Phil Spencer reveals some incredible Xbox and gaming industry numbers

04.12.2023 - 11:17 / destructoid.com / Phil Spencer / Xbox And

At the 2023 Comic Con Experience in São Paulo, Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer fielded questions about Xbox and its latest titles while revealing some interesting information about the current state of the gaming industry.

We had previously received highlights of the event from a Bloomberg article, though with the full interview out, we’ve learned a lot more. One of the first things Spencer highlights is just how big the gaming industry is. In a world of 8 billion people, he claims 3.3 billion play video games. This means there is a massive market for creators to express their ideas and for businesses to provide entertainment in innovative ways.

It’s been mentioned by Microsft heads umpteen times, but the long-term goal is to expand the Xbox ecosystem beyond consoles. This is vital because, according to Spencer, over 40% of gamers enjoy their hobby on multiple screens.

It’s taken a few years, but Microsoft has forged an attractive gaming library for itself. Spencer speaks a bit about Minecraft, pointing out that it has sold over 300 million copies. This makes it one of the bestselling games of all time, and one of about a dozen Microsoft gaming franchises worth over a billion dollars.

One of the games discussed is Sea of Thieves, which Spencer claims is very popular in Brazil. Revealing a bit about his personal life, Spencer speaks about how he keeps connected with his daughters who have left the home by playing Sea of Thieves with them. Xbox isn’t done providing content to players, and on December 7 you can expect the Safer Seas update which will allow you to “play with your friends in a world with no enemies.”

Of course, Starfield is also brought up, with Spencer revealing that the game has had over 12 million players and still sits as one of the top 10 most-played games from Xbox studios. There’s still content planned for the space game, including the Shattered Space DLC.

Gaming continues to grow globally, and faster in some regions than others. Brazil has shown itself to have a massive and active gaming community, making it impossible for Xbox to ignore. Spencer claims that 82% of Brazilian customers point to gaming as their primary form of entertainment.

As previously mentioned, Brazil is Xbox’s second-biggest PC Game Pass market. Interestingly, Spencer also reveals that the country is “the number one market in the world for Samsung TVs using XCloud with Game Pass.”

From recent interviews and events, it is clear that Microsoft has big plans for its gaming division. The company is in talks with partners to launch a mobile gaming store, and it marches on with its plans to bring Game Pass to as many screens as possible.