Xbox says its share of GTA 6 preorders matches its console market share

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball told IGN that Microsoft’s share of Grand Theft Auto VI preorders matches the company’s share of the console market. Ball also said, as reported by IGN, that GTA VI is “breaking records for XBOX” and that the company expects more records to be broken throughout the fall. The statement was issued after The Verge’s Tom Warren reported that GTA 6 preorders appeared heavily skewed toward PlayStation 5 and connected that skew to recent Xbox layoffs and studio reorganization. IGN noted that Sony publicly reports PS5 sales while Microsoft has not disclosed a cumulative Xbox Series X and S sales number in years.

• What happened: Matthew Ball, Xbox’s Chief Strategy Officer, told IGN that Microsoft’s share of GTA 6 preorders is matching “our share of the console market” and said the title is breaking records for Xbox, with more records expected through the fall.
• Why it matters: The IGN report frames Ball’s statement as a response to a The Verge article by Tom Warren that claimed GTA 6 preorders were skewed toward PS5 and suggested that trend raised concerns about Xbox amid recent layoffs and studio reorganization.
• Context: IGN reported that Sony publishes PS5 sales figures, whereas Microsoft has not announced a cumulative Xbox Series X and S sales number in years, a detail noted alongside Ball’s comments.
• What next: Ball’s statement includes Microsoft’s expectation of additional record performances for GTA 6 through the fall as reported by IGN; independent, platform-level preorder breakdowns or new official Xbox Series X|S sales figures have not been published in the evidence provided.