170°

Bloomberg estimates Xbox Live to be worth $1 billion+

Given the number of users and $50-a-year subscription fee, it's hardly a surprise that Microsoft is pulling in a ton of cash from Xbox Live, but it looks like the service has recently crossed a significant milestone: the $1 billion mark. That's what Bloomberg estimates for the past fiscal year, at least, based on the number of paid users (about 12.5 million), and a recent statement from Microsoft's Dennis Durkin, who said that sales of downloadable content had topped subscription revenue for the first time. That translates to about $600 million from subscription revenue, and at least $600 million from other sales, for a grand total somewhere north of $1.2 billion. Can't really blame Sony for following its lead, can you?

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engadget.com
Dante1124311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

I stopped paying for Live a long time ago. Not worth the $60 bucks just to play online (Cross game chat is cool but not THAT cool). I hope Sony continues with PS+ while keeping the online available for others free of charge. It would suck having to pay money just to play online with the PS3 and the PS4.

Edit: @ Patriots

I'm just speaking for myself, I'm sure others think the $60 bucks are worth it.

Patriots_Pride4311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

True but its all about user experience and preference, on paper PSN Plus is a better deal but allot of people find the experience on Live much better.

I use both but spend 80% of my time on Live because I feel like it a more immerse experience - I know cross game chat and inviting people to parties might sound so little but it makes connecting with your friends so easy and feel like they are next to you.

I just posted an article comparing the 2, can you please approve. http://n4g.com/news/1032778...

In the end PSN plus wins.

EVILDEAD3604311d ago

Microsoft call the billion mark years ago. At the end of the day, Xbox Live will be looked at as the main reason the 360 had such an amazing run this gen.

Been a member since the original Xbox. Nothing against what other consoles offer, but IMO Live is the best console online experience as a whole out there. Playing without Live features IMO feels like going back in time.

Live is the home of the core 360 gaming community and it's those core gamers that arent the ones who spend their time online bashing it.

Micrsoft created a gaming Eco-system in Live and it's anyones guess on how they will proceed next gen, but Live will be one of the main reason millions of gamers will own 720s right out of the gate.

Evil

guitarded774311d ago

If it's worth a billion dollars I guess it will be around for next gen too :(

Then again, facebook was estimated to be worth some insane number and we saw what happened to it when it went public. But at least Live is selling a service... even if most of the features are free elsewhere.

(Please note: not trolling, just making an observation and commenting for the sake of discussion. I think it's a legitimate criticism as a paying gold member).

DragonKnight4311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

@EVILDEAD360: "IMO Live is the best console online experience as a whole out there. Playing without Live features IMO feels like going back in time."

"Micrsoft created a gaming Eco-system in Live and it's anyones guess on how they will proceed next gen, but Live will be one of the main reason millions of gamers will own 720s right out of the gate."

Are you an MS PR rep or do they send one to your house to write out this stuff.

Seriously. Those 6 bubbles of yours after writing this stuff is proof enough that this site isn't "overrun with Sony fanboys" as many would say.

I really am in shock reading that stuff. I mean wow.

kreate4310d ago

xbox live is more financially successful than psn.

but xbox live is boring. not much to do. it did get a lot better these days though w youtube and crackle type of apps. still boring after a while.

EVILDEAD3604310d ago (Edited 4310d ago )

'Are you an MS PR rep or do they send one to your house to write out this stuff.

Seriously. Those 6 bubbles of yours after writing this stuff is proof enough that this site isn't "overrun with Sony fanboys" as many would say'

Awww..is da wittle Dwagon so upset that he has no comeback that he has to resort to the PR rep stuff?

So is THAT why your so offended? You actually get paid to whine so much about MS that you think other need to be as well?

Dont worry your comment in response to what was my personal opinion is LIVING proof of what N4G is 'overrun' by..lol

Evil

DragonKnight4310d ago

"Awww..is da wittle Dwagon so upset that he has no comeback that he has to resort to the PR rep stuff?

So is THAT why your so offended? You actually get paid to whine so much about MS that you think other need to be as well?

Dont worry your comment in response to what was my personal opinion is LIVING proof of what N4G is 'overrun' by..lol"

That was pathetic. I didn't even say anything negative about MS and you have to come to their defence. I think you've proven my point even more. What a sad reply you made. I guess MS doesn't pay people to be witty.

JhawkFootball064310d ago

Cross game chat is the sole reason I would have live over psn. Me and my friends from high school have kept in touch after everyone went to college. We will all get in a party having 5-6 people. We even just get on and chat while we are watching a a big football game or basketball game.

EVILDEAD3604310d ago

'That was pathetic. I didn't even say anything negative about MS and you have to come to their defence. I think you've proven my point even more. What a sad reply you made. I guess MS doesn't pay people to be witty.'

LMAO @ this fankid in complete denial..once again you literally prove what this site is about..

If someone say I don't like Live then you got zero problems, but I give my opinion on why in my personal opinion I feel Live is better..what do you do?

OMG OMG you can't say that. You must work for MS as there in NOBODY on earth that can have that opinion.

'That was pathetic. I didn't even say anything negative about MS and you have to come to their defence. I think you've proven my point even more. What a sad reply you made. I guess MS doesn't pay people to be witty.'

LOL @ the goggles so dark that you can
t read. Who said you attacked MS? Whose coming to their defence?

Here the quote since you could read it the first time..

'Dont worry your comment in response to what was my personal opinion is LIVING proof of what N4G is 'overrun' by..lol'

True then true now..and I love this guy talking about wit when all he can do is run up in MS articles and call people PR reps...oooooh so witty..lol..more like lame

Evil

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4310d ago
JsonHenry4310d ago

and being worth so much is why all next gen consoles will charge a monthly fee for their online services. :/

SITH4310d ago

Yes yes yes, nobody cares.

4311d ago Replies(1)
modesign4311d ago

and yet they have crap in there store,

ChunkyLover534311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

Xbox Live was a brilliant strategy from the start, it helps recoup any losses that are brought on by new hardware. I've been an Xbox Live subscriber for 7 years now and I've never looked back. I've also never paid more than $35 for it in a year either, if you cant find a deal like that on Xbox Live, your not looking hard enough.

For me, Xbox Live is the Facebook of online services, its so social and easy to use. It definitely has its own personality and I feel like its safe to use. Consumer confidence is a very important part of business and Microsoft has built that with Xbox Live throughout the years.

All of the millions of people who use it, use it for a very good reason. One billion in Xbox Live revenue is a spicy meatball for sure. Congrats to Microsoft for putting together such a stellar service.

Persistantthug4311d ago

Personally, I would just never pay to play random games online.....not ever.

-my take.

ChunkyLover534311d ago

That is fine, my comment was made from my own point of view. In seven years there has not been a single time when I wanted to get online and play that I could not.

That says a lot about the service. I look at Xbox Live just like any other service really, you get what you pay for and its not like its a huge expense. I honestly pay more for haircuts throughout the year than Xbox Live. I just upped again for $35, that averages out to like $3 a month. My Gamefly, Netflix and Hulu Plus memberships cost far more than my Xbox Live membership does.

I'd also hold off on that "never pay to play online" spiel as well. Nintendo has already come out and said they might not always offer free online, Sony obviously wants a piece of that profit as well.

FunAndGun4311d ago

"All of the millions of people who use it, use it for a very good reason."

I wouldn't call being forced a very good reason.

ChunkyLover534311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

There are lots of other options aside from Xbox 360 gaming. Their is PS3, Steam, PC, Wii ect....

Nobody is forced, if the money was THAT big of a deal, people wouldn't get it. The price only seems to offend people here. I've never complained about it, it'd be like complaining about any other bill, there isn't really a point.

I'm a gamer and since its my hobby, I don't mind paying to have the best experience I can with it. I pay for PSN+ as well, its all about experiences.

*Edit*
@raymantalk1
Microsoft does several sales a year themselves for $35. You can also find deals like that almost all the time on Amazon throughout the year. I usually wait until I see one and than pick it up. Sometimes Microsoft offers free games with it as well.

If you read the article, you'd know the half of the billion is made by sales of various things that are available through Xbox Live, the other half is through actual subscriptions.

I don't care about cutting into their profit, I get my XBL for as cheap as I can, I only said its a great setup and its well worth the money.

*Edit*
@Jadedz

I remember Sega Net, but Microsoft had the idea to include a broadband adapter with every Xbox unit sold. They were the first console maker to do that, it helped pave the way for online services.

Its also very debatable as to what killed off Sega in the console market. Sony might have played partially into it, but Sega kind of lost their edge and lost a lot of consumer confidence by the time the Dreamcast came along.

JBSleek4311d ago

Now how are the forcing people to use it because last time I checked their are two other companies and PC that don't charge.

Therefore they know the other options are free yet choose to use Xbox because they think it is a superior service or has superior games.

Example, people pay a premium for Apple products for its ecosystem and programs even though they know the price is steep that is called options.

JellyJelly4311d ago

I wanted the best online service for consoles available and got it from Xbox Live.

DigitalRaptor4310d ago (Edited 4310d ago )

ChunkyLover53

If your preference is Halo, Gears and Forza, you are FORCED to pay to play the online parts of the game, and if you are already invested in Xbox, it makes matters worse. That in itself is pretty inexcusable, and I don't see how anyone can defend this. It doesn't cost Microsoft $60 per year for every consumer to simply play their games online. And they increased the point of entry of XBL by $10 a couple years back to justify their strategy of the inclusion of non-gaming features. That's awful! Even if you enjoy the features of XBL Gold it's still pretty awful to charge for basic online play rather than the features that count.

I'm glad those other options exist because they actually give you options.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4310d ago
raymantalk14311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

@ChunkyLover53

how is it you can get xbox live Gold subscription for less than what MS themselves sell it ?

ps if like you say you have never paid more than $35 a year for it and if most people do the same would'nt that cut into the 1.2 Billion profits abit ?

Jadedz4311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

The Sega Dreamcast had online play also (which was pretty revolutionary at the time).

Too bad Sony regulated them to a software only company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4310d ago
Cocozero4311d ago

Its one of the reasons MS is the only one of the big 3 making money.

raymantalk14311d ago (Edited 4311d ago )

how can MS be making money when they appear to spend more than 1.2 Billion a year in Advertising the xbox and giving away xbox/kinects all over the world and keep lowering the price all the time must be cutting into there profits or do you think it is free to advertise ?

Cocozero4311d ago

MS haven't cut the price of the 360 since 2008....

Machioto4311d ago

@Coco with all that money they could've cranked out more ip's instead of just relying on the games they have.

Show all comments (55)
50°

Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX

This could be fun as they make great tables. Go big or go extinct. Prime your senses for a neural handshake and step into the cockpit of a Jaeger. It is on you to cancel the apocalypse when Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX on May 16.

130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies21h ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken16h ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing691d 8h ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker1d 8h ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing691d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt19h ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken16h ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.

120°

6 Fun Games Where You Actually Play As The Bad Guy

While the mainstream media always sees things turning in favor of the hero, here are 6 games that own being a bad guy.

Profchaos1d 13h ago

Pretty much all of these games listed are based around a morality system you don't have to be bad and you don't have to be good.

It seems to have left out some real amazing games like red dead redemption 1/2,ass effect and true crime la/ny

Tacoboto1d 13h ago

Armored Core VI?

Ok, I'm really missing something here. Just beat chapter 3 earlier this evening, unlocked A-rank Arena fights. I'm not seeing or sensing any branching paths or morality system and I've done every side mission and arena fight available to me up to that fight.

Is something big coming soon to branch the story?

banger881d 12h ago

No mention of Grand Theft Auto? Saints Row (original trilogy), Manhunt? Also The Suffering (depending on the ending you get).

ChasterMies1d 2h ago

Trevor in GTA 6 is a sadist and psychopath who dabbles in cannibalism. Should be top of the list. These game “news” sites should hire people that know games.