Low-fi flying game Luftrauser is making profit after just 72 hours

Indie dogfighting game Luftrausers has already shot down more than two years’ worth of development costs.

Developer Vlambeer released Luftrausers on Steam, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita last week for $10. By Friday — only 72 hours after its debut — the game was already profitable, as first spotted by Gamasutra. Vlambeer started developing it in 2011. It even released a simple Flash version that you can still play. After 2.5 years in production, the studio finally released Luftrausers with modest expectations.

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Luftrausers has players piloting advanced fighter jets against waves of enemy planes and ships. It features a unique flying mechanic where the plane can spin and kartwheel wildly before shooting off in a certain direction after the player kicks in the jet engine.

Check it out in action:

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LUFTRAUSERS just became profitable. It had a two and a half year development cycle. We are super overwhelmed and thankful.

— Vlambeer (@Vlambeer) March 21, 2014

Vlambeer is one of a number of small developers that are consistently making hit indie games. The studio is also responsible for arcade action title Ridiculous Fishing for mobile as well as the action-shooter Super Crate Box for PC, Vita, and mobile. While the studio has a number of smartphone and tablet releases, it is well-known for avoiding popular free-to-play business models in favor of premium prices.