PlayStation vs. Xbox has always been an extensive battle. These two console companies have been going toe-to-toe for several years now. Be it PlayStation’s exclusivity or Xbox’s Game Pass, there is always something that puts one ahead of another.
Amidst this fierce rivalry, 2023 has been a significant year for both consoles, especially for Xbox. With the legendary merger deal with Activision Blizzard, everyone thought finally Xbox would be edging past PlayStation forever. But is that the case?
PlayStation Vs. Xbox: Yearly Revenue Battle
Despite the merger deal and flurry of popular first-party titles, Xbox is still lagging behind PlayStation in terms of yearly revenue. And the difference is over a staggering $10 billion. This puts PlayStation in a formidable spot and proves it to be the number one gaming console in the world.
According to the recent annual revenue report analyzed by TweakTown, PlayStation has generated a massive $30.12 billion in revenue in 2023. Whereas the arch-rival, Xbox, is falling behind by $12 billion, with a yearly revenue of $18.128 billion.
2023 calendar year revenue by platform holder:
🔵 PlayStation: $30 billion
🟢 Xbox: $18 billion
🔴 Nintendo: $12 billionSee more: https://t.co/vNkChJBQgr pic.twitter.com/yW39c7Sx9i
— Hunter 🎮 (@NextGenPlayer) February 29, 2024
As far as revenue growth is concerned, PlayStation has left behind Xbox here too. Compared to 2022, when PlayStation earned $24 billion in revenue, this year we can see a rise of a significant 23%. On the other hand, it was just a 15% spike in the case of Xbox this year, where they earned $15.563 billion in 2022.
Now, the interesting part is that the major credit for this growth goes to Activision Blizzard. The historic acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft with a deal worth $69 billion changed the scenario for Xbox. That 15% hike is an effective outcome of that, but it was still not enough to beat PlayStation.
Now What for Xbox?
Xbox has always fallen behind PlayStation in the field of exclusivity. With the likes of The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War, Uncharted, and many others, Xbox never had the proper weapon to face its arch-rivals. But after the release of Starfield and the merger deal with Activision, Xbox is giving tough competition to them. Xbox has already announced Diablo 4 and Resident Evil 3 Remake for the Xbox Game Pass. And as things stand, the future of Xbox Game Pass in 2024 looks fascinating.
This year, the Game Pass library will be filled with titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and many more. There are a lot of other unconfirmed titles as well, like Elder Scrolls 6, Dead Static Dive, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, etc.
Besides these games, Game Pass will be filled with Activision Blizzard titles as well, thanks to the historic merger deal. Diablo 4 has already opened the floodgate for that. Even the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, has assured us that Call of Duty will be coming on Xbox Game Pass Day 1.
Now, the future of Xbox looks quite promising. But will it still be enough to surpass the gaming powerhouse, PlayStation?
