If you’re a fan of Xbox Cloud Gaming, you are definitely not alone.
As reported by The Verge, on Microsoft’s first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming, the company’s cloud gaming service, has officially crossed 20 million users.
While that may not sound like a large number, it does represent 100% growth in users over the last year. According to the report, Microsoft only had 10 million Xbox Cloud Gaming users in 2021, so the service has doubled its growth in 2022. Maybe bringing Fortnite to the platform ramped things up.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is Microsoft’s cloud gaming service that enables you to access a growing library of games without the need for an Xbox console. In addition to streaming games to your phone, tablet, or computer, you can even stream games to televisions. Samsung and Xbox recently announced a partnership where 2022 models would have Xbox Cloud Gaming built in. The company said that it plans to expand to more television brands but has not yet said which brands will be supported or when support will launch.
In order to access Xbox Cloud Gaming, you do need to have a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate, the $14.99 per month tier which includes Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Live.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is starting to stand alone
The service currently competes with other cloud gaming services like Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now, and, until earlier this month, Google Stadia. Unfortunately, Google announced that it would be shutting down Stadia and has already begun the process of refunding select customers who purchased games and hardware for the service. It was a move that many saw coming but everyone was still sad to see actually happen.
With the death of Stadia, Microsoft is in a perfect position to become the default destination for cloud gaming for the foreseeable future.