xbox blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: xbox

Read our latest daily deep-dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out your favourite analyst, or search by coverage – games, video, music, audio, media & marketing, or critical developments for all.

Embracing the cultural ascent of games: Zelda, Sony, and games-video symbiosis

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Blog post by Perry Gresham

10 Nov 2023

Legend of Zelda

Gaming has been mainstream for a while, but in recent years it has started flexing its cross-cultural muscles, intersecting with music, sports, and increasingly with video . The latest example is a new...

Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

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Blog post by Ben Woods

16 May 2023

Amazon Prime Video

The streaming TV landscape is changing rapidly. Leading entertainment industry executives are questioning every aspect of the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) model in pursuit of sustainable profits....

Is the quality of games going down?

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Blog post by Perry Gresham

24 Feb 2023

trueachievements

“Things aren’t like they used to be”, a common refrain of anyone over the age of about 25, is a sentiment especially prevalent amongst gamers today. Is this blind nostalgia, or have games really...

The Last of Us – when games meet video

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Blog post by Sam Griffin

26 Jan 2023

video streaming

The HBO Original production of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is solidifying the foundations of modern expectations for games video crossovers. With the games market increasingly saturated and seemingly...

Despite declining time spent, Microsoft’s gaming strategy is well and good

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Blog post by Karol Severin

27 Oct 2022

In its Q3 2022 results (FY Q1 2023), Microsoft reported growth in Game Pass subscriptions, but said that Xbox content and services revenue declined 3% year on year, driven by declines in first-party content...

Is Microsoft the flywheel for Meta’s VR efforts?

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Blog post by Karol Severin

13 Oct 2022

Xbox and Meta announced a partnership bringing the Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming experiences to Meta Quest 2 VR headsets. Meta Quest 2 users will be able to enjoy Xbox’s cloud gaming experience without...

PlayStation and Xbox exchange PR blows amid the Activision deal approval process

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Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Aug 2022

Sony and Xbox exchanged PR salvos last week as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision came under regulatory scrutiny in Brazil. Within it, companies got an opportunity to comment on the impacts of the...

Quick take: Why Xbox All Access could be the ultimate recession winner

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Blog post by Karol Severin

17 Jun 2022

global recession

Xbox All Access has been around for a while now, though with a limited reach (currently only available in 12 markets). While it was always going to play an integral part in Xbox’s cross-platform (and...

Xbox to rid large games of a key competitive weapon

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Blog post by Karol Severin

10 Jun 2022

games streaming

Xbox is looking simply unstoppable these days. After announcing the Xbox Everywhere vision, it has confirmed that besides the announced ‘puck’ in the works, it is indeed bringing the Xbox App into...

Xbox Cloud Gaming expansion heralds a cross-platform future

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Blog post by Perry Gresham

13 May 2022

MIDiA has been writing about Xbox’s cross-platform future for years, and Microsoft is bringing this closer to reality with each step they take. Ultimately, Xbox gamers may soon not need to own consoles...

Acquiring Activision is Microsoft’s big bang in games

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Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Jan 2022

Only last week we wrote about Take-Two acquiring Zynga for $12.7 billion in what was the largest games acquisition in history. But that was last week. This week, that record is beaten more than five-fold,...

Ubisoft+ is coming to Xbox as shifts in distribution continue

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Blog post by Karol Severin

6 Jan 2022

games distribution

Ubisoft has announced that its subscription service Ubisoft+, currently available on PC, will come to Xbox in the future. It will also make its upcoming title Rainbox Six Exploration available on Xbox...

More consumers intend to buy PS5 than Xbox Series X, but both companies will be content with their trajectory

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Blog post by Karol Severin

16 Oct 2020

With both PS5 and Xbox Series X having sold out their pre-order stock, the winter holiday race is heating up. Following Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, we wrote that the acquisition is unlikely...

Microsoft’s Zenimax acquisition is about the future of Games Pass more than console sales

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Blog post by Karol Severin

30 Sep 2020

With the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Microsoft is gaining an important content asset for its portfolio – Bethesda’s games. And while the timing of the announcement certainly won’t make Sony too...

Quick take: Games companies try discounts, delays, and self-disruption

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Blog post by Karol Severin

7 Apr 2020

Amazon might delay games streaming service launch to 2021 The New York Times has reported that Amazon’s games streaming proposition (now deemed Project Tempo) may be delayed to 2021 due to coronavirus....

The COVID Bounce: How COVID-19 is Reshaping Entertainment Demand

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Blog post by Mark Mulligan

27 Mar 2020

The economic disruption and social dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is not evenly distributed. Some business face catastrophe, while others thrive. Across the entertainment industries the same...

Games Console Incumbents Sony and Microsoft Join Forces Against Tech Majors’ Entrance to Games Streaming

Blog post by Karol Severin

17 May 2019

The enemy of my enemy is my friend – a phrase that nicely sums up the latest major development in games streaming and the console gaming industry. “ Sony and (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that...

‘Hard Drive Share’ As A Strategic Weapon For Console Publishers (Until Streaming Kicks Off)

Blog post by Karol Severin

2 Nov 2018

console games strategy

game developers

As you could tell from the social media frenzy about having to delete other games to accommodate the new Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) release, hard drive space is a real issue for many console gamers,...

Can Xbox All Access Help Microsoft Tip The Games Console Market Share In Its Favour?

Blog post by Karol Severin

26 Sep 2018

As you probably know by now, Microsoft launched Xbox All Access in the US. It is a bundle deal offering an Xbox console and a two year access to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live – all this in return for...

Why Sony Can (And Should) Play The Walled Garden Game

Blog post by Karol Severin

15 Jun 2018

The majority of the gaming industry is pro cross-platform gaming and truly sees it as the natural evolution of the industry. Sony, however, is retaining the walled garden model as manifested by the recent...