Xbox’s 2021 revenue sets a record high, exceeding 16 billion USD

Microsoft’s Xbox division generated its highest annual revenue ever in 2021.

Microsoft reports Xbox generated $16.28 billion in revenue last year, up 17% from the same period last year. Xbox hardware-related revenue is up 63.3% year-over-year, while Content and Services revenue is up 8.8% in 2021. Much of the Xbox division’s growth can be attributed to driven by Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, in addition to increased demand for Xbox Series S.

“When you think about trying to buy a new Xbox or a Playstation right now in the market, they’re really hard to find,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a statement. an interview with The Wrap. “And not because the supply is less than ever. The supply is actually as big as ever. It is demand that is outstripping supply for all of us. “

That demand is also a big part of why the Xbox division’s big first-party game sales are Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite did very well. Infinite even set franchise records with 20 million players in its first month.

The revenue increase was also reflected in Microsoft shares; it returned $10.9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks in the second fiscal quarter of 2022. This yield was up 9% from the second fiscal quarter of 2021.

Microsoft also recently acquired Activision Blizzard in a nearly $70 billion deal, tripling its acquisition of Nuance Communications for $19.7 billion. By steadily increasing revenue and multi-billion dollar business transactions, Microsoft is aiming to become one of the most valuable companies in the world by 2022.