DOOM: The Dark Ages on PS5 Looks Like a Bust Despite 3 Million Players

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As a devoted fan, I can’t help but be thrilled by the news that DOOM: The Dark Ages has managed to garner an impressive three million players within just a week! However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that the number of players doesn’t always equate to the number of full-price purchases, particularly when a game is accessible through a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass.

As a gamer, I recently stumbled upon some intriguing insights about my fellow gaming community of 3 million players, shared by Alinea Analytics. And let me tell you, the numbers they’ve thrown out there are a bit of a reality check.

Journalist Chris Dring reports that Ampere forecasted approximately two million out of the total three million players were utilizing Xbox consoles. Although some of these players may purchase the game at full price, it’s expected that a large portion of them are experiencing the title through Xbox Game Pass.

Based on Steam’s low concurrent player numbers, Alinea Analytics estimates that only about 400,000 copies of the game were sold on Valve’s storefront, while roughly 200,000 units were sold on PS5. However, they predict that approximately 2.2 million players have experienced the game through Xbox Game Pass, split across both PC and console versions.

In simpler terms, this suggests that there have been fewer than a million sales of full-priced items in total, but we’re still awaiting clarification on how Alinea Analytics calculates their results. However, these figures appear to align with the limited information we already possess.

Indeed, Microsoft’s strategy is functioning as planned since it encourages users to subscribe to its services. However, we remain cautious about the long-term viability of such an approach, particularly given that Microsoft is simultaneously advocating for $80 video games.

As a gamer, I’m curious if an affordable subscription service can sustain Xbox’s massive first-party operations, considering the low sales numbers their software sees elsewhere. It’s no secret that companies keep important details under wraps, but it’d be fascinating to know their true thoughts on this matter.

Regardless, it seems that DOOM: The Dark Ages isn’t thriving on the PS5 market, as three million players might initially suggest, given that customers are required to pay the full price for the game.

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2025-05-22 14:06