Microsoft Gaming
Microsoft Gaming is an American multinational video game and digital entertainment division of Microsoft. Microsoft Gaming produces the Xbox brand of video game consoles and services, in addition to overseeing the production, game development, publishing, research and development, sales (hardware, software, and services) of Xbox and the division's three subsidiaries (publishers) worldwide. The three subsidiaries consist of: Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks acts as publisher), and Activision Blizzard (publishing duties split between Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King), each publish games under their own respective labels. CEO Phil Spencer, who has concurrently overseen the Xbox brand since 2014, is the leader of the division.
Microsoft Gaming's headquarters on West Campus | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 18, 2022 |
| Founder | Phil Spencer |
| Headquarters | One Microsoft Way, , US |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | See § Products |
| Brands | Xbox |
| Services | |
Number of employees | 20,100 (2024) |
| Parent | Microsoft |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
Prior to 2022, Microsoft had several areas of video game-related product lines, including Xbox hardware, Xbox operations, and game development studios. Microsoft Gaming was created in 2022 with the announcement of Microsoft's plans to acquire Activision Blizzard to unify all of Microsoft's gaming groups within a single division. With the completion of the Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023, Microsoft Gaming makes Microsoft the third-largest gaming company globally by revenue and the largest video game employer in the world.
Intellectual property owned by the company include some of the most widely popular and best-selling and highest-grossing media franchises of all time, including Call of Duty, Minecraft, Halo, Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls, and Candy Crush.