Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz / Xbox / Xbox Series X
The future of Xbox has been the talk of the gaming world ever since the company decided to put some of its biggest exclusives on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles. Recent console sales numbers show why Microsoft has decided to take a multi-platform approach.
Xbox doesn't move consoles. The tech giant announced in the third quarter that Xbox Series X and S revenue fell 30 percent year-over-year, and blamed the numbers on “lower console sales volume.”
This shouldn't come as a surprise because Microsoft said the same thing before announcing in April 2023 that “Xbox hardware” revenue was down 30% compared to a strong prior year due to lower console sales volume.”
Consoles are falling, but Xbox games are moving… On other consoles
However, if there's any caveat to take away from this, it's that Xbox games currently dominate the PlayStation store.
The lip Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella boasted of the achievement, saying, “We're finally expanding our games to new platforms, bringing four of our fan favorites to Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation for the first time.”
He took a slight jab at his competitor, adding: “In fact, earlier this month we had 7 games in the top 25 on the PlayStation Store, more than any other publisher.”
Nadella is referring to previous Xbox exclusives such as Obsidian Pentiment and GroundedTango Games' hi-fi rush, and Rare's Sea of Thieveswhich hit the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles.
Despite the bad news regarding hardware sales, the Microsoft-owned company is still in the console business, which is evident with the Xbox Series X (codenamed Brooklin) refresh still in the works and expected to arrive later this year .
But don't worry. It still exists Gears of War 6 to look forward to, rumored to be showcased at the upcoming summer showcase.
