it was a brand new rpg IP from a new studio that sold like 1.3mil copies in the first month and had what, 2 DLC/expansions? it went on to sell like 2-3 mil copies? it was a success full stop, made like 100mil dollars.
it wasn't enough to bail out the massive amount of debt that curt's game was in but that's his fault not KoA.
It would of been fine if that had been the idea from the outset, make a single player game build the lore the IP etc then start MMO production, but no they were like 200mil into the MMO then pivoted 5 years in, bought a single player RPG and then massively redid all the lore/art etc to match the half baked MMO he had so just massively increased the cost of the game plus what he bought it for, it was enough to pay for KoA but not enough to save copernicus.
once they were bankrupt and RI government seized all their assets and sold shit at auction for pennies on the dollar sure the IP only cost a million bucks but that's not an indicator of KoA failing. Curt and his company failed, THQ relaunched KoA and even made enough to release a new expansion pack on it. granted it only cost them like a mil but they made like 10mil profit from it.