There's not been the most positive press surrounding Xbox's future in the console hardware business this year, but according to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, the amount of users playing on Xbox console platforms right now is historic:
"What I can say sitting here today, from our decisions on cloud, on Game Pass, on console, right now we have more Xbox console users than we've ever had in the history of Xbox."
This line stems from a question during 'IGN Live' about Xbox's recent "$70 billion dollar acquisition" and Phil discussing how the business had made all sorts of decisions in the past to grow (such as porting titles to other platforms), which sometimes came under fire. Ultimately though, it's paid off:
"...We're up double digits, every year over the last five years, on game sales on Xbox consoles"
Although user numbers and game sales are at a record high on Xbox, Phil insists it's not all about "who sold a console today", falling back on Xbox's mission to make gaming more accessible and his quote "when everybody plays, we all win":
"From early on, we would say when everybody plays, we all win. If you sit back and try and frame this industry through the lens of who sold a console today, Xbox is doing something different. It’s about creators and players and amazing games coming to them."
Xbox is also continuing with initiatives like releasing games on other platforms (such as DOOM: The Dark Ages) which was today confirmed for Sony's PlayStation 5 console.