Microsoft reports record Xbox Live monthly active users

Xbox Live had a record number of monthly active users during Microsoft’s first financial quarter ended September 30, 2019, the company said on Wednesday.

The company recently confirmed it’s no longer disclosing figures for Xbox Live monthly active users in its earnings reports, a metric it had been including in its financial results since 2014.

The last time it disclosed Xbox Live monthly active users in July, Microsoft said the total stood at 65 million, but during its earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Satya Nadella suggested the figure has risen since then.

“We saw record Xbox Live monthly active users with strength both on and off console in mobile and PC, and continued growth for Game Pass subscriptions,” he said.

“Gears 5 saw more than three million players in its first weekend alone. 10 years in, Minecraft is stronger than ever, with record revenue and usage, and we’re bringing the franchise to new audiences with Minecraft Earth.

“Finally, just last week we started trials of Project xCloud, so gamers can play games wherever and whenever they want, on any device.”

For the three months ended September 30, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue declined 7% to $2.54 billion, “driven by a decrease in Xbox hardware of 34%, primarily due to a decrease in volume of consoles sold”.

Xbox content and services revenue increased 1% year-over-year, with growth from Minecraft, Gears 5 and Game Pass subscriptions offset by a decline in royalties from a leading third-party title, which is most likely Fortnite.

For its second quarter ending December 31, 2020, Microsoft CEO Amy Hood said the company expects gaming revenue “to decline in the mid-20% range driven by lower console sales as we near the end of this generation as well as the most challenging quarterly comparable in third party titles from last year”.

Microsoft’s announced in June that it’s next generation Xbox, Project Scarlett, will launch holiday 2020 alongside Halo Infinite.