According to The Game Business’s Christopher Dring, 2025 marked the worst year on record for Xbox console sales in the United Kingdom. “Sales of Xbox consoles were down 39% in the UK during 2025, making it comfortably the worst year on record for Xbox consoles,” Dring said in a recent post on Twitter. Dring then asks if the new Xbox Franchises coming this year will change things. It is worth noting that several first-party Xbox titles are scheduled to launch this year, including Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day, and Halo Studios’ Halo: Campaign Evolved, among others.
Sales of Xbox consoles were down 39% in the UK during 2025, making it comfortably the worst year on record for Xbox consoles. With the return of favourite Xbox franchises in 2026, might things improve this year?
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) January 2, 2026
In a recent Xbox Wire post, The Coalition studio head Mike Crump reiterated that Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to launch in 2026, coinciding with the franchise’s 20th anniversary. Crump described the title as the studio’s most ambitious project to date. “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Gears of War, and we can’t think of a bigger way to celebrate than with the release of Gears of War: E-Day,” Crump said. “This is our most ambitious game yet, entirely built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 to feel like Gears while playing in a fresh way. It represents a return to our roots, as Marcus and Dom face the Locust for the first time. It’s the perfect entry point into the Gears universe, and we can’t wait to share more next year.”
Gears of War: E-Day follows Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, telling an origin story set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War. The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 5 and will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC. A specific release date has not yet been announced.
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