Alinea Analytics reveals some sales statistics
We’ve observed quite a bit of discussion within the gaming industry over the past year regarding whether Xbox is wise to release its first-party titles on PlayStation. Nonetheless, it’s undoubtedly a profitable move for Microsoft’s gaming division in the short term.
However, how well are these titles performing on PS5 (and PS4)? Well, we’ve acquired data from the folks at Alinea Analytics, along with some infographics illustrating the differences between Steam sales and PlayStation for these titles.
The highlighted games below are Sea Of Thieves and Grounded, both of which have been identified as “major sellers and generated significant revenue for Xbox,” achieving sales of 1.8 million and 432.2k copies respectively on PlayStation.
Sea of Thieves, Rare’s cooperative pirate adventure that launched on Xbox and PC in 2018 and arrived on PlayStation in April 2024, sold 1.8 million copies on PlayStation thus far.
Grounded, Obsidian’s cooperative survival game that debuted on Xbox and PC in 2020 and hit PlayStation in April 2024, sold 432.2K on PlayStation up to this point.
While these may not seem like huge numbers compared to Steam sales, Alinea Analytics asserts that “Xbox is positioned to earn substantial profits on PlayStation consoles” with franchises like Forza, Halo, Gears, and more.
If we look at past performances of Sea of Thieves and Grounded, the company notes that “more niche Xbox titles” haven’t fared as well as these two on PS5 and PS4; nonetheless, they are still worthwhile endeavors for Microsoft. Here’s a look at three such titles:
And here’s a brief overview of how the report encapsulates it:
Xbox’s strategic initiatives with PlayStation ports, even those that seem to underperform commercially, are a deliberate long-term strategy.
Xbox has merely been testing the waters thus far, honing its cross-platform strategy ahead of larger, more significant releases. The forthcoming launches of prominent IPs like Gears of War or Halo on PlayStation once seemed unimaginable, but now they’re a certainty. While some areas of the internet argue that this move diminishes Xbox’s appeal, the long-term benefits of Xbox as a third-party entity are evident.
It’s important to highlight that these are not official sales figures; they are merely estimates from Alinea Analytics, yet we assume they are fairly accurate. To be honest, there is nothing particularly alarming to us.
It’s no surprise to see Sea of Thieves leading the pack (at least among the games discussed here), but with Forza Horizon 5 on the horizon for PS5, it may be surpassed very shortly. Hopefully, we’ll receive some sales data for that one soon!
What do you think about this new Xbox-on-PS5 data? Let us know