xbox blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: xbox

Is the quality of games going down?

Blog post by Perry Gresham

24 Feb 2023

“Things aren’t like they used to be”, a common refrain of anyone over the age of about 25, is a sentiment especially prevalent amongst gamers today. Is this blind nostalgia, or have games really...

The Last of Us – when games meet video

Blog post by Sam Griffin

26 Jan 2023

video streaming

HBO Max

The Last of Us

The HBO Original production of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is solidifying the foundations of modern expectations for games video crossovers. With the games market increasingly saturated and seemingly...

Despite declining time spent, Microsoft’s gaming strategy is well and good

Blog post by Karol Severin

27 Oct 2022

Cloud

Microsoft

xbox

In its Q3 2022 results (FY Q1 2023), Microsoft reported growth in Game Pass subscriptions, but said that Xbox content and services revenue declined 3% year on year, driven by declines in first-party content...

Is Microsoft the flywheel for Meta’s VR efforts?

Blog post by Karol Severin

13 Oct 2022

xbox

PlayStation and Xbox exchange PR blows amid the Activision deal approval process

Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Aug 2022

Playstation

xbox

Activision

Sony and Xbox exchanged PR salvos last week as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision came under regulatory scrutiny in Brazil. Within it, companies got an opportunity to comment on the impacts of the...

Quick take: Why Xbox All Access could be the ultimate recession winner

Blog post by Karol Severin

17 Jun 2022

Inflation

global recession

cost of living

Xbox All Access has been around for a while now, though with a limited reach (currently only available in 12 markets). While it was always going to play an integral part in Xbox’s cross-platform (and...

Xbox to rid large games of a key competitive weapon

Blog post by Karol Severin

10 Jun 2022

xbox

cloud gaming

games streaming

Xbox is looking simply unstoppable these days. After announcing the Xbox Everywhere vision, it has confirmed that besides the announced ‘puck’ in the works, it is indeed bringing the Xbox App into...

Xbox Cloud Gaming expansion heralds a cross-platform future

Blog post by Perry Gresham

13 May 2022

xbox

cloud gaming

Fortnite

MIDiA has been writing about Xbox’s cross-platform future for years, and Microsoft is bringing this closer to reality with each step they take. Ultimately, Xbox gamers may soon not need to own consoles...

Acquiring Activision is Microsoft’s big bang in games

Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Jan 2022

acquisitions

m&a

Microsoft

Only last week we wrote about Take-Two acquiring Zynga for $12.7 billion in what was the largest games acquisition in history. But that was last week. This week, that record is beaten more than five-fold,...

Ubisoft+ is coming to Xbox as shifts in distribution continue

Blog post by Karol Severin

6 Jan 2022

Ubisoft

xbox

games distribution

Ubisoft has announced that its subscription service Ubisoft+, currently available on PC, will come to Xbox in the future. It will also make its upcoming title Rainbox Six Exploration available on Xbox...

More consumers intend to buy PS5 than Xbox Series X, but both companies will be content with their trajectory

Blog post by Karol Severin

16 Oct 2020

xbox

Playstation

games consoles

With both PS5 and Xbox Series X having sold out their pre-order stock, the winter holiday race is heating up. Following Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, we wrote that the acquisition is unlikely...

Microsoft’s Zenimax acquisition is about the future of Games Pass more than console sales

Blog post by Karol Severin

30 Sep 2020

Games

games consoles

Zenimax

With the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Microsoft is gaining an important content asset for its portfolio – Bethesda’s games. And while the timing of the announcement certainly won’t make Sony too...

Quick take: Games companies try discounts, delays, and self-disruption

Blog post by Karol Severin

7 Apr 2020

amazon games

Games

Amazon might delay games streaming service launch to 2021 The New York Times has reported that Amazon’s games streaming proposition (now deemed Project Tempo) may be delayed to 2021 due to coronavirus....

The COVID Bounce: How COVID-19 is Reshaping Entertainment Demand

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

27 Mar 2020

amazon music

Amazon Prime

apple tv

The economic disruption and social dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is not evenly distributed. Some business face catastrophe, while others thrive. Across the entertainment industries the same...

Games Console Incumbents Sony and Microsoft Join Forces Against Tech Majors’ Entrance to Games Streaming

Blog post by Karol Severin

17 May 2019

cloud-gaming

Games

games industry

The enemy of my enemy is my friend – a phrase that nicely sums up the latest major development in games streaming and the console gaming industry. “ Sony and (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that...

‘Hard Drive Share’ As A Strategic Weapon For Console Publishers (Until Streaming Kicks Off)

Blog post by Karol Severin

2 Nov 2018

console games

console games strategy

game developers

As you could tell from the social media frenzy about having to delete other games to accommodate the new Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) release, hard drive space is a real issue for many console gamers,...

Can Xbox All Access Help Microsoft Tip The Games Console Market Share In Its Favour?

Blog post by Karol Severin

26 Sep 2018

console gaming

Games

games consoles

As you probably know by now, Microsoft launched Xbox All Access in the US. It is a bundle deal offering an Xbox console and a two year access to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live – all this in return for...

Why Sony Can (And Should) Play The Walled Garden Game

Blog post by Karol Severin

15 Jun 2018

cross-platform

Fortnite

Games

The majority of the gaming industry is pro cross-platform gaming and truly sees it as the natural evolution of the industry. Sony, however, is retaining the walled garden model as manifested by the recent...