By The FINANCIAL
Copyright finchannel
Microsoft Just Added Over 45 New Games to Xbox Game Pass, Including Hogwarts Legacy and Ubisoft’s Back Catalog — Here’s the Full List.
Microsoft has hiked the price of Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, while renaming and upgrading the other tiers, As IGN has reported. As part of the justification for the price rise, Microsoft added Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time ever to Ultimate, and the games that are part of that subscription are now a part of Ultimate.
On top of that, Warner Bros.’ smash hit Hogwarts Legacy is now available across Ultimate and the new Premium tier (which replaces Standard), but it’s not in the new Essential tier (which replaces Core).
Microsoft had last month also announced price hikes for its consoles in the U.S. for a second time this year due to tariff-induced cost pressures.
Xbox has made big bets on its subscription service by offering more premium titles and cloud gaming access, as it seeks to establish a foothold in the games-as-a-service industry to counter sluggish console sales and economic uncertainty.
Alongside the price increase, the company rebranded its cheapest and middle tiers to “Essential” and “Premium”, and included unlimited cloud gaming in them, as a part of its push to allow gamers to stream titles anywhere.
Rapid expansion: The number of gamers has been steadily increasing year over year. From ~2.0‑2.5 billion in mid‑2010s to over 3.3 billion now, according to Sporting Post.
Dominance of mobile: Mobile gaming continues to lead in revenue share, especially in Asia and emerging markets. Free‑to‑play + in‑app purchases dominate many mobile titles.
High ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) is an important metric, especially in developed markets. The revenue per user is much higher in places with strong spending power and high device penetration.
Digital versus physical: Digital distribution (downloads, in‑game purchases, microtransactions) continues to take over. Physical sales are a shrinking fraction.
Esports, streaming, and social infrastructure bolster growth: rising viewership, more social games, community engagement. This supports monetization beyond just game sales.
Current Market Leaders (2024–2025)
By Revenue:
Tencent (China)
Sony (Japan)
Apple (Mobile games)
Microsoft (Especially after acquiring Activision Blizzard)
By Platform Share:
Mobile: Dominated by Tencent, Apple, and Google
Console: Sony (PlayStation) is slightly ahead of Xbox globally, but Xbox is strong in the U.S.
PC: Valve (Steam), Microsoft (Windows), and Tencent dominate
Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox XS gaming consoles unit sales worldwide from 2005 to 2025
Designed by Microsoft, Xbox is a series of video game consoles including the original Xbox, Xbox 360 and the newest Xbox One. Respectively belonging to the sixth, seventh, and eighth generations of video game consoles, the Xbox consoles established Microsoft’s standing in the video game industry, with Sony and Nintendo as the other two major competitors. The latest Xbox models Series X and S were released in November 2020, two days before the release of PlayStation 5. They became the first Xbox consoles to offer 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second and introduced a new wireless controller to the lineup.
Console Gaming
Since the release of the world’s first gaming console in 1972, the Magnovox Odyssey, the console gaming industry has exploded in popularity and become a massive global industry. Modern consoles regularly sell tens of millions of units throughout their lifespan, as players from around the world compete in everything from virtual sports to medieval fantasies.
Xbox Historical Console Sales
Xbox One (2013–2020): ~58 million units lifetime sales
Xbox 360 (2005–2013): ~85.7 million units lifetime
Xbox Series X|S (2020–2025): Estimated ~23–25 million lifetime units as of late 2025
