This was reported by the analytics company Sensor Tower, citing information from its subsidiary service VG Insights.

Wrapping up the week with a comprehensive piece on the most successful game releases over the past six months. Today, we will discuss the best-selling new releases, sales leaders, and the top indie games on PC and consoles. If a particular title didn’t get its own section, you’ll likely find it on one of the many charts featured.

Microsoft Gaming has once again parted ways with hundreds, if not thousands, of employees, reaping the consequences of its irresponsible expansion. We delve into the scale of layoffs within the gaming division, as well as the underlying causes of these processes. At a crossroads, the company struggles to figure out how to turn its impressive catalog of IPs into growth.

Last week, Jade Raymond left Haven Studios, which she herself founded several years ago. This is a great opportunity to discuss top executives in gaming companies who often leave behind, if not a scorched earth, then at least a heap of problems.

Microsoft Corporation announced a new pricing policy. According to it, global prices for all latest-generation Xbox consoles increased starting May 1. Additionally, prices for some games developed by Microsoft gaming studios will rise as the Christmas season approaches.

After the presentation of the Nintendo Switch 2, the debate about rising game prices flared up again. Many latched onto the $80 price tag of Mario Kart World, forgetting to take a broader look at the situation. Major publishers are increasingly resorting to manipulations, disregarding the changing realities of the market. Possible solutions to the problem are explored in our material.

A significant portion of the daily active user base (DAU) on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox is concentrated around a relatively small number of games. Analyst Simon Carless examined how users are distributed.

Analyst Simon Carless from GameDiscoverCo calculated how many games released in 2024 managed to sell over 100,000 copies across various platforms by March 2025. He also determined how many of these games were new IPs.

Today, the Xbox brand is no longer associated with a single console, and the company itself is steadily shedding its role as a traditional platform holder. This strategy may be the only winning path for Microsoft Gaming. However, in its pursuit of being present on every existing screen, there is a risk of not establishing itself on any one of them.

Microsoft has shared updated data on ID@Xbox. Since the program’s inception, the company has paid indie developers a total of over $5 billion.

The European Union authorities plan to include PlayStation and Xbox consoles in the next package of sanctions against Russia. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing a statement from Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Gaming expert Simon Carless, using data from his GameDiscoverCo service, has summed up the year. He has compiled charts of the most successful paid new releases of 2024 on the main platforms — PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Microsoft plans to integrate several key features into the Xbox App for Android users in the United States. Gamers will be able to purchase games directly through the mobile app, bypassing Google Play, and launch them via streaming.

Microsoft has begun testing a new AI chatbot as a support assistant for Xbox.

Microsoft released the report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended on September 30. We’ve highlighted the key indicators from the gaming division.

The popularity of controllers is growing on Steam. According to Valve’s estimates, the average daily usage of controllers has tripled over the past six years — from 5% to 15%.

Head of Microsoft’s gaming division Phil Spencer gave an interview to the IGM portal. During the conversation, he mentioned that sales of third-party studio games on Xbox consoles are steadily increasing.

Analyst Mat Piscatella from Circana calculated that the Xbox Series is selling 13% worse in the American market than the Xbox One did at the same point in its lifecycle and is “slightly” trailing in sales compared to the Xbox 360.

In January-March 2024, the PlayStation 5 consoles sold significantly better than the Xbox Series, according to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad.