Gears of War: E-Day Reportedly Cost $500 Million to Make, Amid Claims It Has Sold Just 400,000 Copies
Gears of War: E-Day has reportedly cost $500 million to develop, making its sales performance of just over 400,000 copies across Xbox Series X/S and PC particularly concerning for Microsoft and developer The Coalition. The substantial budget, which reportedly does not include marketing expenses, was confirmed by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier and represents a significant financial underperformance for a flagship franchise of this magnitude.
The game launched as an Xbox console exclusive and arrived day one on Xbox Game Pass, a distribution strategy implemented under new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s leadership. While Microsoft has not officially commented on the budget or sales figures, the discrepancy between development investment and actual sales represents a notable commercial challenge for the company’s gaming division.
This underperformance raises questions about the viability of combining large development budgets with exclusive release strategies and day-one Game Pass availability, particularly for established franchises expected to generate significant revenue.