The $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard seems to be paying off as Microsoft was named the top video game publisher of December 2024. All this was thanks to the massive success of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 which reportedly saw 38 million monthly users in November 2024. While the company saw a drop in hardware sales, it redeemed itself with video games.
As reported by VGC, a report from data firm Ampere revealed that over $465 million was spent on Microsoft games during December 2024. To compare, Electronic Arts (EA) ranked second after generating $366 million for the same period. This does show that Microsoft’s plan may work given that the games in question are also up to par.
Half of consumer spending was on PlayStation thanks to Call of Duty
Going multi-platform was a huge part of Microsoft’s plan for the Xbox games & as per reports, over 64% of the spending on Microsoft games was through PlayStation. Once again, Call of Duty remained the breadwinner for the publisher via game sales and in-game purchases. On PC, it was most likely via the Xbox Game Pass, although the company reported an increase in individual sales across Steam.
All isn’t sunshine for Microsoft as the FY25 Q2 earnings reveal a 7% dip in gaming revenue. This was as mentioned due to the Xbox console struggling which was made worse with Microsoft games going multi-platform. The console saw a 29% drop in sales YoY, but the company expects gaming revenue to stabilize by March end.
Also Read: Microsoft reveals best-selling Xbox games of 2024
More Xbox Games coming to PlayStation 5
Microsoft recently showcased more games during the Xbox Developer Direct including the highly anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages. Along with that, the company announced South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Ninja Gaiden 4 which is funded by Microsoft.
All of these games have seen a lot of hype among the gaming community and will also launch across PlayStation 5 as a Day 1 release. This will be the first time a Doom game will land on PS5 and rumors suggest Halo and other exclusives may also follow the same direction with upcoming remakes using the Unreal Engine 5.