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Former Plaud exec raises $26M for AI app that listens to you in the background
Ambi is releasing apps for iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch that enables ambient capture
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Vancouver’s Main Street reopens after $26M makeover
The Southwest Washington city celebrates the reopening of Main Street after a nearly two-year redevelopment. The project, first envisioned in the 1990s, took a toll on businesses along the corridor.
General contractor more than doubles Valley office space
Alston Construction doubles its Phoenix office space to 10,000 square feet in Tempe as major Arizona general contractors expand operations.
Texas clinic owner convicted in $26M military health fraud tied to gold-plated Cybertruck
Kevin D. Curry used TRICARE kickbacks to fund a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck and lavish parties after billing $26 million in fake TMS therapy claims.
Texas clinic owner convicted in $26M military health fraud tied to gold-plated Cybertruck
Kevin D. Curry used TRICARE kickbacks to fund a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck and lavish parties after billing $26 million in fake TMS therapy claims.
Massachusetts State Police Celebrate National Forensic Science Week
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After new federal requirements, changes coming to the Oregon Health Plan
About 600,000 Oregon Health Plan members will soon receive a notice that Medicaid is about to change.
More than 200 jobs eliminated from Health First in Brevard County
Health First has notified over 200 associates that their positions are being eliminated, according to a release issued on Wednesday.
More than 200 associates fired from Health First in Brevard County
Health First has notified over 200 associates that their positions are being eliminated, according to a release issued on Wednesday.
Senior Planner Joins R&M Consultants
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Chinatown 808's Mid-Autumn Festival returns
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Entertainment, Food & Artisans Announced for Saturday’s Hispanic Heritage Festival
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iPhone Duo Has Similar Main Camera to iPhone 17e
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VCU Health awards cleaning services contract to new vendor, to pay $26M in first year
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Michael Bloomberg honors his late parents with $155 million donation
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Zambian Police Summon Opposition Leader After Disputed Election
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Pro-crypto PAC fabricates Miami Herald headlines to attack Florida Democrat
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Moment of Science: Air Quality
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State Street business not worried as protests continue
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Zohran Mamdani Knows He Has Political Capital. And He Intends to Spend It.
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Swift and Kelce surprise charities with $26M donations pre-wedding
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OpenAI triumphs in brutal $26M political fight against Anthropic
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Michigan State Athletics Announces 2026 All-Sports Award Winners
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Minneapolis ICE raids cost city $700M in wages, business losses
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Kendall shopping, Whole Foods opening, Miami swimwear. See top business stories
Here’s what to know.
California governor's primary pitted experience against promises of change
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Quartet of firms guide $17.6bn Caesars Entertainment acquisition
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Center For Family Health HS Sports Scoreboard
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UCF Alumnus Makes Epic Mark in the World of Themed Entertainment
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WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
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Barnes & Thornburg adds entertainment trio from Nixon Peabody
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West Coast tech firm eyes big Chicago office expansion
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White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting: Minnesota leaders condemn political violence
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How Jason Chambers Runs a Tight Ship on ‘Below Deck’
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US aid cuts collapse Malawi’s LGBTQ+ health services as volunteers scramble to fill the void
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Brenda Alexander has the latest in entertainment headlines:
Are Kim K & Lewis Hamilton dating? Lil Nas X may have caught a break in his felony assault case, and Stephen Colbert's replacement has been announced.
MLB Opening Day 2026: Top 50 people who will impact the MLB season, starting with Nos. 50-26
Academic All-Big Ten Honors Announced for Winter Sports - Michigan State University Athletics
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ESA Investigating Fireball Over Europe After Meteorites Strike German Home
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Mamdani and Trump Are Set to Meet in Washington
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MSU alumni donate $26M to school. What Jay and Jill Craig are funding
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‘Zionist to the core’: Swiss commentator slams Israeli bobsleigh team
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Fix energy prices to be competitive, business leaders tell EU
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New $26M gaming and entertainment venue planned just over Utah border
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Inside Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro’s US$45m Pay Package
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Following recent resignations, levee expert sees politics dominating flood protection authority
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Chris Madel Ends Run for Minnesota Governor, Citing Immigration Crackdown
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Alex Pretti Shooting Poses a Question for the Right: Who’s a Conservative?
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Viewers want faith in films, TV. A new study provides a road map for writers, directors, producers
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Movie Reviews with Entertainment Correspondent Mike Marra
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East Moline manufacturer to move business to Iowa to support growing demand, leaders say
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