Oops! Electronic Arts basically revealed how many Xbox Ones are out there

By Mike Epstein January 29, 2016

xbox one upgradable vision phil spencer windows 10 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft stopped reporting monthly updates on Xbox One hardware sales last October, a move widely taken as a sign that the tech titan had given up on competing with the PlayStation 4 to become the generation’s “dominant” console. Thanks to publisher Electronic Arts, we now know why.

In a recent financial call, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen disclosed some information about the modern console install base, revealing the combined number of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles sold worldwide.

“Our estimate is 55 million units out there which has exceeded virtually everyone’s forecast for the year and now almost 50 per cent higher than previous console cycle so, all of that is very-very positive,” said Jorgenson. “All the gameplay we’re seeing and the engagement and things like Ultimate Team we’re seeing is positive.”

As Eurogamer pointed out, Sony most recently reported that 35.9 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold as of January, 2016. With those two numbers, we can infer that Microsoft has sold just over 19 million Xbox Ones since launch.

While that sales number does look small compared to PlayStation 4, Microsoft would ask you to keep in mind that the number greatly exceeds the number of Xbox 360 consoles at the same point its life cycle. Still, the difference between the two would certainly explain why Microsoft has started distributing statistics related to user engagement, rather than hardware sales.

Meanwhile, Microsoft reported its quarterly earnings for the final months of 2015; while revenue from video games increased by five percent, hardware revenue fell nine percent. Microsoft attributed the decline to a steep drop in Xbox 360 sales, though Xbox One revenue also decreased. Microsoft said that holiday bundles and December price drop were responsible for the Xbox One’s “slight” revenue shortfall.

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