The first results from 2013 are in, and over 3 million Xbox One consoles have been sold around the world to consumers in 13 countries, according to Microsoft. In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft Vice President of Marketing, Strategy, and Business for Xbox, Yusuf Mehdi touted the news while extolling the potential for more in 2014.
“We’re excited for the year ahead and will be working hard to bring Xbox One to more fans and more markets around the globe,” said Mehdi. “2014 will be a promising year with many more great games on the way for Xbox One including Titanfall, Watch_Dogs, Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, Tom Clancy’s The Division, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Destiny, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and The Elder Scrolls Online, among others. More games, more features, more content, more fun – all coming your way this year.”
Mehdi’s post does not mention the Halo game that Microsoft revealed at E3 2013, though that game is on the way as well for 2014. Microsoft’s Rob Semsey, senior PR manager on the Halo and Forza games, took to Twitter after fans started asking if the lack of a Halo mention suggested some sort of delay. “Rest assured your next Halo journey WILL begin in 2014,” Semsey wrote, adding in the hashtag “#staycalm”.
This is the first confirmation we’ve heard of year-end sales totals for either of the next-gen consoles, although both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have claimed huge sales numbers following their respective launches. During the first week of December, the PS4 announced sales of over 2.1 million since its release on November 15, while the Xbox One claimed to have sold over 2 million since its November 22 debut.
The exact sales numbers for both consoles should be released sometime later this month when the last quarter’s reports are released to investors, but the 3 million is likely an accurate estimate, as it comes directly from Mehdi.
“Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong, selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide,” Mehdi wrote. “We are continuing to work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible.”
