Xbox game streaming hardware teased by Xbox boss Phil Spencer; Microsoft generated $2.9 billion from Xbox Game Pass in 2021
This isn't the first time Spencer has teased an upcoming announcement ahead of the official reveal.
Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has just teased Xbox’s upcoming game streaming device. Spotted in a new office photo, this new device codenamed ‘Keystone’, will let players stream Xbox games on TVs or monitors without the need of having an Xbox console. This photo was posted by Phil Spencer to celebrate Fallout’s 25th anniversary this month and featured a Vault Boy statue.
Xbox game streaming hardware teased
There was also a device in the background sitting on the shelf which is said to be Xbox’s upcoming game streaming hardware, as per The Verge. These reports were further substantiated when Xbox’s official account replied to Spencer’s tweet by saying, “Now what did we say about putting old prototypes on your shelf boss”.
Now what did we say about putting old prototypes on your shelf boss
— Xbox (@Xbox) October 10, 2022
This isn't the first time Spencer has teased an upcoming announcement ahead of the official reveal. Spencer hid Xbox Series S on his bookshelf during interviews way before the Xbox Series X|S was launched in November 2020. There was also a Kojima Productions figurine seen on Spencer's shelf last year. It hinted towards a partnership between the studio and Xbox, which was confirmed in June this year. Xbox announced it by saying that Xbox and Kojima Productions will "create a video game for Xbox like no one has ever experienced or seen before".
Microsoft generated $2.9 billion from Xbox Game Pass in 2021
Microsoft generated a staggering $2.9 billion in revenue from Xbox Game Pass subscriptions in 2021. This figure consists of revenue generated on consoles, excluding the revenue of PC Game Pass. This CADE report, as spotted by Tweaktown, does not consist of an actual profit from Microsoft. These stats were part of a lengthy report by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). CADE recently gave Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition the green light and this report represented the findings of CADE in their investigation.
This table also featured Nintendo Switch Online and EA Play revenues as well. Nintendo’s subscription service made $932 million in 2021 whereas EA Play generated $356 million last year. Sony‘s game subscription services were not a part of this table and understandably so. PlayStation Now no longer exists as it has been replaced by a new PlayStation Plus model. The revamped PS Plus is relatively too new to have its figures submitted for a fair comparison.
CADE said it has “no restrictions” on the proposed deal and stated in their judgement that Sony should still have enough resources in its hands to remain competitive against Xbox, even if Call of Duty becomes an Xbox exclusive. CADE gave the example of Nintendo which continues to be a competitive player despite having no access to a single Activision Blizzard title.