Gears of War: E-Day sales report shows heavy Game Pass reliance
A new report on the launch of Gears of War: E-Day paints a picture of heavy reliance on Xbox Game Pass, per Eurogamer and Kotaku.
Analytics firm Alinea estimates the prequel sold about 230,000 copies in its early access period, according to Eurogamer. The bulk of those sales, 168,000, were reportedly on Steam, with Xbox console and PC accounting for 62,000.
Game Pass is where the player numbers are. Alinea's Rhys Elliott estimates 1.7 million people played the shooter through the subscription service. More than 722,000 of those subscribers also paid $30 for a Premium Edition upgrade to get early access.
When you factor in those upgrades, pure sales, and microtransactions, Alinea estimates the game has generated over $37 million in revenue so far. The analyst suggested that, under a traditional sales model, many of those Game Pass players would likely have bought the $70 game outright.
Elliott's analysis, as reported by Kotaku, notes that Xbox's current model results in its most dedicated fans paying less for access. The report implies this strategy may be unsustainable for top-tier exclusives.
