Dire Estimated Gears of War: E-Day Sales Raise Queries About Last-Minute PS5 Cancellation
Alinea Analytics estimates that Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230,000 full-price copies on Steam and Xbox Series X|S, despite strong reviews. If the figures are broadly accurate, the apparently modest sales raise questions about Microsoft’s decision to keep the game off PlayStation 5, where a version was reportedly close to finished.
The estimates count 168,000 sales on Steam and 62,000 on Xbox, alongside 1.7 million Game Pass players, including about 722,000 who paid $30 for early access. Alinea puts revenue at roughly $37 million, though its methods are unclear and Game Pass income is not included transparently. Microsoft has not disputed the figures and continues to describe the game as an Xbox console exclusive; the article notes that an earlier Gears remaster was estimated to have sold about 700,000 copies on PS5.
- Alinea estimates 230,000 full-price sales across Steam and Xbox.
- Around 1.7 million people have played through Game Pass.
- The figures revive questions about the cancelled PS5 release.
New here? Start with this
Gears of War is a long-running series of science-fiction action games owned by Microsoft. E-Day is a new entry in the series, and its launch has drawn attention to how Microsoft chooses which consoles its games appear on.
Microsoft makes Xbox consoles and also sells games for Windows PCs through Steam. Game Pass is a subscription service that lets members play a library of games, while some titles also offer paid early access before their general release. Sony’s PlayStation 5 is a major rival console, and decisions about releasing games across platforms can affect how many people can play them and how they earn money.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Keeping E-Day off PlayStation could protect Xbox’s identity and make the game a stronger reason to buy or subscribe to Microsoft’s own platforms. The reported sales estimate is uncertain, and the 1.7 million Game Pass players may show substantial reach and value that full-price sales alone miss; a PS5 launch might also have brought extra development and marketing costs or altered that strategy.
The case against
A PS5 release could have expanded the audience and generated additional sales, particularly given the reported success of an earlier Gears remaster on that platform. If E-Day’s full-price sales are indeed modest despite strong reviews, foregoing a nearly finished version may have sacrificed revenue and limited the series’ reach, while weakening the case for keeping major games exclusive.