Yesterday Microsoft presented the financial results for the first quarter of 2022 (the third of the fiscal year), reporting as always huge gains in all sectors, including Xbox. Specifically, Satya Nadella revealed that xbox series X consoles | S have steadily gained market share over the past two quarters, making it the best-selling next-generation hardware in the last quarter in the US, Canada, UK and Western Europe.

Microsoft also announced that the entire Xbox business, which also includes Game Pass and Cloud Gaming, set an all-time earnings record for the quarter ended in March. Finally, the Azure Gaming business, which sees Microsoft sell services for the development and hosting of games to developers and publishers (including Sony) has seen a 66% increase in earnings.

Excellent results, therefore, which are even more surprising if we consider that in the quarter in question Microsoft did not publish any Exclusive First Party: the excellent sales were therefore driven mainly by Game Pass and greater availability of hardware. When all the studios acquired so far start churning out exclusives on a regular basis, and when Activision Blizzard titles like Call of Duty and Diablo arrive in the Pass at launch, things will only get better. Congratulations to Phil Spencer for the strategy implemented so far and to Satya Nadella for believing in a brand that, until before this generation, seemed now doomed!