The Coalition Reportedly Spend Over $500 Million on Gears of War: E-Day

Earlier this month, The Coalition released Gears of War: E-Day, a new game in the series. It is a prequel to the original game and has been highly praised by critics. A new report claims it also had a very large budget.

Kotaku reported that Gears of War: E-Day cost $500 million to develop, which would make it one of the most expensive games ever made. The outlet adds that this figure covers development only and doesn’t include marketing costs.

Gears of War: E-Day reportedly cost over $500 million to develop, excluding marketing.

A source familiar with Xbox’s business says the budget exceeds earlier reports of over $400 million.

Alinea Analytics estimates around 230,000 copies sold in the first week, generating about $37 million. Microsoft has not yet released official sales or player numbers.

A PS5 release probably wouldn’t have solved the problem. Gears of War: Reloaded sold 684,000 copies on PS5, which would have added roughly $33 million in revenue for E-Day after platform fees.

If true, the studio is cooked, Asha is coming for them.

As noted earlier, Gears of War: E-Day sold an estimated 230,000 copies on PC and Xbox in its first three days. Given the budget, that is certainly not a satisfying result for Microsoft. However, these are estimates, not official numbers, and the situation may have improved in the weeks since.

Despite positive reviews from critics, players didn’t welcome the game as warmly. Many criticized the story, which pushes Marcus and Dom into the background in favor of the new protagonist, Mags Carter. Laura Fryer, a former Gears of War producer, shares this view as well. She revealed she was excited about Gears of War: E-Day but was disappointed by its story.

Gears of War: E-Day is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S and through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.