Gears of War: E-Day breaks Xbox player records amid console shortages

The release of Gears of War: E-Day has achieved significant player engagement, becoming the most played game on Xbox during its debut week. According to metrics from TrueAchievements, the title surpassed Minecraft by 16.6% and outperformed other major multiplayer titles such as Fortnite, Roblox, and Call of Duty.

Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service played a major role in this success, with an estimated 1.7 million players accessing the game through the service. Additionally, over 722,000 Game Pass users purchased the ‘Premium Edition’ to gain five days of early access. However, analysts from Alinea Analytics noted a cannibalization of traditional sales, as digital sales on Steam accounted for 168,000 units compared to only 62,000 direct sales on Xbox consoles.

Parallel to the game's success, hardware availability has become a challenge in certain markets. In Spain, retailers like GAME and the official Microsoft store have reported stock shortages for Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. This scarcity has led some consumers to utilize Windows PCs connected to televisions via HDMI as an alternative method to play the title.