Rumors suggest that Microsoft is considering selling XBOX, the development of Gears of War: E-Day may have cost $400 million, and the Gothic 1 Remake has sold over 500,000 copies. Here's a recap of the main events in the gaming industry over the past weekend.
- The last few days have been dominated by XBOX news. One of the weekend's most notable reports came from The Information, which disclosed the potential for significant restructuring within the division. Reporters claim that Microsoft is currently evaluating a few future scenarios for XBOX. These include spinning it off into a separate subsidiary with complete control retained, turning it into an entity co-owned by Microsoft and a partner, or even selling the division altogether. However, The Information noted that no final decision has been made, and the company might yet abandon such plans.
- Simultaneously, Windows Central discovered that many XBOX games have performed below Microsoft's expectations, both in terms of sales and Game Pass subscriptions. Games such as Avowed, Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga, The Outer Worlds 2, South of Midnight, and Forza Motorsport were among those considered underperforming. Nonetheless, Windows Central reported successes as well. For example, Sea of Thieves, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and Grounded were big hits, as were the Age of Empires, Flight Simulator, and Forza Horizon series. However, significant profits from these successes were offset by the failures of other games.
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, in an interview with Hard Fork, stated that the company’s gaming division needs to become more financially stable. As the top executive explained, Microsoft is currently subsidizing XBOX rather than generating revenue from it, and this needs to change. He jokingly noted that even YouTube earns more from XBOX games than XBOX itself, suggesting a fundamental issue in their processes.
- The budget for Gears of War: E-Day may have exceeded $400 million. This figure was revealed by journalist and insider Tom Henderson on the Insider Gaming podcast. Henderson believes that the game has little chance of recouping such substantial expenses, given that it will release only on PC and Xbox Series. However, he doubts that Gears of War: E-Day would break even even with a PlayStation 5 release. The Coalition has not commented on the rumors about the game’s budget, so Henderson’s claims remain unconfirmed.
- In the fall of 2026, a verdict is expected in a lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company against Pocketpair studio, alleging patent infringement in the game Palworld. As noted by Games Fray, even a victory would yield little financial gain for the plaintiffs. It estimates that at most, the companies can expect compensation of 5 million yen or $30,000. The reason, explained Games Fray, is that much has changed over the two years of legal proceedings, and Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit now only pertains to old versions of Palworld and its sales in Japan.
- Developers at Alkimia Interactive are pleased with the launch of the Gothic 1 Remake. They announced that the Gothic 1 Remake has sold more than 500,000 copies on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. It took the game just a week to reach this milestone.
- Sales information was also shared by the creators of Paralives. Paralives Studio founder Alex Massé, in an interview with LCN, stated that within 15 days of the game’s release, it sold 900,000 copies, far exceeding the team's initial expectation of 100,000 copies in a month. He also revealed that Paralives generated $22 million in revenue. According to Massé, the studio’s employees will now receive 12% of this amount as a bonus for their excellent work.