Microsoft Owns 20 Game Franchises That Have Exceeded $1 BILLION In Revenue

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I can confidently say that Microsoft‘s dominance in the gaming industry is nothing short of impressive. The acquisition spree they’ve been on has brought some of my all-time favorite franchises into their stable, from Halo and Gears of War to Diablo and Elder Scrolls. It’s like a dream come true for me, though I can’t help but wonder what they’ll do with those old IPs now that they own them!

As a dedicated gaming enthusiast, there’s no denying Microsoft’s dominance in the industry. A significant portion of its success can be attributed to strategic acquisitions like ZeniMax Media and, more recently, Activision Blizzard King. In their latest financial report, they emphasized that they now control an impressive 20 game franchises, each generating over $1 BILLION in revenue.

2024’s ‘Annual Report’, recently released by the company, vividly demonstrates the immense growth and ongoing success of Microsoft’s gaming sector.

Over Time

I can’t help but emphasize that a significant portion of the franchises Microsoft mentions are decades-old and have accumulated their earnings over an extended period. For example, Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, Gears of War, Diablo, Halo, and Call of Duty. To be honest, Microsoft doesn’t seem to have many fresh intellectual properties within that category, and even the jewel in the crown, Call of Duty, was obtained after spending more than two decades on the market.

Here’s the snippet from the financial update that was dug up by TweakTown:

Expanding the reach of fantastic gaming experiences across various platforms, we’ve strengthened our community by acquiring Activision Blizzard King in October 2023, which has granted us access to over hundreds of millions of new gamers worldwide.
Currently, there are 20 franchises that have amassed over a billion dollars in total earnings throughout their existence – from Candy Crush, Diablo, Halo, Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, to Gears of War. By continuously pushing the boundaries with Xbox cloud gaming, we strive to provide players with additional avenues to immerse themselves in their favorite games, giving them freedom to play whenever, wherever, and however they desire.

The recent financial report significantly boosted the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, extolling the virtues of its paid version which offers more than 400 first- and third-party console and PC games. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t the only highlight – the platform’s cloud gaming feature was also emphasized, despite facing fierce competition in the market.

Our gaming platform, Xbox, along with our cloud-based gaming solutions, encounter competition from diverse digital gaming platforms and streaming services, like those run by Amazon, Apple, Facebook (Meta), Tencent, and others. Additionally, we find ourselves in competition with various providers of entertainment services such as video streaming platforms.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world, that’s for sure.

This year, Microsoft’s gaming earnings saw a significant jump of 39%, amounting to approximately $6 billion, primarily due to an expansion in Xbox content and services. The company is optimistic that the recent acquisition of ABK will propel further growth in their gaming sector, as they stated, “The purchase will speed up our gaming business’s growth across mobile, PC, console, and cloud gaming platforms.

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