The Brazillian regulating body gave the green light for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft (for $68,7 billion), and while doing so it has released what each game subscription service on consoles earned in 2021 worldwide, well, all but Sony’s PlayStation Plus.
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According to the official report released by the Brazillian regulator (tasked with reviewing the acquisition of Activision Blizzard), Xbox Game Pass has earned over $2,9 billion in 2021, the figure doesn’t include PC Game Pass revenue. Microsoft shared its quarterly earnings back in July 2022 and Microsoft Gaming showed a downward trend for the last two quarters, meaning the number may be lower come the end of 2022.
The Brazilian regulator is all about transparency, and this transparency actually allowed why Sony believed Microsoft buying Activision is unfair. The Sony side said Microsoft owning the Call of Duty franchise could hurt their console business and create an unfair marketplace, to which Microsoft replied through official channels, saying it has no plans to make CoD a console-exclusive game and even blamed Sony in paying developers to block content off Game Pass and other subscription services.
Xbox Game Pass generated nearly 18% of Xbox Gaming’s yearly revenue and 23% of Microsoft Gaming’s in 2021. This year saw a noticeable decrease in revenue and the number of subscribers for Game Pass, but Microsoft said it’s not worried about the numbers and it will push new and interesting products to reach a wider audience. Microsoft also launched Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family Plan (in the testing phase and only available in Ireland and Colombia) to tackle the issue.
Saudi Arabia approved the Activision Blizzard acquisition over a month ago, alongside a few other countries, and so did Brazil just recently. However, the UK’s competition regulator CMA has concerns over the acquisition and it’s yet to make a final decision.
Sony PlayStation Plus may have earned up to $4.2 Billion in 2021
The Brazilian regulator’s report includes Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts’ game subscription service revenues on consoles as well, but for Sony, only an approximate percentage is available, rather than set-in-stone data.
Related: Steam accounts can now be linked to PlayStation Network Accounts
The report estimates the $2.9 billion revenue of Xbox Game Pass to be around 30 to 40% of the whole table while suggesting that Nintendo earned about $932 million (10 to 20%) and EA roughly made $356 million (up to 10%).
PlayStation Plus’ revenue makes up approximately 40 to 50% of the whole report, meaning the Japanese gaming giant may have generated up to $4,2 billion via PS Plus, its game subscription service.
