E3 is just around the corner and gamers worldwide are anticipating what big revelations we have in store at one of the largest gaming events of the year. The team behind Xbox are equally excited to share what they've got lined up, while promising a "fantastic" showcase and thanking fans for a record-setting start to the year.

"Today, we’re witnessing a record-setting number of players, playing at record levels, and engaging in new ways," opened up Microsoft when reflecting on the road so far. "Xbox Live players are up 13 percent and Xbox One sales are up 15 percent over the same period last year, but that’s not all. We’ve seen more than 600,000 friendships forged with the Looking For Group feature and there are now more than 1.2 million Clubs on Xbox Live."

They also spoke a little bit about how big titles like Fortnite and Far Cry 5 helped build the community into something stronger, while also boasting the Xbox One X's talents and backwards compatibility:

"We’re seeing tremendous engagement of mega-hits like Fortnite and Far Cry 5, both of which play best in 4K Ultra HD on Xbox One X, joining the more than 200 games that now feature Xbox One X enhancements. But we’re also seeing fantastic engagement with Xbox One console exclusives like Sea of Thieves, the fastest-selling Microsoft Studios new IP of this console generation, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, whose new desert-themed map is now available to play on a dedicated test server ahead of its launch in Xbox Game Preview later in May. We also reached a couple milestones recently with players having enjoyed over 4 billion hours on games released through our ID@Xbox program and nearly 1 billion hours on games in our Xbox One Backward Compatibility library."

The Xbox Game Pass has also been a huge hit as the subscription service continues to grow and offer hit titles for free, "With over 100 great games available for one low monthly price and new games added every month, including new games from Microsoft Studios the same day as their global release, Xbox Game Pass is all about introducing you to new genres, franchises, and games."

"It’s been incredible," they added, "to see the growth in the service and the growth of engagement in franchises made available in Xbox Game Pass. We’re next looking forward to bringing State of Decay 2 to Xbox Game Pass members on May 22nd, the same day as its global release, as we continue to work to deliver the ultimate gaming membership for our fans"

The Microsoft crew promise big plans for E3, sharing that it will be the biggest year yet for the brand and gamers will be very excited to see what's in store!

Posted: May 05, 2018 9:15 am
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/05/04/xbox-record-setting-numbers-e3-plans/