Xbox Game Studios has recently shared remarkable lifetime player statistics for some of its highly popular first-party games such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Sea of Thieves, and more. The Xbox first-party lineup is expected to expand further this year, with the upcoming release of significant titles like Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 in May, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Avowed in the fall.
Recent developments at Xbox have included plans to bring four of its smaller first-party games to other platforms like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. This decision has ignited passionate discussions within the Xbox community and the broader gaming sphere regarding Xbox's potential transition to a third-party publisher and the implications for Game Pass and Xbox consoles. At present, Xbox has confirmed that only four games, namely Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Grounded, will be making this leap. Obsidian's Pentiment is the first to make the move to Switch and PlayStation, with the other three titles set to follow suit in the coming months.
A recent graphic shared on Twitter by industry insider Klobrille has highlighted the impressive player counts for some of Xbox's most successful games over the past few years. Leading the pack is the 2021 racing hit Forza Horizon 5 with a massive 37 million lifetime players, closely followed by Rare's Sea of Thieves boasting 35 million players. Several other first-party games from Xbox have player numbers ranging from 20 to 25 million, such as Grounded, Minecraft Dungeons, and Halo Infinite. Bethesda's latest RPG Starfield has attracted 13 million players, while Ghostwire: Tokyo with 6 million players marks the lower end of the spectrum.
Insights into Xbox First-Party Player Counts:
- Forza Horizon 5 - 37 Million
- Sea of Thieves - 35 Million
- Minecraft Dungeons - 25 Million
- The Elder Scrolls Online - 24 Million
- Halo Infinite - 20 Million
- Grounded - 20 Million
- Fallout 76 - 17 Million
- Starfield - 13 Million
- Microsoft Flight Simulator - 12 Million
- State of Decay 2 - 11 Million
- Ghostwire: Tokyo - 6 Million
With Xbox's ongoing efforts to broaden its reach by making some smaller titles available on other platforms, there is a strong possibility that these impressive player counts could see further growth. Games like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment, which currently have smaller player bases, may find a place on this list in the future if they perform well on Switch and PS5. Given that titles like Starfield and Ghostwire: Tokyo have relatively lower player counts in the graphic, it raises questions about the potential success of Xbox's 2024 single-player releases like Hellblade 2 and Avowed, at least in their initial years.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could emerge as a single-player Xbox title that breaks the 20-25 million player mark, especially as it's Xbox's first significant collaboration with a popular film franchise. Fans eagerly await more details, possibly at Xbox's confirmed June event. Additionally, the community is curious to see if Sea of Thieves will surpass Forza Horizon 5 and claim the top spot, especially upon its release on PS5 on April 30.