Xbox FY23 Q1 gaming revenue up 4% thanks to hardware, offset by reduced content engagement
Xbox revenue is up, although it’s not thanks to first or third-party content.
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What you need to know
Microsoft has detailed its earnings report for FY2023 Q1, the beginning of a new fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2022. The earnings report shows increased revenue for Microsoft as a whole, with Xbox also seeing a small increase over the numbers reported during the same period last year.
According to Microsoft, the Xbox division reported a 4% increase in overall revenue, up to $3.61 billion. This is driven primarily by a solid 13% increase in revenue from Xbox hardware, such as the sales ofXbox Series Xand S consoles, accessories, and more.
This increase returns Xbox to the upward trends of previous quarters, afterFY22 Q4 saw a small declinein overall revenue from the gaming division at Microsoft. Xbox hardware sales appear to be doing well, with supply more able to keep up with demand in comparison to the previous quarter. However, Xbox also reported a 3% decline in revenue from content and services.
Xbox indicates this decline is due to a decrease in first and third-party content, referencing the lack of high-profile Xbox Game Studios launches outside of titles likeGroundedand the upcoming Pentiment. While there are still manyexcellent Xbox titlesto play, many of the most anticipated first and third-party Xbox games aren’t releasing until 2023 and beyond.
Xbox reported that the decline in content and services revenue was partially offset by continued growth inXbox Game Passsubscriptions, although specific numbers aren’t mentioned. We do know that over 20 million players have used Xbox Cloud Gaming already, showing impressive growth for the nascent service. PC Game Pass appears to be growing at a significant rate, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reporting a 159% increase year-over-year for the PC-centric gaming subscription.
The next 12 months could see major gains in these areas, as Xbox has a slate of upcoming first-party games releasing throughout 2023 such asMinecraft Legends, Forza Motorsport (2023),Starfield, and Redfall. The pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard would also see Microsoft gain a huge number of games and IPs for the Xbox division and Xbox Game Pass, and is expected to close before June 30, 2023.
Beyond gaming,Microsoft reported an overall revenue of $50.1 billion, narrowly beating expectations. Microsoft’s revenue was driven by steady increases in Windows commercial products such as Microsoft 365, and search and advertising revenue through Bing. On the other hand, Windows OEM revenue fell by a staggering 15%, indicating a sizeable decline in the demand for third-party Windows laptops and devices.
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
