Microsoft has confirmed that 70 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide. The figure comes by way of the company’s earnings report for the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year and represents a jump of 20 million units since Microsoft reported console sales of 50 million last year.
During the first quarter, which ran from July 1st through September 30th, Microsoft sold 1.7 million Xbox 360s, down 600,000 compared to the 2.3 million sold during the same period in 2011. The Entertainment and Devices division, which includes Xbox, brought in $1.95 billion in revenue, down 1% compared to last year. Xbox 360 revenue was down 24% ($418 million) “due mainly to lower volumes of consoles sold and lower video game revenue, offset in part by higher Xbox Live revenue.” Microsoft also reiterated that “Xbox continues to be the top-selling console in the U.S., where it now has 49% market share.”
Microsoft noted that video game revenue decreased compared to last year because Gears of War 3 came out during this period during the previous fiscal year, while there were “no comparable major releases in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013.” Microsoft also mentioned increased costs for “research and development expenses,” possibly hinting at development of its next console.
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