Following a strong offering at E3 2016, Microsoft has enjoyed steadily increasing momentum thanks to the Xbox One S and a stream of high-quality exclusives, including Forza Horizon 3, ReCore and Gears of War 4. Anticipation for the holiday line-up, combined with the refreshing design of the Xbox One S seem to be steering the Xbox division in the right direction.
The real test for Xbox One will arrive next month, as it goes head-to-head with the PS4 Pro and those who may have been holding off to go all-in with PSVR.
Microsoft issued the following statement to Venture Beat, throwing in the additional note that Xbox was the only console to see year-on-year growth in the UK and Australia for the month of September.
"Thanks to our fans, Xbox One was the best-selling console in September in the U.S. for the third month in a row according to NPD Group as well as the best-selling console in September in the U.K. according to GfK Entertainment UK. In addition, Xbox One was the only gen-eight console to see year-over-year growth in September in the U.S., Australia, the U.K., and many other countries worldwide. This success was driven by our fans and their support for Xbox One S, which is the only console available this holiday with built-in UHD 4K Blu-ray, 4K video streaming and HDR for gaming and video.""We received an incredible response to Forza Horizon 3, the No. 1 first-party title for September in the U.S., Australia, and U.K. according to NPD Group and GfK Entertainment UK. Global engagement on Xbox Live – the fastest, most reliable gaming network – continues to grow and the number of unique multiplayer users increased 57 percent year-over-year. With the blockbuster launch of Gears of War 4 for Xbox One and Windows 10 this week and the upcoming release of Clubs and Looking for Group on Xbox Live alongside the launches of Dead Rising 4, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dishonored 2, Final Fantasy XV, Titanfall 2, and Watch Dogs 2 in the coming months, Xbox is the best place to game this holiday."
After a tumultuous launch, the Xbox division has made a huge comeback from a difficult position. It does remain to be seen how the console will stack up against Sony's improved PS4 Pro in the NPD's figures. However, with Scorpio on the horizon, I expect Microsoft hopes that many console players who game with raw power in mind may hold off for the next Xbox.
