Grounded
GameBy Obsidian Entertainment
Documents about Grounded
Microsoft Makes Big Cuts at Halo Studios, Shifts Franchise to Activision
Microsoft is undergoing a significant restructuring of its gaming division as of September 2026, characterized by workforce reductions, studio reassignments, and a fundamental shift in the management of its flagship intellectual property.
- Microsoft is laying off 268 employees, primarily from Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) and Xbox Games Studio management, as part of a broader 3,200-person workforce reduction announced in July.
- Development of the next Halo game is moving to Activision, where a newly assembled team will lead production and publishing, while Halo Studios shifts to a caretaker and support role.
- The potential sale of Ninja Theory has fallen through, leaving the studio at risk of closure and subject to a formal consultation process.
This Year's Top PlayStation Plus Games
This analysis examines the performance of major titles on the PlayStation Plus subscription service and broader industry sales trends as of September 2026.
- Capcom has generated $617 million in gross revenue on Steam so far in 2026, with 61.6% of that total attributed to the Resident Evil franchise.
- FC 26 leads PlayStation Plus performance for the year with 7.8 million new players, including 5 million who accessed the title during its free claim window from May 6 to June 17.
- Spider-Man 2 has reached 4.3 million new players via PlayStation Plus since its addition to the Extra tier on February 18 and has generated $1.3 billion in total revenue across all platforms.
Xbox Game Sales on PlayStation
This analysis examines the commercial performance of first-party Xbox titles on the PlayStation platform, providing a data-driven perspective on Microsoft’s evolving approach to exclusivity.
- Thirteen first-party Xbox titles have surpassed 100,000 units on PlayStation, generating a combined $667 million in gross revenue.
- Forza Horizon 5 is the top-performing title on PlayStation, accounting for $323 million in revenue from 5.8 million units sold.
- Oblivion Remastered has moved 1.2 million units on PlayStation 5, with approximately 75% of its buyers having previously played the Skyrim version on Sony hardware.
Of Course, Working at Obsidian Is Like a Real-World RPG
Obsidian Entertainment’s operational philosophy centers on long-term stability and iterative development, aiming to sustain the studio for a century.
- Obsidian Entertainment has released six games since its 2018 acquisition by Microsoft, including three titles in 2025 alone: Avowed, Grounded 2 (Early Access), and The Outer Worlds 2.
- The studio prioritizes long-term staff retention by encouraging employees to 'multi-class' across different roles and projects, aiming to build a deep institutional knowledge of the studio's development ethos.
- Obsidian maintains a conservative, iterative development strategy that focuses on refining existing tech stacks rather than chasing industry-wide AAA trends or massive scale.
August’s Most Downloaded Games Across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam
This analysis examines gaming download trends across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam for August 2025, highlighting the performance of major new releases and established titles.
- The game 'PEAK' remained the most downloaded title across all platforms in August with 4.0 million downloads, bringing its total Steam sales to over 11 million copies.
- Tencent’s 'Delta Force' debuted with 3.7 million downloads in August, driven by its August 19 console launch where PlayStation accounted for 45.3% of total downloads.
- Annualized sports titles 'Madden 26' and 'NBA 2K26' maintained strong performance with 2.1 million and 2.0 million downloads respectively, though 'Madden 26' experienced a slower start compared to the previous year's edition.
U.S. Gaming Market Report: July 2025
The United States gaming market experienced a strong performance in July 2025, with total consumer spending reaching $5.05 billion.
- The US gaming market generated $5.05 billion in total revenue during July 2025, marking a 5% year-over-year increase.
- Game software sales grew 4% to $4.48 billion, driven by the strong launch of EA Sports College Football 26, which became the month's best-selling game and the third best-selling title year-to-date.
- Gaming hardware sales surged 21% to $384 million, fueled by the Nintendo Switch 2, which sold 2 million units across June and July.
Three New Steam Releases Generated Revenue Exceeding $10 Million in July
The gaming industry experienced a relatively quiet period on the Steam platform during July 2025, characterized by a decrease in the number of high-performing blockbuster releases compared to the previous month.
- In July 2025, only three new paid releases on Steam generated over $10 million in revenue, a decline from the six titles that reached this milestone in June.
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was the top-grossing new release of the month, earning $19.1 million from 524.9 thousand copies sold.
- Grounded 2 and Killing Floor 3 were the only other titles to surpass the $10 million revenue threshold, generating $15.6 million and $10.6 million respectively.
Wuchang, Grounded 2 Lead July's New Steam Hits
July 2025 saw a relatively quiet period for new game releases on Steam, with only three titles surpassing $10 million in gross revenue compared to six in the previous month.
- July 2025 Steam revenue for new releases slowed significantly, with only three titles surpassing $10 million in gross revenue compared to six in June.
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers led July's new releases with $19.1 million in gross revenue and achieved strong cross-platform performance with over 400,000 paid units on PlayStation 5.
- Grounded 2 generated nearly $16 million in gross revenue on Steam despite being available on Game Pass from day one.
Most Downloaded Games: July 2025
The July 2025 gaming landscape was defined by a diverse mix of premium titles, subscription-driven engagement, and the volatile performance of free-to-play live-service games.
- The free-to-play shooter Mecha Break reached 3.1 million downloads in its July launch month, but it is experiencing rapid retention decline with only 44,000 daily players on Steam.
- EA’s College Football 26 achieved 3.1 million downloads in July, with Xbox volume (1.7 million) outpacing PlayStation (1.3 million) due to the inclusion of an EA Play 10-hour trial in Game Pass Ultimate.
- Cyberpunk 2077 saw 2 million downloads in July, driven primarily by its addition to the PlayStation Plus game catalogue and a 65% price discount on Steam.
About Grounded 2 and All the People Helping to Make It
Obsidian Entertainment is currently developing Grounded 2, a sequel to its survival-crafting title, which features a map triple the size of the original and introduces rideable insects known as buggies.
- Obsidian Entertainment is developing Grounded 2, a survival-crafting sequel featuring a map three times the size of the original and new mechanics such as rideable insects.
- Grounded 2 will launch in early access on Xbox Series and PC, with Obsidian utilizing the program to gather community feedback for refining core features like rideable buggies.
- Eidos Montreal is co-developing Grounded 2, marking a collaborative effort between the two studios to build upon the community-driven model established by the first game.
Revealed: The Top Announcements of 'Not-E3' 2025
This analysis evaluates the impact of the 2025 "Not-E3" and Summer Game Fest showcases by tracking Steam follower and wishlist growth for over 700 unique titles.
- Summer Game Fest was the most effective showcase, generating a median of 56,068 new Steam wishlists per featured title.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 achieved significant market penetration with 3.5 million units sold within its first four days of availability.
- Steam remains the dominant PC storefront, though third-party developer support for the Switch 2 is currently limited by restricted access to early development hardware.
How Well Have Xbox Games on PlayStation Been Selling So Far? It Differs
Xbox has transitioned into a third-party publisher, strategically porting its software to PlayStation to mitigate stagnating console and Game Pass growth.
- Xbox's multi-platform strategy has generated significant sales on PlayStation, led by Sea of Thieves with 1.8 million copies and Grounded with 432.2 thousand copies sold since April 2024.
- Xbox is successfully reaching a new audience on PlayStation, as evidenced by 29% of Grounded players on the platform also playing Sea of Thieves, suggesting a cohort of 'Xbox-curious' users.
- Niche Xbox titles have seen lower adoption on PlayStation compared to larger hits, with Hi-Fi Rush selling 137.2 thousand copies, Age of Mythology Retold selling 41 thousand, and Pentiment selling 14 thousand.