The remarks offer a direct criticism of the funding approach behind a project Sears helped lead. Explosion reported that Sears described the previous era of Xbox development funding as unsustainable and said he might have turned off the company’s funding “money tap” earlier himself.
Sears’s hypothetical judgment was more specific: he said he would not have financed South of Midnight had he been running Xbox. That assessment comes from the game’s creative director, whom both supplied reports identify as Sears.
The available reporting does not resolve which interview originally carried the comments. Explosion identifies IGN, while TwistedVoxel identifies MinnMax; the supplied evidence does not establish whether the references point to separate interviews or an attribution discrepancy.
Both reports were published on November 3, 2026, but that date does not establish when Sears made the remarks. The available material therefore supports his criticism and hypothetical funding decision, while leaving the interview’s date, location and original outlet unresolved.