Read A Year's Worth Of Microsoft Spinning Xbox One NPD Sales
Read A Year's Worth Of Microsoft Spinning Xbox One NPD Sales
It’s that time of the month again, where NPD numbers come out and console manufacturers try to spin them to their benefit. One party who consistently partakes in the ritual is Microsoft MSFT +3.85%, which on cue every month, sends out a carefully crafted statement from VP of Xbox Marketing, Mike Nichols. I’ve been getting this monthly statement consistently for about a year now, and I thought it was time for a retrospective, diving into the fabulous world of “PR speak.”
This is not meant to be a specific knock on Microsoft. Everyone does this, and I’ve had nothing but good PR experiences with them. They just happen to have the most easily archivable emails (that I was able to dig up in my collection of 100K+), and it’s also an interesting situation because the Xbox One is forever trailing the PS4, a fact which always has to be masked in some way or another. The Xbox One is selling quite well in a vacuum, which is where these statements exist, but Sony's system has just been a sales monster from the start.
This past year of statements references a whole lot of year-on-year growth, as in, the Xbox One did better in 2015 than it did in 2014 (which I think would be kind of expected as more people adopt the new system and it gets a larger roster of must-have games). You’ll also find all sorts of glorious statistics that sound impressive, but are kind of impossible to actually sort out (30 million minutes played!). But what you won’t find? Actual, hard sales numbers. None. Almost all of it is about growth, because actual numbers would draw a comparison to PS4. And there isn’t a single mention of Sony or the PS4 (or Nintendo or the Wii U) in any of these statements. The most important piece of information is actually from this December, where it’s revealed that Xbox One had its highest month of US sales ever. But again, no specific numbers.
It’s sort of a fascinating look at spin and PR-speak, as you can see just how similar all these statements are over the course of the past year, and how little they really tell you. Some months skip any numbers, even growth percentages, just going with “strong momentum,” which weirdly feels like a pseudonym for underperformance. The problem is at the end of all this, we really no longer have any clue how many units the Xbox One has currently sold, as Microsoft is now rolling 360s and Ones together making it impossible to get an exact figure when they release quarterly figures.
Again, I’m not trying to pick on Xbox One here (I’ve been called a Microsoft fanboy too many times to count at this point), but I did find this rather interesting. If you can make it to the end of all of these, there will be a prize waiting for you.
Recommended by Forbes
DECEMBER 2015
“Thanks to our fans, continued support for the most critically-acclaimed holiday lineup of exclusives in Xbox history made December 2015 the best month yet for Xbox Live global engagement and Xbox One sales in the U.S. The total number of hours spent gaming on Xbox One worldwide nearly doubled compared to December 2014 and Xbox One exclusive game sales in the U.S. between July and December 2015 were up 61 percent compared to the same period in 2014. Revenue from Xbox Store’s Countdown, the biggest Xbox Store sale ever, broke records with 69 percent growth year-over-year when compared to results from last year’s sale. Xbox One is the best place for gamers and the only console that has all top 10 best-selling titles of this generation that launched in 2015. With an incredible catalog of first-party and third-party games on Xbox One and available through Xbox One Backward Compatibility, 2015 was a tremendous year for gamers, and we’re looking forward to making 2016 an even better one.”
NOVEMBER 2015
“Last month was our best November ever in the U.S. for Xbox One, setting new records for console sales, game sales and Xbox Live engagement. The most critically-acclaimed holiday lineup of exclusives in Xbox history helped drive 44 percent growth in Xbox Live hours over last November, and 72 percent growth in U.S. first-party retail game sales comparing sales from August through November in 2015 to the same period last year. It’s amazing to see the energy from Xbox fans for exclusives like ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider,’ ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’ ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition’ and ‘Rare Replay,’ for the incredible catalog of third-party games on Xbox One and for Xbox One Backward Compatibility, which launched in November. This holiday is shaping up to be a great one for our industry and for Xbox fans.”
OCTOBER 2015
“The strength of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history drove record Xbox Live usage for October and made Xbox One the best-selling console in the U.S. with 81 percent growth compared to October 2014. We saw amazing fan excitement, commercial success and critical acclaim in October for ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ which was the best-selling game in the U.S., and other Xbox One titles launching earlier this fall, including ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’ ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition,’ Harmonix’s ‘Rock Band 4’ and Ubisoft’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.’ We also saw incredible reception for the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller in October, which is now sold out at most retailers and we are working quickly to replenish stock. And October was just the start. Earlier this week ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Fallout 4’ launched, today the New Xbox One Experience including backward compatibility launched and many are looking forward to ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ on November 17 – available today exclusively on Xbox One to EA Access members. It’s going to be an amazing holiday for Xbox fans!”
SEPTEMBER 2015
“Xbox One continued to see strong momentum in September on the heels of “Forza Motorsport 6” and EA SPORTS “FIFA 16,” with solid year-over-year growth in console sales and strong engagement on Xbox Live. This holiday Xbox One owners will enjoy the greatest games lineup in the industry and in Xbox history, led by “Halo 5: Guardians,” “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” “Fallout 4,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, ” “Star Wars Battlefront,” and the ability to play Xbox 360 games. Xbox One owners will have all this on the fastest, most social Xbox experience ever and with advanced hardware such as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. Xbox fans and first-time console buyers can look forward to an epic holiday!”
AUGUST 2015
“This is going to be an amazing holiday for Xbox fans, and it kicked off in August with the releases of ‘Rare Replay’ and ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition,’ the first of seven must-play games coming exclusively to Xbox One this year. Coinciding with the release of these highly-rated exclusives and others like ‘Madden NFL 16’ and ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,’ Xbox One continued to gain momentum in August, with sales in the U.S. up 26 percent over August 2014. With more of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history, support for Xbox 360 games, the New Xbox One Experience system update in November alongside Xbox One Backward Compatibility and award-winning Xbox Elite Wireless Controller to follow this holiday, we’re excited to further build on this momentum in the months to come.”
JULY 2015
“Xbox One and Xbox Live continued to see strong sales and engagement in July, with Xbox One sales in the U.S. up 44 percent over July 2014 and active global Xbox Live users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) up 22 percent. Building on that, we just returned from ChinaJoy in Shanghai and gamescom in Germany where we showcased the greatest lineup in Xbox history including an incredible lineup of 15 premium exclusive games releasing this year and next, along with the ability to play your Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One starting in November. Additionally, Windows 10 launched on July 29, enabling Xbox One owners to stream their games to Windows 10 PCs and laptops in their homes. We are committed to delivering gamers the games, gaming experiences and value they can’t find on any other platform, and we are pleased to see that they are responding.”
JUNE 2015
“Xbox One and Xbox Live continue to see strong growth in sales and engagement. Xbox One sales in the U.S. were up 51 percent over June 2014 and active global Xbox Live users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) grew 22 percent. Since releasing Xbox One Backward Compatibility in preview on June 15, participants in the preview program have logged more than 30 million minutes playing Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. The 2015 Xbox One game lineup was the most awarded lineup in Xbox history at E3, with 242 nominations and 110 award wins. And, the new Xbox One 1TB console was met by a strong response from fans and recently announced bundles launching this fall including the “Forza Motorsport 6” limited edition bundle and “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” bundle drove additional fan excitement for this holiday’s offerings. We are grateful to our fans for continuing to choose Xbox One and we are looking forward to sharing more updates on the greatest games lineup in Xbox history at gamescom in Cologne, Germany next month.”
MAY 2015
[error: PR email not found]
APRIL 2015
“As the best-selling console in the U.S. in April, fans set record April sales and engagement for Xbox One last month. Xbox One console sales in the U.S. increased 63 percent in April 2015 compared to April 2014 and Xbox Live comparisons showed the number of active global users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) grew 24 percent. We are grateful to our fans for their passion and support and are looking forward to sharing more on the best game lineup in Xbox history at E3.”
MARCH 2015
“Xbox One continues to see strong growth in both its fan base and time spent on Xbox Live. In March, cumulative U.S. Xbox One sales continued to outpace Xbox 360 sales at the same point in its lifecycle. Globally, the average amount of time spent playing games on Xbox One through Xbox Live increased by 45 percent in March 2015 compared to March 2014. And, gaming fans are sharing their experiences with the community at an incredible rate with the average Xbox One Twitch broadcaster sharing 212 minutes or 3.5 hours of gameplay each month. We’re grateful to our passionate and highly engaged Xbox One fan base and are looking forward to sharing more on games coming later this year, including the highly anticipated release of ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ on Oct. 27.”
FEBRUARY 2015
“Xbox One’s fan base continues to grow with record February sales in the U.S. for Xbox One and 84 percent more consoles sold compared to January 2015. In February 2015, fans spent an average of 74 hours on Xbox Live in the U.S. – three times the amount of hours the average user spends on social networks*. And, Xbox Live set new records, quadrupling global gaming hours on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in February 2015 compared to February 2014. We are grateful to our fans for choosing to play on Xbox One. Offerings and experiences will continue to expand with Xbox One and ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’ available together for $349, new games launching this month including ‘ScreamRide’ and ‘Ori and the Blind Forest,’ hundreds of new ID@Xbox games in development, and plans to make gaming even better on Windows 10 and Xbox.”
JANUARY 2015
“After closing a record-breaking holiday, 2015 is off to a great start, with record January sales for Xbox One and more game sales per console than any other platform. Xbox Live also continued to set new all-time highs, with 22 percent growth in gamers and in hours compared to January 2014. We are grateful to our loyal Xbox fans for their continued support. With a special $349 price for Xbox One in the U.S. and an unprecedented lineup of Xbox exclusives including ‘Fable Legends,’ ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ plus a host of blockbuster third-party titles such as ‘Battlefield Hardline,’ ‘Evolve’ and ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ all coming this year, 2015 is shaping up to be another amazing year for Xbox fans.”
Read A Year's Worth Of Microsoft Spinning Xbox One NPD Sales
It’s that time of the month again, where NPD numbers come out and console manufacturers try to spin them to their benefit. One party who consistently partakes in the ritual is Microsoft MSFT +3.85%, which on cue every month, sends out a carefully crafted statement from VP of Xbox Marketing, Mike Nichols. I’ve been getting this monthly statement consistently for about a year now, and I thought it was time for a retrospective, diving into the fabulous world of “PR speak.”
This is not meant to be a specific knock on Microsoft. Everyone does this, and I’ve had nothing but good PR experiences with them. They just happen to have the most easily archivable emails (that I was able to dig up in my collection of 100K+), and it’s also an interesting situation because the Xbox One is forever trailing the PS4, a fact which always has to be masked in some way or another. The Xbox One is selling quite well in a vacuum, which is where these statements exist, but Sony's system has just been a sales monster from the start.
This past year of statements references a whole lot of year-on-year growth, as in, the Xbox One did better in 2015 than it did in 2014 (which I think would be kind of expected as more people adopt the new system and it gets a larger roster of must-have games). You’ll also find all sorts of glorious statistics that sound impressive, but are kind of impossible to actually sort out (30 million minutes played!). But what you won’t find? Actual, hard sales numbers. None. Almost all of it is about growth, because actual numbers would draw a comparison to PS4. And there isn’t a single mention of Sony or the PS4 (or Nintendo or the Wii U) in any of these statements. The most important piece of information is actually from this December, where it’s revealed that Xbox One had its highest month of US sales ever. But again, no specific numbers.
It’s sort of a fascinating look at spin and PR-speak, as you can see just how similar all these statements are over the course of the past year, and how little they really tell you. Some months skip any numbers, even growth percentages, just going with “strong momentum,” which weirdly feels like a pseudonym for underperformance. The problem is at the end of all this, we really no longer have any clue how many units the Xbox One has currently sold, as Microsoft is now rolling 360s and Ones together making it impossible to get an exact figure when they release quarterly figures.
Again, I’m not trying to pick on Xbox One here (I’ve been called a Microsoft fanboy too many times to count at this point), but I did find this rather interesting. If you can make it to the end of all of these, there will be a prize waiting for you.
Recommended by Forbes
“Thanks to our fans, continued support for the most critically-acclaimed holiday lineup of exclusives in Xbox history made December 2015 the best month yet for Xbox Live global engagement and Xbox One sales in the U.S. The total number of hours spent gaming on Xbox One worldwide nearly doubled compared to December 2014 and Xbox One exclusive game sales in the U.S. between July and December 2015 were up 61 percent compared to the same period in 2014. Revenue from Xbox Store’s Countdown, the biggest Xbox Store sale ever, broke records with 69 percent growth year-over-year when compared to results from last year’s sale. Xbox One is the best place for gamers and the only console that has all top 10 best-selling titles of this generation that launched in 2015. With an incredible catalog of first-party and third-party games on Xbox One and available through Xbox One Backward Compatibility, 2015 was a tremendous year for gamers, and we’re looking forward to making 2016 an even better one.”
NOVEMBER 2015
“Last month was our best November ever in the U.S. for Xbox One, setting new records for console sales, game sales and Xbox Live engagement. The most critically-acclaimed holiday lineup of exclusives in Xbox history helped drive 44 percent growth in Xbox Live hours over last November, and 72 percent growth in U.S. first-party retail game sales comparing sales from August through November in 2015 to the same period last year. It’s amazing to see the energy from Xbox fans for exclusives like ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider,’ ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’ ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition’ and ‘Rare Replay,’ for the incredible catalog of third-party games on Xbox One and for Xbox One Backward Compatibility, which launched in November. This holiday is shaping up to be a great one for our industry and for Xbox fans.”
OCTOBER 2015
“The strength of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history drove record Xbox Live usage for October and made Xbox One the best-selling console in the U.S. with 81 percent growth compared to October 2014. We saw amazing fan excitement, commercial success and critical acclaim in October for ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ which was the best-selling game in the U.S., and other Xbox One titles launching earlier this fall, including ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’ ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition,’ Harmonix’s ‘Rock Band 4’ and Ubisoft’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.’ We also saw incredible reception for the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller in October, which is now sold out at most retailers and we are working quickly to replenish stock. And October was just the start. Earlier this week ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Fallout 4’ launched, today the New Xbox One Experience including backward compatibility launched and many are looking forward to ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ on November 17 – available today exclusively on Xbox One to EA Access members. It’s going to be an amazing holiday for Xbox fans!”
SEPTEMBER 2015
“Xbox One continued to see strong momentum in September on the heels of “Forza Motorsport 6” and EA SPORTS “FIFA 16,” with solid year-over-year growth in console sales and strong engagement on Xbox Live. This holiday Xbox One owners will enjoy the greatest games lineup in the industry and in Xbox history, led by “Halo 5: Guardians,” “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” “Fallout 4,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, ” “Star Wars Battlefront,” and the ability to play Xbox 360 games. Xbox One owners will have all this on the fastest, most social Xbox experience ever and with advanced hardware such as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. Xbox fans and first-time console buyers can look forward to an epic holiday!”
“This is going to be an amazing holiday for Xbox fans, and it kicked off in August with the releases of ‘Rare Replay’ and ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition,’ the first of seven must-play games coming exclusively to Xbox One this year. Coinciding with the release of these highly-rated exclusives and others like ‘Madden NFL 16’ and ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,’ Xbox One continued to gain momentum in August, with sales in the U.S. up 26 percent over August 2014. With more of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history, support for Xbox 360 games, the New Xbox One Experience system update in November alongside Xbox One Backward Compatibility and award-winning Xbox Elite Wireless Controller to follow this holiday, we’re excited to further build on this momentum in the months to come.”
JULY 2015
“Xbox One and Xbox Live continued to see strong sales and engagement in July, with Xbox One sales in the U.S. up 44 percent over July 2014 and active global Xbox Live users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) up 22 percent. Building on that, we just returned from ChinaJoy in Shanghai and gamescom in Germany where we showcased the greatest lineup in Xbox history including an incredible lineup of 15 premium exclusive games releasing this year and next, along with the ability to play your Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One starting in November. Additionally, Windows 10 launched on July 29, enabling Xbox One owners to stream their games to Windows 10 PCs and laptops in their homes. We are committed to delivering gamers the games, gaming experiences and value they can’t find on any other platform, and we are pleased to see that they are responding.”
JUNE 2015
“Xbox One and Xbox Live continue to see strong growth in sales and engagement. Xbox One sales in the U.S. were up 51 percent over June 2014 and active global Xbox Live users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) grew 22 percent. Since releasing Xbox One Backward Compatibility in preview on June 15, participants in the preview program have logged more than 30 million minutes playing Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. The 2015 Xbox One game lineup was the most awarded lineup in Xbox history at E3, with 242 nominations and 110 award wins. And, the new Xbox One 1TB console was met by a strong response from fans and recently announced bundles launching this fall including the “Forza Motorsport 6” limited edition bundle and “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” bundle drove additional fan excitement for this holiday’s offerings. We are grateful to our fans for continuing to choose Xbox One and we are looking forward to sharing more updates on the greatest games lineup in Xbox history at gamescom in Cologne, Germany next month.”
[error: PR email not found]
APRIL 2015
“As the best-selling console in the U.S. in April, fans set record April sales and engagement for Xbox One last month. Xbox One console sales in the U.S. increased 63 percent in April 2015 compared to April 2014 and Xbox Live comparisons showed the number of active global users (Xbox One and Xbox 360) grew 24 percent. We are grateful to our fans for their passion and support and are looking forward to sharing more on the best game lineup in Xbox history at E3.”
MARCH 2015
“Xbox One continues to see strong growth in both its fan base and time spent on Xbox Live. In March, cumulative U.S. Xbox One sales continued to outpace Xbox 360 sales at the same point in its lifecycle. Globally, the average amount of time spent playing games on Xbox One through Xbox Live increased by 45 percent in March 2015 compared to March 2014. And, gaming fans are sharing their experiences with the community at an incredible rate with the average Xbox One Twitch broadcaster sharing 212 minutes or 3.5 hours of gameplay each month. We’re grateful to our passionate and highly engaged Xbox One fan base and are looking forward to sharing more on games coming later this year, including the highly anticipated release of ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ on Oct. 27.”
FEBRUARY 2015
“Xbox One’s fan base continues to grow with record February sales in the U.S. for Xbox One and 84 percent more consoles sold compared to January 2015. In February 2015, fans spent an average of 74 hours on Xbox Live in the U.S. – three times the amount of hours the average user spends on social networks*. And, Xbox Live set new records, quadrupling global gaming hours on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in February 2015 compared to February 2014. We are grateful to our fans for choosing to play on Xbox One. Offerings and experiences will continue to expand with Xbox One and ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’ available together for $349, new games launching this month including ‘ScreamRide’ and ‘Ori and the Blind Forest,’ hundreds of new ID@Xbox games in development, and plans to make gaming even better on Windows 10 and Xbox.”
JANUARY 2015
“After closing a record-breaking holiday, 2015 is off to a great start, with record January sales for Xbox One and more game sales per console than any other platform. Xbox Live also continued to set new all-time highs, with 22 percent growth in gamers and in hours compared to January 2014. We are grateful to our loyal Xbox fans for their continued support. With a special $349 price for Xbox One in the U.S. and an unprecedented lineup of Xbox exclusives including ‘Fable Legends,’ ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Forza Motorsport 6’ plus a host of blockbuster third-party titles such as ‘Battlefield Hardline,’ ‘Evolve’ and ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ all coming this year, 2015 is shaping up to be another amazing year for Xbox fans.”
at the first one.
at some of those. Got those ESPN stats, and nobody does spin like ESPN. nikkas be like: