New sales data for Xbox games on PlayStation suggests a very mixed picture, according to a report from video game analysis firm Alinea Analytics.
According to Alinea, the firm’s estimates place Rare’s Sea of Thieves firmly in the lead, with around 1.8 million copies sold on PlayStation 5 so far. Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded is in second place with roughly 432,200 copies sold so far.
Bringing up the rear, former first-party Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush is sitting at 137,000 copies sold, while firmly in last place is Obsidian Entertainment’s Pentiment, at just 14,000 copies sold.
The firm also reports that Age of Mythology: Retold from World’s Edge is at 41,000 copies sold on PlayStation, though this particular figure is a bit more nuanced, as the game was only ported a few weeks ago, as opposed to the other games that have all been available on PlayStation 5 for about a year.
Still, these results are pretty clear, and Sea of Thieves being ported to PlayStation 5 has been a clear success. Grounded’s success is also notable, especially considering that game had an extremely small team for much of its development.
On the flip side, shame on you PlayStation fans that haven’t bought Pentiment, it’s a fantastic experience.
The return on investment for each game will naturally be different, but so far, the limited data indicates it’s very good idea for Microsoft to consider bringing multiplayer and co-op focused titles to PlayStation, while smaller single-player games might not be worth the effort if they’re coming at a later date.
Looking ahead, Microsoft is bringing more of its existing Xbox lineup to PlayStation hardware, with ports of MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 both slated to launch in April.
I’m expecting both of these games to sell well, especially Forza Horizon 5, and I won’t even be surprised if Playground’s open-world racing title becomes the best-selling (non-Call of Duty) Xbox-owned game on PlayStation. This approach is providing a mixed revenue stream, with full sales in addition to an existing consumer base using Xbox Game Pass.
Outside of these ports, PlayStation owners can expect other new Xbox games to keep arriving, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 and The Outer Worlds 2 both slated for multiplatform launches later this year.
We’ll have to wait and see what else is announced in the months ahead. Or perhaps just the next few weeks.