Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has taken to social media to tout GTA 6 pre-orders on the platform, calling them 'breaking records', even as the company faces thousands of layoffs and uncertainty over the Halo franchise.
Ball's comments come in response to a report from The Verge, which noted that GTA 6 pre-orders on Xbox are 'heavily skewed' toward the PlayStation 5, raising 'alarm bells about the platform'. The report also detailed significant layoffs at Halo Studios and a shift of the next Halo game to Activision.
GTA 6 pre-orders and console market share
In a post on X, Ball wrote: 'We are very happy with GTA 6 pre-orders. The title is breaking records for Xbox, we expect even more records will be broken through the fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market.'
The Verge's Tom Warren replied asking: 'What's your share of the console market?' Ball did not provide an answer. He has since also refuted the same reporting shared by other accounts, including CharlieIntel and NextGenPlayer.
Xbox's reset and Halo's future
Xbox is currently undergoing a 'reset' that will see 3,200 people lose their jobs before the end of June 2027. The company has admitted things are not going well, with CEO Asha Sharma acknowledging the situation. The reset also includes studio mergers and a major shift for the Halo IP, with the next game now in development at Activision.
According to The Verge, most of the team at Halo Studios have been laid off, and remaining staff will only support existing titles like Halo Infinite and Halo: Campaign Evolved. A sequel to Halo Infinite was reportedly in development but was 'years away' from launch, so Microsoft 'pulled the plug'.
Market context and unanswered questions
The PlayStation 5 has sold over 95 million units worldwide, while the Xbox Series X/S is believed to have sold around 35 million. Microsoft stopped reporting sales figures in the Xbox One era. Rockstar's marketing for GTA 6 has also strongly pushed the PlayStation 5 version.
Despite the turmoil, Ball's focus on GTA 6 pre-orders raises questions about Xbox's future, especially with the next console, Project Helix, on the horizon. It remains unclear if Xbox will be part of that conversation.
