The Main Highlights from the Weekend (September 26-27)

Insiders discussed the budget for Physint, the head of Microsoft gave a positive assessment of the XBOX restructuring, and Wardogs sales exceeded 3 million copies — here are the main events in the gaming industry from the past weekend.

• Recently, rumors surfaced online that the budget for Physint, an upcoming game from Kojima Productions, might be $400 million. This figure was mentioned by journalist Christopher Dring from The Game Business in his podcast. Although Dring later clarified that this was just what he frequently heard at the Tokyo Game Show 2026 and recent sources now speak of a more modest number, his initial statement already spread across the internet. Notably, it reached Jason Schreier from Bloomberg. Commenting on the rumors, he did not specify the game's budget but noted that, according to his information, XBOX indeed allocated significantly less than $400 million to the developers of Physint. Later, Windows Central reporter Jez Corden shared insights, adding that Kojima Productions might have negotiated a $400 million budget with Sony, but with XBOX, they only agreed on part of that amount. Kojima Productions has not officially disclosed any figures.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella commented on the ongoing developments at XBOX in the Sources podcast. During the conversation, the top executive stated that he is optimistic about the restructuring of the gaming division and considers it a good decision. According to him, ultimately, the optimization will create a sustainable business model that allows XBOX to function as both a publisher and platform holder on PC and consoles, thereby delivering games to as many users as possible. Nadella also admitted that he is "thrilled" with the studios and IPs in the XBOX portfolio. He believes the corporation can use all this to create great games in the future.
• Meanwhile, XBOX head Asha Sharma shared impressive statistics on Minecraft on X, stating that on average, more than 300,000 people try the game for the first time every day. Thanks to such interest, Minecraft has sold 425 million copies worldwide — 125 million more than in October 2023, when sales figures were last disclosed. It’s worth noting that the first version of Minecraft debuted in 2009, and the official release was in 2011.
• Studio Bulkhead reported that Wardogs sales exceeded 3 million copies. The game reached this milestone 16 days after entering early access. "We understand that the excitement won't last forever, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable," the developers wrote on Steam.