Xbox Live Hits 53 Million Active Users, Up From Last Year

Microsoft today reported earnings for its fiscal Q4 ended June 30. Microsoft is a giant company with many divisions, one of which of course is Xbox, which exists inside of Microsoft's "More Personal Computing" business unit that also covers phones and tablets.

Revenue in this segment was $8.8 billion, which is down 2 percent year-over-year. The decrease was attributed primarily to lower revenue from phones. Gaming revenue specifically jumped 3 percent, or $44 million, to $1.65 billion, Microsoft said, noting that "strength in Xbox software and services offset lower hardware revenue."

Xbox software and services revenue rose 11 percent due to more Xbox Live sales. Xbox hardware revenue was a different story, however, as it dropped 29 percent. The downturn was attributed to lower prices and fewer consoles sold.

Xbox Live had 53 million active users for the period, up from 49 million during the same quarter last year. This figure covers users across console, PC, and phone.

Across all of Microsoft's divisions, the company posted total revenue of $23.3 billion, while profit came in at a massive $6.5 billion. You can read Microsoft's full earnings report here.

The next big hardware release for Microsoft is the Xbox One X, which launches in November.