Doom: The Dark Ages, the latest installment in the Doom series, has seen a significant player base since its release last week, with Bethesda confirming that it now has over 3 million players across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. However, the company has yet to announce a sales figure for the game.
The game’s impressive player count is attributed to its day-one launch on Game Pass for both Xbox consoles and PC. This strategy may have contributed to the game’s success, as it also allowed players to access the game without having to pay the full price of $69.99.
In contrast, some games that launched with a similar strategy have sold well despite being available on Game Pass. For example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sold over 2 million copies, despite launching on the platform as well.
While Bethesda’s approach to not releasing sales figures may seem unusual, it’s worth noting that only the company and Microsoft know for sure whether Doom: The Dark Ages has met its internal targets. However, the 3 million player count suggests that the game has performed particularly well on console and Game Pass, while possibly struggling on Steam.
IGN praised Doom: The Dark Ages in their review, giving it a 9/10 score. The reviewer noted that while the game may have lost some mobility focus from its predecessor, Doom Eternal, it replaces it with a powerful style of play that is different from anything in the series before and still satisfying.
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/doom-the-dark-ages-the-biggest-launch-in-ids-history-but-no-sales-figure-yet