xbox blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: xbox

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out the latest from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage - games, video, music, audio, social, or critical developments.

The Activision acquisition pushed Xbox to gaming growth in Q3 as Black Ops 6 makes a big splash

Cover image for The Activision acquisition pushed Xbox to gaming growth in Q3 as Black Ops 6 makes a big splash

Rhys Elliott

1 Nov 2024

Product Strategy

Microsoft’s Q3 2024 results (fiscal Q1 2025) continue to reflect Xbox’s shifting strategy: Xbox’s gaming revenue grew 43% year-on-year , but essentially all of this growth came from the Activision...

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Sony's $700 PS5 Pro is for superfans – it won’t really grow PlayStation’s playerbase

Cover image for Sony's $700 PS5 Pro is for superfans – it won’t really grow PlayStation’s playerbase

Rhys Elliott

10 Sep 2024

Sony just announced its worst-kept secret, the PS5 Pro. It's launching for $700 in November 2024, four years after the debut of the original PS5. Compared to the original, PS5 Pro will offer better visuals...

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Gamers aren’t finishing games, and that’s a problem

Cover image for Gamers aren’t finishing games, and that’s a problem

Rhys Elliott

24 Jul 2024

Assassin's Creed

Every segment in the games market is facing challenges. While some experts remain optimistic about gaming’s growth pace returning in the near future, the truth is that many arguments for this never-ending...

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Game Pass’ updates mark a new era for Xbox

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Rhys Elliott

19 Jul 2024

Xbox recently announced significant changes to its subscription offering ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 hitting the service. In September 2024, Xbox is: Increasing prices for Game Pass Ultimate from...

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Xbox’s impressive Games Showcase 2024 points to subscription gaming’s fate

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Rhys Elliott

13 Jun 2024

“Play it day one with Game Pass.” These words flashed on the screen 15 times during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, which wowed critics and fans alike with a lineup of 30 Xbox games. Most of the titles...

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Older gamers are a growth opportunity for AA(A) publishers – here is how to capture it

Cover image for Older gamers are a growth opportunity for AA(A) publishers – here is how to capture it

Rhys Elliott

29 May 2024

The days of gaming as a hobby only for young people are clearly over. Unlike in the past, gamers are now sticking with console and PC games into adulthood and old age. Consumers aged 55+ account for a...

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Focusing too much on Xbox's hardware decline misses the point

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Rhys Elliott

2 May 2024

Microsoft recently released its Q1 2024 financial results (fiscal Q3). Gaming revenue was up +51% and Xbox content / services revenue was up +62%. These gains mostly came from Microsoft’s Activision...

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Amazon’s Fallout is another success story for transmedia, but the strategy needs to evolve

Cover image for Amazon’s Fallout is another success story for transmedia, but the strategy needs to evolve

Rhys Elliott

26 Apr 2024

Everyone was talking about the Super Mario Bros. Movie (The Mario movie ) and HBO’s The Last of Us this time last year, and now Fallout has entered the mainstream thanks to the Amazon show. But, for...

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Collector’s editions have become a backdoor for AAA publishers to charge for early access

Cover image for Collector’s editions have become a backdoor for AAA publishers to charge for early access

Rhys Elliott

17 Apr 2024

Since publishers first increased AAA game prices from $60 to $70 in 2020, many people have asked MIDiA if publishers will raise that price further. Our answer: they already have – sort of, anyway. Via...

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Single-player game budgets and scopes have spiralled out of control – it’s time to shrink the scope

Cover image for Single-player game budgets and scopes have spiralled out of control – it’s time to shrink the scope

Rhys Elliott

11 Apr 2024

PlayStation Productions

AAA game development budgets and timelines for single-player games are getting out of hand. This was not always the case, but there has been an insidious creep over the past 20 years. While the cost of...

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Steam is the unlikely winner of the modern console wars – for now

Cover image for Steam is the unlikely winner of the modern console wars – for now

Rhys Elliott

4 Apr 2024

Thanks to console manufacturers and third-party publishers moving content to Steam, Valve now boasts one of the most diverse AAA offerings on the market, benefitting from new strategies adopted by Xbox...

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Embracing the cultural ascent of games: Zelda, Sony, and games-video symbiosis

Cover image for Embracing the cultural ascent of games: Zelda, Sony, and games-video symbiosis

Perry Gresham

10 Nov 2023

Legend of Zelda

Gaming has been mainstream for a while, but in recent years it has started flexing its cross-cultural muscles, intersecting with music, sports, and increasingly with video . The latest example is a new...

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Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

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Ben Woods

16 May 2023

Amazon Prime Video

The streaming TV landscape is changing rapidly. Leading entertainment industry executives are questioning every aspect of the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) model in pursuit of sustainable profits....

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Is the quality of games going down?

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Perry Gresham

24 Feb 2023

trueachievements

“Things aren’t like they used to be”, a common refrain of anyone over the age of about 25, is a sentiment especially prevalent amongst gamers today. Is this blind nostalgia, or have games really...

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The Last of Us – when games meet video

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Sam Griffin

26 Jan 2023

video streaming

The HBO Original production of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is solidifying the foundations of modern expectations for games video crossovers. With the games market increasingly saturated and seemingly...

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Despite declining time spent, Microsoft’s gaming strategy is well and good

Cover image for Despite declining time spent, Microsoft’s gaming strategy is well and good

Karol Severin

27 Oct 2022

In its Q3 2022 results (FY Q1 2023), Microsoft reported growth in Game Pass subscriptions, but said that Xbox content and services revenue declined 3% year on year, driven by declines in first-party content...

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Is Microsoft the flywheel for Meta’s VR efforts?

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Karol Severin

13 Oct 2022

Xbox and Meta announced a partnership bringing the Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming experiences to Meta Quest 2 VR headsets. Meta Quest 2 users will be able to enjoy Xbox’s cloud gaming experience without...

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PlayStation and Xbox exchange PR blows amid the Activision deal approval process

Cover image for PlayStation and Xbox exchange PR blows amid the Activision deal approval process

Karol Severin

19 Aug 2022

Sony and Xbox exchanged PR salvos last week as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision came under regulatory scrutiny in Brazil. Within it, companies got an opportunity to comment on the impacts of the...

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Quick take: Why Xbox All Access could be the ultimate recession winner

Cover image for Quick take: Why Xbox All Access could be the ultimate recession winner

Karol Severin

17 Jun 2022

global recession

Xbox All Access has been around for a while now, though with a limited reach (currently only available in 12 markets). While it was always going to play an integral part in Xbox’s cross-platform (and...

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Xbox to rid large games of a key competitive weapon

Cover image for Xbox to rid large games of a key competitive weapon

Karol Severin

10 Jun 2022

games streaming

Xbox is looking simply unstoppable these days. After announcing the Xbox Everywhere vision, it has confirmed that besides the announced ‘puck’ in the works, it is indeed bringing the Xbox App into...

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