Microsoft Expects More Gaming Revenue Growth in Current Quarter; CEO Comments on “Breakthrough” Quarter

Today Microsoft hosted its quarterly financial conference call for investors and analysts and chief executive officer Satya Nadella and chief financial officer Amy Hood talked about the Xbox business.

Nadella commented on the “breakthrough” past quarter for gaming and mentioned that Xbox Live is now at nearly 100 million users (it was “nearly 90 million” just a quarter ago), while Minecraft recorded nearly 132 million monthly active users. 

We also learn that Xbox Game Pass has seen “record subscriber growth” on both Xbox One and PC.

He reiterated once more that Xbox Series X will enjoy the “largest launch lineup of any console ever” due to the implementation of backward compatibility.

“It is simply a breakthrough quarter for gaming. We saw record engagement and monetization led by strength on and off consoles as people everywhere turn to gaming to connect, socialize, and play with others.

Stepping back we’re expanding our opportunity to empower the world’s two billion gamer to play whenever and wherever they want on any device. 

Xbox Game Pass has seen record subscriber growth across both console and PC and now includes content from more than a hundred studios.

Our xCloud gaming service is already live in 15 countries, and just last week we announced that we will bring xCloud to Xbox Game Pass so subscribers can stream games to a phone or a tablet and play along with nearly 100 million Xbox Live players around the world.

In content, we’re delivering differentiated first ad third-party content to attract and retain gamers. 

Xbox Series X will launch this fall with the largest launch lineup of any console ever and Minecraft reached a new high of nearly 132 million monthly active users during the quarter.”

Hood mentioned that the past quarter saw a “significant” increase in console sales.

She also spelled the prediction for the current quarter (between July and September) for the gaming business.

Microsoft expects revenue growth “In the high teens” (between 16% and 19%) with continued strong user engagement across the platform.

If you’re interested in Microsoft’s financial performance (especially in regard to the Xbox business) you can check out our dedicated article from earlier today.