- Microsoft’s first quarter with Activision Blizzard at its side has been quite fruitful.
- In addition to incredible revenue, Xbox reached 200 million monthly active users in Q2 of FY24.
- The new record was possible thanks to the combination of various devices in the Xbox ecosystem.
After a year of struggle, Microsoft managed to get its hand on Activision Blizzard. This encouraged Xbox to double down on publishing and releasing more exclusive games.
Hours ago, Microsoft revealed its first earrings report post-merger. Xbox is continuously growing after the transaction, with revenue increasing by 49% in FY24 Q2. This was a new record for the gaming business, and it also reached 200 million monthly active users.
Why it matters: Xbox moved heavens and earth in order to close the Activision Blizzard merger, closing with rivals like PlayStation and regulators like the FTC.
During Microsoft’s Q2 2024 livestream, CEO Satya Nadella said:
“This quarter we set all-time records for monthly active users of Xbox, PC, as well as mobile.”
“We now have 200 million monthly active users.”
This is a new record for Xbox, and these results would not have been possible without Activision Blizzard.
Franchises like Call of Duty and Diablo have a strong presence on all three platforms. Whether it be on consoles, PC, or mobile, these two IPs have big games and millions of players on all three.
Mobile gaming, in particular, likely catapulted this figure to new heights. As part of the most easily accessible and common gaming source, IPs like Candy Crush have millions of returning players each month.
For comparison, PlayStation boasted 123 million monthly active users for December. Therefore, Xbox was ahead with nearly twice as many users. Cloud gaming is also on the rise as the hours streamed increased by 44% year-on-year.
In the same conference, Satya Nadella reiterated Microsoft’s focus on broader applications of AI.
The company has moved beyond talking about the technology to applying it. Therefore, future gaming consoles might benefit from these R&D efforts, possibly using AI to compensate for inherent hardware limitations.
The CEO also shed light on the upcoming games in 2024. With a varied lineup of AAA titles, Satya Nadella has never been more excited about Xbox’s future.
Still, Microsoft had a rough time last week. Having laid off 1900 developers, these financial results, while impressive, come off as bittersweet, but we hope to see Xbox improving for the better soon.
Featured Image Credit: Kamil S
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