Microsoft Became Top Video Game Publisher in December 2024
Microsoft was the world’s leading video game publisher in December 2024.
The Success of Microsoft in December 2024
Xbox consoles and accessories haven’t seen major success lately. In the last fiscal quarter, Xbox hardware sales dropped by 29% after a 42% year over year decline in fiscal year 2024. However, Microsoft’s overall gaming business grew in the same period, thanks to strong performance from its services and software. It now looks like that trend is continuing in the current year.
According to a report from analyst firm Ampere, as reported by VGC, Microsoft games generated $465 million in December 2024, almost $100 million more than second place publisher EA. Most of that revenue is thanks to the company’s Activision Blizzard acquisition. Activision’s Call of Duty surpassed 500 million copies sold in 2024, and now that Microsoft owns the franchise, all new sales of Call of Duty games and DLC count toward its profits, even when they happen on competitor’s hardware. Humorously, Ampere says 64% of spending on Microsoft titles in December came from PlayStation users, so Sony is technically driving more Microsoft sales than Xbox.
Ampere cites Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as the big driver of Microsoft’s publishing success in December 2024. It helped the Call of Duty game launcher attract tens of millions of monthly users and drove sales across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation to help Microsoft reach an audience far beyond its own consoles. Such strong sales performance is also proof that the company’s focus on acquiring game studios without making their titles Xbox exclusives has been good for business. The company likely won’t slow down on that approach anytime soon, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer stating that Microsoft is eyeing more acquisitions in the future.
