Microsoft’s new shooter Gears 5 managed to captivate over 3 million players on its first weekend, according to Microsoft. But the sales figures are not good. How is that possible?
What is Gears 5? The shooter is the latest installment in the popular Gears of War series. This time you take on the roles of heroes JD, Marcus Fenix, Kait Diaz, and Delmont Walker. They are trying to stop an invasion of the alien swarm.
You play Gears 5 from a third-person perspective, and the series is characterized by cinematic battles, a dense story, and a combat system where you always need to find cover and approach tactics.
In addition to the single-player campaign, you can of course also compete in multiplayer modes. This includes an exciting co-op mode.
3 million players with lower sales figures?
How successful is Gears 5: The latest installment of the series was released on September 10. According to Microsoft, more than 3 million players played last weekend. You can purchase Gears 5 for PC (through the Microsoft Store and Steam) as well as for Xbox One.
According to Microsoft, it is also the biggest launch of an Xbox game this year.
What is unusual about these numbers? The sales figures tell a slightly different story. According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, Gears of War 3 sold about 20 times better than part 5 according to the UK retail charts. Even part 4 sold around 4.5 times more.
However, these numbers only represent retail sales. It is of course also possible to purchase Gears 5 digitally. But here too, one sees that the sales figures are likely not very good.
According to Steamcharts, Gears 5 reached a peak of about 9,880 players simultaneously. The trend is currently declining. But one must also consider that the title is additionally offered through the Microsoft Store.
The Game Pass makes the difference
How are the high player numbers achieved? Gears 5 is part of the Xbox Game Pass. Those who get this pass can play Gears 5 “for free” as part of the subscription.
The Xbox Game Pass for console currently costs €9.99 per month. You get access to about 100 games. New titles are regularly added to the library. In addition, the first 14 days are free.
The Game Pass on PC is currently still in beta, and you can get it for €3.99 at the moment.
However, there are also ongoing offers around the Game Pass, where you can use it for example for one month for €2.
Game Pass users can play Gears 5 anyway. Others get the pass in a deal or through the PC beta and thereby also play the shooter very cheaply. This results in the significantly higher player numbers compared to the actual sales figures of the game.
Gears 5 owes its current success to the Xbox Game Pass. Because this is how Microsoft is “pushing” the game – and thus of course also the interest in the Xbox Game Pass. A new AAA shooter for little money? The next installment of the popular Gears series in the Game Pass? That could encourage many to get the pass.
What do players think of Gears 5? The ratings on Steam are currently “mixed” with 53%. Players complain that they have to grind through all levels after upgrades, which disrupts the flow of the game. Additionally, there are said to be a number of bugs.
Nevertheless, Gears 5 is considered a very good cover shooter, which can impress with its dense atmosphere and narrative. It also shows on Metacritic that Gears 5 is well received:
