Yesterday, a report from Ampere Analysis revealed that Electronic Arts, not Activision Blizzard, is the leading publisher of video games on Xbox and PlayStation, echoing a claim made by Microsoft to regulators. In the same report, it was revealed that playstation players giving Microsoft an edge over Sony when it comes to monthly active users (MAUs).
How PlayStation Gamers Power Microsoft’s MAUs
Surprisingly, although there are far fewer consoles on the market, Microsoft has more MAUs than Sony. According to Ampere Analysis, between September 2022 and February 2023, Sony only passed Microsoft once and that’s when God of War Ragnarok was released.
In a statement to IGN, analyst Piers Harding-Rolls revealed that this is because a large number of PlayStation gamers play Microsoft-owned Minecraft. Apparently 35% of users playing Microsoft games (which includes purchased properties) are actually on PlayStation.
Harding-Rolls further explained the implications of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to him, the merger, which will bring Activision Blizzard under the Microsoft name in the future, will challenge EA’s lead as the top console publisher, with Microsoft “potentially having twice the stake of Sony”.
Many have suggested that Sony buy EA in the inevitable consolidation wars that followed the Activision Blizzard merger.