Image source: Xbox Game Studios
Microsoft made a surprising move by revealing the sales figures for its Xbox consoles during a gaming festival in Latin America. Previously, Xbox Head Phil Spencer had downplayed the significance of console sales, but now the company has decided to share the numbers. Microsoft stopped reporting its quarterly console sales figures way back in 2015, following a less-than-ideal launch of the Xbox One. It’s been guesswork ever since for analysts and media, but out nowhere, we now have concrete numbers.
Xbox Sales Data Highlights How Far it Trails PlayStation
During the second day of the 2023 Best International Games (BIG) Festival in Brazil, Microsoft disclosed its latest sales figures in a more casual setting. According to the company, the Xbox Series X and Series S have achieved over 21 million lifetime sales, while the combined sales of the last two console generations exceeded 79 million units. This brings the total sales of the Xbox One to approximately 58 million as of June 2023.
While Microsoft’s decision to share hardware sales numbers breaks an eight-year precedent, the figures themselves align with recent unofficial estimates. For instance, it was previously reported that the Xbox Series X/S reached 20 million sales by March 2023. These official numbers also indicate that Microsoft has maintained its hardware momentum from 2022, during which Xbox achieved its best sales year ever.
However, despite the respectable figure of 21 million combined sales for the Xbox Series X/S in their first three years, it still falls significantly short of the PlayStation 5’s massive sales reported by Sony in Q1 2023. Additionally, the newly revealed numbers show that Sony and Nintendo have sold just over two PS4s and Switches for every Xbox One sold as of mid-2023.
Related:
Sega Says it’s Not Interested in a Microsoft Merger
These figures reinforce Microsoft’s acknowledgment that it has fallen behind its Japanese rivals in the console market. It is possible that Microsoft’s decision to disclose hardware sales numbers was motivated by the need to defend its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The $68.7 billion deal is currently facing regulatory challenges, and Microsoft argues that completing the transaction will help it close the gap with Sony and Nintendo.
