On October 13, a week after E-Day’s official release date, Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott estimated that the game had generated $42.1 million in revenue, having sold 311,000 copies across Steam and Xbox. He also pointed to a boost to Game Pass subscriptions that appears to have been the result of E-Day’s release, although lamented the lack of a PS5 version, which may have generated increased revenue.

One question Microsoft may have when it comes to Gears is the impact on Game Pass. Has it made a big enough impact on the subscription service to offset disappointing sales revenue? With a budget in the $500 million range, can Gears of War: E-Day ever be considered profitable?

Discussing Xbox’s ongoing financial struggles this week, Sharma pointed to Minecraft and World of Warcraft Forever as setting records, and the critical acclaim Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 had enjoyed. No mention was made of Gears of War: E-Day.