? Doesn't sound successful.
In terms of other forms of success, NMS is successful - it's the go-to goat in the space-minecraft-base-building genre. Not a game for me.
ED is successful, it's the go-to goat in the space sim 1:1 galaxy sim gamer dad genre. This is a game for me.
SC successful also in some respects, the goat in the scam whale-gouging tech demo that will never release genre. This is not a
game thing for me.
So for me, ED is the most successful, because it's aimed at me. NMS is successful, just not my thing. SC is a scam.
