What Gears of War: E-Day's Exclusivity Means for Xbox Player…
For players, this suggests Xbox's exclusivity strategy isn't reversing its hardware decline, and the $70 premium model may be losing relevance on the platform as Game Pass dominates engagement.
For players, this suggests Xbox's exclusivity strategy isn't reversing its hardware decline, and the $70 premium model may be losing relevance on the platform as Game Pass dominates engagement.
Key points - Circana analyst Mat Piscatella says Gears of War: E-Day's Xbox exclusivity did not boost Xbox Series X|S sales. - UK Xbox sales dropped 22% in October, according to Nielsen IQ data. - Gears of War: E-Day sold 62k copies on Xbox versus 1.7 million Game Pass players, analyst estimates. - PS5 sales in September 2026 were boosted by Marvel's Wolverine, with console bundle and DualSense controller doing well. - Call of Duty's removal from Xbox Game Pass as a day one release led to lost engagement, Piscatella says.
Timeline - September 2026: PS5 sales boosted year-over-year thanks to Marvel's Wolverine, per Circana. - October 2026: UK Xbox sales drop 22%, according to Nielsen IQ data. - Post-launch: Gears of War: E-Day sells 62k copies on Xbox versus 1.7 million Game Pass players, analyst estimates.
FAQ
Q: Did Gears of War: E-Day's Xbox exclusivity boost console sales? A: No. Analyst Mat Piscatella says it made no difference to the hardware trend, with UK Xbox sales down 22% in October and no US uplift.
Q: How many copies did Gears of War: E-Day sell on Xbox? A: Analyst estimates put it at just 62k copies sold on Xbox, compared to 1.7 million Game Pass players.
Q: Why did Xbox engagement drop according to the analyst? A: Piscatella says removing Call of Duty from Xbox Game Pass as a day one release lost a ton of engagement with no benefit.
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