When a regulatory body intervenes in a procurement process, we generally become aware of sensitive information that companies have, for one reason or another, kept private. Now that Microsoft is delivering all the documentation required to close the purchase of Activision, a data has slipped in the middle of which we only had estimates by market analysis firms. I mean, of course, the xbox one sales figures.
You don’t have to be enlightened to realize that, during the last generation of consoles, the PlayStation 4 dominated from start to finish. This is mainly due to a wrong initial strategy by Microsoft; with managers prioritizing an entertainment system All in one instead of focusing on what really mattered: video games. Well, we finally know how the market punished the Xbox One.
In a document delivered to the Brazilian regulatory body, where a crossover of statements has emerged between Sony and Microsoft for the purchase of Activision, those led by Satya Nadella reported that they sold 58.5 million units of the Xbox One until 2021; which was the year they stopped production to fully focus on the Xbox Series X|S. On paper, the number isn’t negative, until we compare it to PS4 sales…
According to data provided by Sony, the PlayStation 4 sold 117.2 million units until March of this year. In fact, it will be the last time that those in Japan report this data, since the production of said hardware will come to an end.
With both numbers in hand, we can define a sales ratio of 2:1. Namely, For every Xbox One sold, two PlayStation 4s were sold.. The difference is remarkable, especially if we consider that the two platforms had just fought a fairly even battle in sales. Let’s remember that the disparity between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 was minimal.
The current generation is another story
Now, what is happening during the current generation is nothing like the previous one. Under the leadership of Phil Spencer, Xbox is on the right track fighting side by side with PlayStation. The Xbox Series X and Series S started their life cycle in the best possible way. Not only because of the attractiveness of its hardware – and price in the case of the budget variant – but also because the platform is powered by Xbox Game Pass, the best gaming service available today.
To the above we must add that Microsoft is throwing the house out the window to strengthen its catalog of gameswhich was one of the most criticized aspects of the Xbox One. In early 2021 they completed the purchase of Zenimax —announced in 2020—, owner of Bethesdafor 7,500 million dollars.
But the real bombshell came in January of this year, when they announced their intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in exchange for $68.7 billion. The latter, however, is not yet approved by regulators; although everything indicates that there will be no problems to close it. Upon completion, it will become the largest purchase in video game history. Franchises like Call of Duty Y world of warcraft will be controlled by Xbox.
At this time it is still difficult to dare to say who will win the current generation. However, you can be sure that the difference in sales will again be minimal.