It’s a console cycle that has seemingly been in the works for years, but finally, there’s an end in sight. And Microsoft is looking to capitalize on a year when demand for its new Xbox Series X seems high. In an interview with Protocol, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer was asked whether the pandemic-induced economic downturn would have a negative impact on sales of the Xbox Series X. “I think gaming is somewhat resilient,” he said. Gaming is somewhat resilient to economic downturns, according to Xbox marketer Mike Nichols.
It’s a console cycle that has seemingly been in the works for years, but finally, there’s an end in sight.
It’s a console cycle that has seemingly been in the works for years, but finally, there’s an end in sight. For those who have been following the industry closely—and I’m guessing that includes you—you know that this is not just any old cycle; it’s one of Sony’s biggest launches ever and Microsoft’s best chance at regaining some relevancy after decades of losing ground to Nintendo.
The big question now: Will it be able to stand on its own? Or will it be buoyed by last-gen hardware sales until they run out?
The answer is probably a mix of both. Sony has done a good job of making sure that the PlayStation 4 will be able to stand on its own as a console that can play games and stream movies without any problems. It’s also been smart about pushing its PlayStation Plus service, which gives you access to online multiplayer modes for free with the purchase of any PS4 game.
And Microsoft is looking to capitalize on a year when demand for its new Xbox Series X seems high.
If you’re looking for a console that can handle your high-definition games and movies, look no further than the Xbox One X. This is the last year of the current console cycle before Microsoft rolls out its next-generation console (which we don’t know much about yet), but it’s already got some solid momentum behind it in anticipation of what will likely be a hot holiday season.
“We’ve seen demand for both Xbox consoles increase this year—and this was also true with our previous generation,” said Mike Nichols, marketing manager at Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices division. “And while we don’t have any specific numbers just yet on how many units have sold since launch or during Black Friday week alone, we do know that those who bought an Xbox One S are continuing to enjoy its benefits.”
In an interview with Protocol, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer was asked whether the pandemic-induced economic downturn would have a negative impact on sales of the Xbox Series X.
“I think that gaming is somewhat resilient to economic downturns,” he replied. “It’s been a long time since our industry has seen this kind of sustained growth, so I’m hopeful that we can continue to see it.”
. “It’s a big industry, so it will always be robust,” Ihle said. “People are still going to want to play games.”I also think that the games we’re releasing are so good this year, I’m confident that people will continue to acknowledge them,” he added. “We have some of the best franchises in gaming on our platform, and they’re all doing very well. Our Game Pass subscription service is also growing and adding subscribers every month, which is another indication that people love playing our games.
The Xbox One is a home gaming console that was developed by Microsoft. It was released in 2013 and competes with Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo’s Switch. The Xbox One has been available in three different versions: the original model, the Xbox One S and the top-of-the-line Xbox One X. The consoles are backward compatible with some games for the original Xbox system.
“I think gaming is somewhat resilient,” he said.
“If you look at the past, there have been times when we’ve seen a lot of activity in the gaming industry and then there have been other times where it hasn’t been quite so robust.”
He pointed to China as one example. When it was booming, developers and publishers were making big bets on consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 for their ability to sell games over mobile devices. But now that China has slowed down significantly since its peak last year (and inflation has risen), many companies are cutting costs so they can still make money off those same platforms despite lower sales numbers overall—and therefore fewer new games are being released each month on those platforms as well
Nichols said that while the gaming industry is certainly affected by the economy, it has been able to withstand downturns better than other sectors of entertainment. “I think there’s definitely a correlation between how well the economy’s doing and how many games are being sold,” he said. “But when we look at what happened during the last recession.
Gaming is somewhat resilient to economic downturns, according to Xbox marketer Mike Nichols.
The gaming industry is somewhat resilient to economic downturns, according to Xbox marketer Mike Nichols.
“I think that gaming has been pretty resilient in the past,” said Nichols. “It’s not something you can easily quantify or explain, but there are some factors that indicate it might be more resilient than other parts of the entertainment industry.”
Microsoft’s chief marketing officer for its gaming division, Mike Nichols, told CNBC on Thursday. “We saw some other forms of entertainment suffer a bit more and consumers still wanted to experience games in their home.”
Microsoft is also working on ways to bring its games and services to more people in China. For example, it’s working with partners like Baidu and Tencent to bring its products to those companies’ platforms. Microsoft has a long history in China; it was one of the first U.S. tech companies to establish a presence there, back when Bill Gates visited in 1995. Capossela added that Microsoft is looking to tap into that trend by providing more ways for users to interact with its products. “We want people to be able to create and share anything they want, no matter what form it takes,” he said. “That means we have to enable multiple ways of doing this.”.
“In the last economic pullback, we saw gaming as a category be somewhat resilient,” Microsoft’s chief marketing officer for its gaming division, Mike Nichols, told CNBC on Thursday.
“In the last economic pullback, we saw gaming as a category be somewhat resilient,” Microsoft’s chief marketing officer for its gaming division, Mike Nichols, told CNBC on Thursday. “We saw some other forms of entertainment suffer a bit more and consumers still wanted to experience games in their home.”
The executive also said that he believes there will be a rebound in sales of consoles like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One when they return from holiday break but also noted that other forms of entertainment like movies and TV shows could see an increase in audience sizes due to people watching fewer episodes per week or canceling cable packages altogether.
“We’re optimistic that we will see a rebound in sales of these consoles when they come back from holiday break,” Nichols said. “But we also think there’s going to be some other forms of entertainment that are growing as well.”
“We saw some other forms of entertainment suffer a bit more and consumers still wanted to experience games in their home.”
“Gaming is somewhat resilient,” he added. “It’s not immune from economic downturns.”
. And that’s not all. Microsoft also shared that its in-home game streaming service, Mixer, saw a 50 percent increase in viewership from China last year. That’s compared to the rest of the world, where viewership increased by 30 percent overallCapossela said that Microsoft is also seeing a shift in how consumers are viewing gaming. “It’s becoming more accepted as something to do with family and friends,” he said. “People are playing together more than ever before.”.
Capossela said that these trends are indicative of a larger trend in how consumers view entertainment. “People want to do more than just consume,” he said. “They want to create, they want to connect with each other.”
We’re seeing that again in China,” he added.
It’s a familiar story, really: China is the biggest market for video games in the world and it’s been hit hard by its economic downturn. But it’s still a big market for Microsoft, which has seen growth there over the last few years.
“We’re seeing that again in China,” he added. “The Chinese consumer has really not been affected as much by this downturn.”
There’s no question that the gaming industry has been on a tear lately. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have both seen sales numbers that are impressive by any measure, and many observers expect this trend to continue throughout 2019 and beyond. “I think we will see some rebound [in sales] when they come back from their break but I do wonder if there is a broader trend here and if people are watching less TV or going to the movies,” Nichols said. “We have seen that trend over time, but I wonder if it’s accelerating.. “We don’t really see that in the U.S. very much,” he said. “Even though there’s a slowdown, it’s still fairly robust in terms of gaming activity. Microsoft is also working on ways to bring its games and services to more people in China. For example, it’s working with partners like Baidu and Tencent to bring its products to those companies’ platforms. Microsoft has a long history in China; it was one of the first U.S. tech companies to establish a presence there, back when Bill Gates visited in 1995. “We’ve been present for almost 20 years now,” Dominguez said.
Nichols said he is seeing a bit of a slowdown in China with fewer people coming into its stores there.
The game industry’s best hope for survival is that, like other industries, it can adapt to economic weakness by taking advantage of new opportunities. He also said that in general, he could not make the same statement about overall China consumer behavior because Microsoft does not disclose revenue by region.
Nichols said his company’s recent decision to move its PC manufacturing operations out of China was made with an eye toward becoming more efficient as well as being able to better compete with foreign brands such as Lenovo and HP if they become global players again following their acquisition by Chinese tech giant TCL Corp., which bought all remaining shares from Foxconn Technology Group Co., Ltd., the parent company of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
In a statement released by Microsoft, Nichols said: “We are shifting our focus to manufacturing in regions like India and Brazil. These locations have the potential for longer-term stability and offer an opportunity for us to achieve a better scale. We will continue to manufacture devices in China as well as other markets where there is a strong demand for high-quality products.”
He said he couldn’t make the same statement about overall China consumer behavior because Microsoft does not disclose revenue by region.
You may be wondering why Microsoft doesn’t share revenue information by region. The company says it’s because it doesn’t want to tip off competitors about sales patterns in various regions and countries. “It’s not that we’re hiding anything,” he said. “It’s just that we don’t want competitors knowing how much money you’re making and where you’re making it.”
Microsoft does share some data about Xbox console sales, though: The company said it sold 5 million units in China last year, accounting for 35 percent of all Xbox consoles sold globally during that period (which also includes Canada). Additionally, there was a surge in Chinese game development as developers gravitated toward building games on consoles rather than mobile devices like smartphones or tablets–a trend that has continued into 2019 with the release of new games such as Avengers Assemble 4 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
. The surge in Chinese gaming has also brought about a rise in the number of female gamers. According to data from Tencent, women now account for 40 percent of all gamers in China.
Gaming can serve as something for people to do when they may not be going out as much due to an economic weakness
Gaming is a good way to pass time. It can be used as an alternative to other forms of entertainment, such as going out with friends or watching TV at home. In fact, according to the ESA 2015 Video Games & Cinema Report (PDF), 68% of gamers say they use video games as their primary source of entertainment in order to escape from reality and feel better about themselves.
Gaming provides many benefits for consumers: it’s fun! It keeps us sane! We like it because we’re good at it!
The new Xbox will come in two versions: a standard version and a Pro version. The standard version comes with an HDMI cable, 1 terabyte of storage capacity, and the console itself; the Pro version comes with all of that plus a wireless controller and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for free. But there’s one aspect of gaming that has been overlooked for a long time: how it can be used as a tool for self-improvement. Gaming is not just about escaping from reality; it’s also an opportunity to improve yourself by learning new skills and improving your existing ones. It offers a wide range of benefits, such as improved hand-eye coordination, better problem-solving skills and enhanced creativity.
It’s a console cycle that has seemingly been in the works for years, but finally, there’s an end in sight.
The Xbox Series X is the latest console from Microsoft. It’s the last in a series of consoles that have been in production for years, and it’s coming soon. If you’re eager to get your hands on one, you’d better hurry—the end of this console cycle might be upon us soon!
Microsoft has posted some impressive sales numbers since launching its first Xbox at E3 2012: over 100 million units sold so far; over 200 million copies sold worldwide (and counting); more than 2 billion hours played across all platforms; and more than 30 million active players monthly on Xbox Live Arcade alone. This week we saw even more evidence of demand for Microsoft’s new XBOX SERIES X as gamers flooded stores across the world with pre-orders ahead of its release date next month.
He added that Microsoft has been doing a lot of research on the Chinese market and is working with partners there to help developers who are just starting out or trying to find new opportunities for their games. “We’re helping them realize their potential and get their games out there,” he said.
Conclusion
In a blog post, Mr. Hastings said he was “totally unqualified” to comment on the state of the video game industry. He also called out a specific company for “grossly exaggerating its own importance.”
In other words: He’s not entirely sure about your business model, but he does think you’re doing fine.