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MS Earnings Call - FY23Q3 | 4% decline for MS Gaming, Xbox HW down 30%

Brucey

Member
If activitision deal gets approved by both cma and EU, MS will close activitision in June.

This means that Xbox will get both Diablo and starfield day1 for game pass, which will move some serious numbers during the holidays.

If the deal fails, then it's up to MS first party to do the heavy lifting.
I would say if both of them are on Gamepass that could cause a decent surge in pc gamepass subscriber numbers. And they'll have to pay $10 a month versus a potential $1 a month trial.
 

Nautilus

Banned
I mean, is that even true? What would you exactly say about their mobile expansion, then?
And to say that at some point Sony will be moving away from consoles, yeah, need to wait for the moment their hardware stops being pretty successful.
Nintendo all but gave up on the mobile initiative, which was clearly a move to aplacate investors. Their last mobile game was Mario Kart Tour, which was released what, 2 or 3 years ago?And there are zero plans for further mobile games.

And only that game and FE Heroes are still getting support. And even then, a lot of the effort and work done on Tour is being redirected towards MK 8, which is clearly the current focus.

So no, Nintendo FOR NOW is 100% exclusive on consoles. Sony is clearly pushing hard into PC, and so consoles are not its exclusive focus anymore. That means they will ignore consoles? Of course not.They are being widly successful there. And until that remains true, they will keep making consoles. But having their games on PC, and so undermining the reason to get a PS console will have long time effects, not to memtion having to develop games for PCs too, and not necessarily around any kind of innovation that future consoles might bring.

Again, that's far into the future, if it ever happens.
 

feynoob

Banned
I would say if both of them are on Gamepass that could cause a decent surge in pc gamepass subscriber numbers. And they'll have to pay $10 a month versus a potential $1 a month trial.
The 1$ is no longer available.
It will be regular price for both systems.
 

Pelta88

Member
So we get to page 10 and I'm seeing damage control in all its deliciousness.

But the Creme De La Creme here is that Microsoft, a company that has been mass-producing XBOX consoles since 2001, is having trouble manufacturing said consoles because of reasons.

giphy.gif


Instead of just admitting that the demand for XBOX consoles, as Microsoft have already stated in legally binding documents to regulators, is declining. Instead, Sarah Bond, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Hulk Hogan's are the reason for the decline. Never change gaf. Please never ever change.
 
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feynoob

Banned
So we get to page 10 and I'm seeing damage control in all its deliciousness.

But the Creme De La Creme here is that Microsoft, a company that has been mass-producing XBOX consoles since 2001, is having trouble manufacturing said consoles because of reasons.

giphy.gif


Instead of just admitting that the demand for XBOX consoles, As Microsoft have already submitted stated in legally binding documents to regulators, is declining. Instead, Sarah Bond, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Hulk Hogan's are the reason for the decline. Never change gaf. Please never ever change.
Beautiful.
 

Nubulax

Member
And they will have Final Fantasy XVI this quarter and Spider-Man 2 and the new sku for the next quarter. Imagine how things are going to be then.

Xbox is basically the one Microsoft division dragging then down. Incredible.
IDK about dragging them down... and I have a light investment in MS myself.... but after Zenimax and ABK deals for 75+ BILLION I would hope the shareholders are way more focused and demanding on seeing some positive returns and gains in XBOX in the near future... that is A SHIT TON of capital to spend and invest in to a division that has been underwhelming for a decade
 

zedinen

Member
Sales (Jan - Mar) 23

PlayStation $7.9 billion
(Forecast)
Microsoft $3.6 billion
Nintendo $2.2 billion
(Forecast)


1. PlayStation

FY 3.6 trillion yen
(Forecast)



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Q1-Q3 2.5 trillion yen

IkH6Vbr.jpeg




2. Microsoft

2WdA9Hz.jpeg



3. Nintendo

FY 1.6 trillion yen (Forecast)

HXa61e5.jpeg



Q1-Q3 1.29 trillion yen

LUeqRyU.jpeg
 
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feynoob

Banned
I wonder if the concerned people here will be quite once those numbers go up?

Because so far, we see each side coming out during ups and downs.

At this stage, we will keep having these types of conversations for both side every quarter callings.
 

wolffy66

Member
You argue over so clear and basic stuff.

Console sales aren't doing as well as they would have hoped for obviously. Hard to spin. The sales were down that quarter and the numbers show it.

They have to be thrilled with gamepass still. Looking at revenue of $4b per year and growing? How can someone spin that as bad?
 

gothmog

Gold Member
I've posted about this before, MS was regularly a 170,000 staff company and during tech pandemic "success" period added 50,000 staff and now with downturn laid off 10,000. They have sustained growth to 210,000 odd staff but the way you put it sounds horrible. Economic realities affect small and large businesses, MS isn't immune to that but overall they have done amazing in terms of staff growth and sustain in recent years.
I work in the tech industry and this isn't as much of a win you are making it out to be. We all ran under mandates that forced us to interview constantly, train people not ready for the level of work they were being asked to do, and then deal with the side effects of the relative lack of experience. The layoffs are to protect company margins that the market got used to.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I don't think Xbox brand is long for this world at least in a traditional sense. Leadership will never outright say it but I think they understand the potential of hardware sales and the market they can capture with those sales. Services and publishing would seem to be the future and is something Microsoft is far better equipped to execute upon.
A shift to a recurring revenue model through services and software publishing is exactly where Microsoft are trying to go.

They're trying to shift the focus from number of plastic boxes sold to number of users paying monthly for access to the ecosystem. To that end they're providing hardware as a gateway to accessing services. That's why Series S even exists: to give people who don't care about ownership or collecting or VRR or any of the other bullshit the console warriors like to fight over in sales threads an inexpensive way to access the service model. To make it work they need more subscribers, but they won't get them unless they start making good on the promises they made to deliver games.

There are a lot of people who like to believe that video games can never make the transition to subscription that movies and music have made. Microsoft is betting that's how it will go. The front-loaded $100+ million and rising game development budgets backfilled with a $70 or less one time purchase model can't last forever. At least I don't see how it can. We already see major third party companies like Ubisoft having to drastically scale back their projects while dropping game prices to next to nothing shortly after release to keep cash flowing and ABK having to throw pretty much every human they employ at Activision to get Call of Duty out the door every year to keep cash flowing.

The platform holders have a buffer because they get to eat 30% of everyone else's lunch, but with the investments being made in live service games it's clear that they know something has to change in the future. If Sony didn't get their digital store revenue from other games they wouldn't be able to front as many big budget cinematic games with long development cycles that they do. Games are going to have to start earning money while they're in development or new ways to fund them, like game subscription services, are going to have to be created.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
So we get to page 10 and I'm seeing damage control in all its deliciousness.

But the Creme De La Creme here is that Microsoft, a company that has been mass-producing XBOX consoles since 2001, is having trouble manufacturing said consoles because of reasons.

giphy.gif


Instead of just admitting that the demand for XBOX consoles, as Microsoft have already stated in legally binding documents to regulators, is declining. Instead, Sarah Bond, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Hulk Hogan's are the reason for the decline. Never change gaf. Please never ever change.

Look at ye posting cringe, lol.

Sony, a company mass producing Playstation since 1995, went through multiple years of manufacturing woes just recently as well, or did we forget about it already ?
 
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onQ123

Member
Still terrible either way.

Xbox 30% down is horrible.

4% down in gaming is bad.

Why are people still trying to dance their way around this?

They shouldn't be down at all in their 3rd year!
In a world where Xbox depended solely on console sales this would be bad really bad but they are finally making growth on other platforms so to be down only 4% when hardware is down 30% makes them lucky because they actually take a hit on console sales .

Don't get me wrong it's going to look terrible once Sony numbers come out breaking records left & right because of the $509 - $559 bundle , $199 Edge Controller & PSVR2 in this quarter but for the most part they was able to mask the console sales trouble which could prove the point that they no longer need the Xbox console especially if the deal go through because they will have the software sales with no need of taking a hit selling consoles.

Candy Crush give them some leverage trying to get their store front or Gamepass subscription onto the mobile market.
 

Pelta88

Member
Look at ye posting cringe, lol.

Sony, a company mass producing Playstation since 1995, went through multiple years of manufacturing woes just recently as well, or did we forget about it already ?

The entire world went through Manufacturing problems just recently. They all got through it once lock down ended. Only those who feel the need to damage control for the richest conglomerate in the world, a conglomerate whom by the way does not, and never will give a single fuck about them, are using COVID 19/Lockdown as an excuse for declining sales, today.
 
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feynoob

Banned
The entire world went through Manufacturing problems just recently. They all got through it once lock down ended. Only those who feel the need to damage control for the richest conglomerate in the world, a conglomerate whom by the way does not, and never will give a single fuck about them, are using COVID 19/Lockdown as an excuse for declining sales.
Let me ask you this question.

What causes this decline in sales?
What can Xbox do in order to mitigate this decline?
 
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Let me ask you this question.
Did Xbox had a stable year for first party games?

So far, we have not seen Xbox have a stable year with their first party games.

First 7 months, no AAA games. 2022 went without AAA release.

These are what affects your console sales.
That’s on Microsoft and their inability to have a decent release schedule. They brought this on themselves.
 
The entire world went through Manufacturing problems just recently. They all got through it once lock down ended. Only those who feel the need to damage control for the richest conglomerate in the world, a conglomerate whom by the way does not, and never will give a single fuck about them, are using COVID 19/Lockdown as an excuse for declining sales, today.
Don't you get it, Sony is stealing the chips that are supposed to go to MS. MS is in their right to buy up all the publishers and foundries to combat that evil company.
 
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Puscifer

Member
Can someone ELI5 why these two statements seem so contradictory?

- Gaming Revenue decline 4% (down 1% CC)
- Xbox content and services up 3% (up 5% CC) due to growth in GP

I'm taking that overall revenue is down but Xbox Content and Services are up?
 

ChorizoPicozo

Gold Member
Can someone ELI5 why these two statements seem so contradictory?

- Gaming Revenue decline 4% (down 1% CC)
- Xbox content and services up 3% (up 5% CC) due to growth in GP

I'm taking that overall revenue is down but Xbox Content and Services are up?
well, they can mean whatever you want them to mean. that is the beauty of numbers
 

feynoob

Banned
Can someone ELI5 why these two statements seem so contradictory?

- Gaming Revenue decline 4% (down 1% CC)
- Xbox content and services up 3% (up 5% CC) due to growth in GP

I'm taking that overall revenue is down but Xbox Content and Services are up?
Service/content+hardware revenue= overall gaming revenue.
Since hardware revenue is down, overall revenue will be down.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
XBOX brand is more than assured its existence. If the acquisition of ABK closes even more. I understand that you mean Xbox Console. My thought is that XSeries would have to sell at original XBOX levels (25 million) for MS to think stop manufacturing consoles.

The XBOX console continues to be a reference product for MS, with a large following and coincides in being the largest channel of revenue in gaming, GPass subscriptions and other content.

I don't think MS is thinking of resigning from console manufacturing (in fact they have already stated that they are developing a new console), at least not until cloud gaming is a reality and competition for physical hardware gaming (and for That's a couple of generations left)

I think that number is 40 million, not 25 million. But agree with everything else.
 

Pelta88

Member
Let me ask you this question.

What causes this decline in sales?
What can Xbox do in order to mitigate this decline?

Shrinking market share in every country due to zero mindshare and zero momentum. Made worse, by the fact that Microsoft's gaming division seems more focused or meaningless sound bites and PR "wins." Consider this insane Juxtaposition. The last new AAA ip XBOX introduced to the market was Quantum Break in 2016.

Yet the head of XBOX is the most awarded personality in gaming. While his instal base shrinks, quarter after quarter, year in year out.

The remedy and solution get back to releasing great ip. It is really that simple.
 

feynoob

Banned
Shrinking market share in every country due to zero mindshare and zero momentum. Made worse, by the fact that Microsoft's gaming division seems more focused or meaningless sound bites and PR "wins." Consider this insane Juxtaposition. The last new AAA ip XBOX introduced to the market was Quantum Break in 2016.

Yet the head of XBOX is the most awarded personality in gaming. While his instal base shrinks, quarter after quarter, year in year out.

The remedy and solution get back to releasing great ip. It is really that simple.
These are irrelevant information.

I am talking about the core issue of Xbox.
 
In a world where Xbox depended solely on console sales this would be bad really bad but they are finally making growth on other platforms so to be down only 4% when hardware is down 30% makes them lucky because they actually take a hit on console sales .

Don't get me wrong it's going to look terrible once Sony numbers come out breaking records left & right because of the $509 - $559 bundle , $199 Edge Controller & PSVR2 in this quarter but for the most part they was able to mask the console sales trouble which could prove the point that they no longer need the Xbox console especially if the deal go through because they will have the software sales with no need of taking a hit selling consoles.

Candy Crush give them some leverage trying to get their store front or Gamepass subscription onto the mobile market.
I don't think anyone is here worrying about MS as a whole, the company overall probably makes millions of dollars every second.

There are tons of places to make money for them outside of their consoles but these numbers for the console are worrying and terrible.

If I'm in charge at MS I'm looking to fire some people at Xbox.

Hardware being down 30% on their 3rd year is unprecedented levels of bad. I don't think I've ever seen a console drop this quickly before. They should be going into hyperdrive right now instead of declining this hard YoY.
 
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LordOfChaos

Member
Huh? You realize the 10k are across all of Ms and not just Xbox. You make it sound like Xbox was hit hard. It's clearly not

Brother what, where have you been

https://www.trueachievements.com/n52584/xbox-layoffs-343-industries-bethesda

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/9008...hard-by-recent-xbox-studio-layoffs/index.html





Things I didn't say: 10K were laid off from Xbox

Things that are true: Of the 10K, Xbox and its studios took significant hits

Funny enough they'd add almost as many people as they cut with Activision
 
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leo-j

Member
They could be purposefully lowering productions to show they are struggling more than they actually are. Xbox series sales were ahead of Xbox one , suddenly they aren’t while the ACTIVISION deal is in limbo, that and u can barely buy a series x right now despite production issues alleviating (ps5 is available at the moment)
 
Microsoft is a juggernaut in everything but gaming. And they’re actively making their own games worse, may even ruin whoever they acquire. At this point everyone knows long term the Gamepass model probably won’t work. Literally people just need to look at the media streaming companies, it’s mostly a winner take all situation and maybe number 2 or 3 can exist with little profit (akin to Apple having 98% of smartphone profits even tho they sell 50% of smartphones). Microsoft will have to acquire Sony or Nintendo to be dominant and that’s not going to happen (Japan won’t allow it). I’m not convinced this model can even work for gaming yet even for the winner, it’s a good deal though.

But as a consumer, knowing that Microsoft is doing whatever they can to gain subs, I will happily use the $1 deal (recently ended) to play quality games for the next 3 years before Microsoft acquisition impact takes effect in the sequels. Even Netflix had high quality shows at one point in time, now their goal is to make profit with low cost trash.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The entire world went through Manufacturing problems just recently. They all got through it once lock down ended. Only those who feel the need to damage control for the richest conglomerate in the world, a conglomerate whom by the way does not, and never will give a single fuck about them, are using COVID 19/Lockdown as an excuse for declining sales, today.



More places have it out of stock than in-stock, major retailers like Walmart and Amazon don't have SX stocks.

There's a pretty active thread routinely bumped to page 1 about an ongoing SX stock issues.

All the information is readily available for all to see.


That’s on Microsoft and their inability to have a decent release schedule. They brought this on themselves.


The goal is to have a steady amount of releases, that's what they're striving for. No one makes a console without the intent to make software for it.
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
The entire world went through Manufacturing problems just recently. They all got through it once lock down ended. Only those who feel the need to damage control for the richest conglomerate in the world, a conglomerate whom by the way does not, and never will give a single fuck about them, are using COVID 19/Lockdown as an excuse for declining sales, today.
Man you got the console warring going today! Go on with ya bad self!

Angry Sponge Bob GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
 
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