𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖚𝖘

#Xbox isn’t abandoning consoles anytime soon. In a graph @Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, Phil Spencer, used in the FTC hearing relating to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, they showed the potential growth of the Microsoft Gaming brand from 2023 to 2030. This chart showed a few things that may be surprising to some gamers: 1. Barely anyone is using Xbox’s Cloud Gaming (Beta)….yet. - If you’re like us, you’re subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate and you’ve probably tried playing games using Xbox’s Cloud Gaming feature: a part of the Game Pass Ultimate service that allows you to play most of the games on Game Pass without downloading the game locally, from Minecraft to Starfield, on your Xbox, phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and even your TV. It’s one of the coolest additions to the gaming space in…maybe ever. When I was a kid I dreamed of being able to play my console quality games on the go, and while there are many ways to do so, few are as easy to pick up and play as Cloud Gaming (and almost none offer as many accessible games without having to download at least an update, if not the entire game). (We broke the news that you don’t need a new Samsung TV with the Game Pass smart TV app to play on a smart TV, in the Post we made awhile back, which we dropped in the Replies for those of you that are interested). 2. That’s going to change and TONS of people are going to be playing via Cloud Gaming in the future, which means they plan on Game Pass growing…A LOT. - From the small blue sliver on the left hand of the chart, we can clearly see there aren’t a lot of people using Cloud Gaming today, however Microsoft Gaming seems to think that will change. In fact, they anticipate that by 2030 more people will be engaging with the Xbox/Game Pass brand via Cloud Gaming than through a laptop or desktop computer. By looking at the chart, it looks like anywhere from 20% to 30% of Xbox/Game Pass gamers could be playing from the Cloud in 2030. 3. Those of us that thought Cloud Gaming would be where EVERYONE games in the near(ish) future, and that consoles wouldn’t be a thing, were wrong. - While Cloud Gaming might grow in the next six (6) years and some change, consoles aren’t going anywhere. The chart clearly indicates that while a much larger percentage of gamers will engage with the brand in new ways, console gaming is here to stay, and will only grow, holistically 🎮 Many people, including some on our team, thought consoles would be much less important 2-5 years from now. And while they might take up a smaller percentage of the market due to Cloud Gaming’s growth, it looks like Xbox isn’t going anywhere and that we’re going to be gaming locally on consoles for much longer than some progressive gamers think. Happy that consoles are here to stay? Excited for Microsoft to invest more in their Cloud Gaming service? ☁️ What are your thoughts, as a customer of Xbox and gamer?