The latest gaming sphere update is here! 😲 The sales of the **xbox series x** are significantly lower compared to **ps5**, raising concerns in the **xbox news** community. Stay tuned for more **gaming news** and analysis on **games sales** and **sony playstation** performance.
00:00The idea that we are facing the end of Xbox sounds disturbing, but the facts have fueled the debate.
00:07Xbox Series X and S have had the shortest generation in terms of historical sales.
00:12Only 28.3 million units sold as of June 2024 compared to 61.7 million PS5s.
00:20This gap is evident everywhere.
00:22In Europe, Xbox sales fell 48% in 2024, twice the decline of the PS5.
00:30At the same time, strategic changes and controversial cancellations have put the brand under scrutiny.
00:36Are we really facing the end of Xbox or just a radical transformation?
00:41Since 2013, Microsoft has lagged behind Sony in the console war.
00:48The latest market analysis reveals that by mid-2024, the cumulative figures will be very different.
00:54Xbox Series X and S, approximately 28.3 million versus PS5, approximately 61.7 million.
01:04In fact, in the last fiscal year, only about 7 million additional Xbox consoles were sold, starting from an official 21 million in June 2023, while Sony sold 20.8 million PS5s in its 2023 fiscal year.
01:22All consoles suffer a decline after the peak of the generation, but Xbox does so with disproportionate force.
01:31In Europe, in 2024, sales of Series X and S fell by 48%, versus minus 20% for PS5 and 15% for Switch.
01:42Even in the United States, Xbox reported a record year of declines.
01:46The result is clear, Microsoft has not dominated the hardware market.
01:52In response, the company has turned its consoles into mere devices in a broader ecosystem.
01:58Satya Nadella himself noted in July 2025 that, although Series X remains very powerful, hardware revenue fell 22% in the last quarter.
02:09This contrasts with the growth in content revenue, Game Pass first-party games, up 13%.
02:16In short, the figures show a relative decline in Xbox as a console sales platform, fueling the sense of crisis in the traditional hardware business.
02:27Microsoft has shifted its focus to services.
02:30Xbox Game Pass is now its trump card.
02:32At the beginning of 2024, it reported 34 million subscribers, a figure that has not been publicly updated since then.
02:42In the latest quarterly report, Nadella boasted that Game Pass generated nearly $5 billion in annual revenue.
02:50In theory, this represents significant added value for users and a recurring revenue stream for Microsoft.
02:57However, the subscription model has its critics.
03:00A leaked internal report estimated that Game Pass cost Microsoft about $300 million in direct sales of Call of Duty, Black Ops 6, as 82% of full-price copies were sold on PS5, where there is no Game Pass.
03:17In addition, analysts warn that Game Pass has not grown as fast as Microsoft expected.
03:23Recent price increases for Game Pass Ultimate, in 2024 and 2025, have caused discontent among the community, reducing the free advertising that attracted gamers.
03:36In short, Game Pass is now at the heart of Xbox's strategy, but its real impact remains under scrutiny.
03:43Although it drives the ecosystem, it raises doubts about the profitability of traditional retail sales.
03:50Instability has also reached Xbox Game Studios.
03:54In May 2024, Microsoft announced the closure of studios acquired from ZeniMax,
04:00Arcane Austin, developer of Redfall, Tango Game Works, Hi-Fi Rush, and Alpha Dog Games, Mighty Doom, as well as the dissolution of Roundhouse Studios.
04:13These decisions were justified as an effort to prioritize high-impact titles and focus on Bethesda franchises.
04:22At the same time, several games in development were cancelled.
04:26The ambitious studio, The Initiative, responsible for Perfect Dark, was closed, and the Perfect Dark reboot was cancelled.
04:36Rare abandoned Everwild, and ZeniMax Online suspended an unannounced game.
04:43This wave followed the layoff of 1,900 Xbox and Activision employees in January 2024, approximately 8% of the division.
04:54Phil Spencer admitted in an internal memo that these cuts were necessary to align strategy and cost following the purchase of Activision.
05:05Taken together, the removal of studios and the domino effect of cancellations created pessimism.
05:13Many gamers see these signs as the result of bad decisions by management and a focus on Game Pass that
05:20has not produced the expected returns.
05:23Alongside hardware, Microsoft has embraced multi-platform gaming.
05:28The most radical change came in 2024.
05:32Phil Spencer announced that several previously Xbox-exclusive games would be coming to PS5 and Switch.
05:39Titles such as Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, and Grounded, and later Doom, The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones, etc., are being ported to other consoles.
05:51This move represents a break with the old identity of Xbox.
05:55It is no longer about selling the console, but about selling the games.
06:00From within, they justify it as something positive.
06:02Craig Duncan, head of Xbox Game Studios, explained that they want their games to reach as many players as possible.
06:11According to him, it is good for gamers because it expands the audience.
06:16Phil Spencer, for his part, insists that there are no red lines.
06:21Any Xbox IP could come to PlayStation or Nintendo if it makes sense.
06:25The slogan, This is an Xbox, illustrates this new approach.
06:29Xbox is no longer just a box, but an experience available on PC, cloud, mobile, and now even rival consoles.
06:39For better or worse, this dilutes the traditional notion of Xbox brand exclusivity.
06:45Faced with speculation about a possible abandonment of hardware, Microsoft has sent clear messages.
06:51Phil Spencer reaffirmed in November 2024 that we will definitely make more consoles in the future and other devices.
07:00However, he warned that the new Xboxes will only be one part of the market.
07:07The real growth comes from PCs, the cloud, and expanding our games to more places.
07:13In other words, Xbox will continue to manufacture consoles, with Sarah Bond promising that the next Xbox will be a technical revolution.
07:23But these will coexist with a service-focused model.
07:27Even Microsoft spokespersons have denied rumors that they would abandon consoles.
07:32For example, the company told one media outlet that there are no plans to retire Xbox,
07:38and that they continue to invest in their devices.
07:41In short, the official line is that Xbox is not dying, but evolving.
07:47It will maintain its hardware while strengthening its cloud services, xCloud,
07:52and subscription ecosystems, Game Pass, as strategic pillars.
07:57In the current battle, each platform has its pros and cons.
08:01Xbox maintains technical advantages.
08:03The Series X is the most powerful console on the market.
08:07The Series S offers a very inexpensive option for casual gamers, and backward compatibility is exemplary.
08:15Game Pass is another clear strength, offering a large catalog for a fixed fee.
08:20However, its weaknesses become apparent when comparing the lineup.
08:24Xbox lacks the top-tier exclusive franchises that set Sony or Nintendo apart.
08:29Its recent first-party releases, with the exception of Halo and Forza, have failed to capture the mass market.
08:37For its part, PlayStation excels in immersion and quality exclusives.
08:42Consoles such as the PS5 combine power with immersive effects, DualSense.
08:47And titles such as God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and Final Fantasy XVI attract hardcore gamers.
08:56Sony continues to dominate global sales thanks to this formula,
09:01which means that for many, the PS5 is still king when it comes to exclusives.
09:07Nintendo, on the other hand, is in a different league.
09:10With Switch, and its successor, Switch 2, it continues to focus on family and casual gaming.
09:16Its strength remains its evergreen exclusive catalog.
09:21Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and its hybrid versatility is attractive to families.
09:27Although its hardware does not compete in terms of power,
09:31Nintendo plays perpendicularly with broad audiences.
09:34In short, Xbox offers versatility and ecosystem, price, services, compatibility,
09:41but lags behind in the charisma of Sony or Nintendo franchises.
09:45PlayStation offers high graphics performance in big studios, but at a higher price.
09:52Nintendo, with its new Switch 2, reinforces its position as the unbeatable family option.
09:59Each brand today caters to different audiences.
10:01Xbox competes more with PCs and the cloud than directly with the PS5.
10:08Although direct competition remains to force innovation across the board,
10:11The gaming community has reacted with skepticism on many fronts.
10:16Xbox's changes, closures, cancellations, price increases, have generated mistrust and unease.
10:25Many users feel that Microsoft is losing its identity by opening its games to other platforms
10:32and shifting its focus to the digital world.
10:35Successive increases in the price of Game Pass and the inability to use reward points to subscribe
10:41have been perceived as historic screw-ups by part of the fan base.
10:47All of this has fueled doubts about the future of the brand,
10:51even sparking rumors of a hypothetical abandonment of hardware.
10:54However, not all criticism is unanimous.
10:59Some point out that the stability of the Xbox player base, as Phil Spencer said,
11:04suggests solid engagement despite the decline in physical sales.
11:09In addition, analysts note that Microsoft's stock market health does not depend solely on Xbox.
11:15Following the negative news, Microsoft's shares rose 2%,
11:20driven by the AI business and confidence in the overall strategy.
11:26In other cases, non-Xbox users are celebrating Microsoft's commitment to serving its games more widely.
11:33Ultimately, public perception is divided.
11:37Many traditional gamers miss the days of defining exclusives,
11:40but others embrace the subscription and cloud gaming model as inevitable.
11:45The prevailing narrative in forums and social media has been more
11:49Xbox is still alive in the world of streaming than Xbox is dead,
11:54but many eyes will undoubtedly remain focused on the company's every future move.
12:00The evidence paints a complex picture.
12:02Xbox has lost its crown in console sales
12:05and sacrificed studios to focus on its ecosystem vision,
12:09but it has not been officially abandoned by Microsoft.
12:13As Satya Nadella said,
12:15Xbox will continue to exist, although no longer as the sole centerpiece,
12:20but as part of a mosaic between PCs, the cloud, and new devices.
12:26Phil Spencer insists that more consoles and other devices are coming,
12:31while the company flatly denies the idea of retiring Xbox.
12:36The final question remains open.
12:37Is this the end of Xbox as an exclusive platform or simply the end of an era of traditional hardware?
12:45The answer depends on your perspective.
12:48If we measure by consoles sold, the future is uncertain.
12:52If we look at the overall strategy, Microsoft is aiming for a transformation.
12:57Xbox is not dying.
12:59It is reconfiguring itself towards global services.
13:02Ultimately, gamers will decide whether this new Xbox – less hardware, more services, and multi-platform –
13:09convinces them as a leading brand, or whether they long for the identity it once had.
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