GameSpot reports that Sears described Xbox's spending under previous leaders Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond as something he wasn't sure would work long term. That spending is how Compulsion Games got the money to make the game.

Per GameSpot, Sears recalled telling people "this could be terrible", because somebody was eventually going to close the funding tap. VGC's headline quotes him saying "Rome would burn" eventually.

South of Midnight launched on Xbox consoles and PC in April 2025 and reached PS5 and Switch 2 in March 2026. Rock Paper Shotgun reports Compulsion has since parted ways with Xbox, tying it to Microsoft's cuts this year; we have not independently confirmed that.

According to GameSpot, Sears still calls the game "generational" and hopes people keep discovering it.