Microsoft said that sales of Xbox 360 consoles have passed the 30m mark globally, with its Xbox LIVE community swelling to more than 20m active members.
The company claims that 2008 was the biggest year in history for Xbox and during 2009 the 360 has remained the best-selling console, up 28% over the previous year.
Growing desire to connect with friends, download movies and extend the life of games has been instrumental behind the growth of Xbox LIVE membership.
US gamers have reportedly spent $14.5 billion on the Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE marketplace has seen nearly one billion downloads. Xbox 360 continues to be the platform for the industry’s top games, generating $5.9 billion in sales to date at US retail for third-party publishers.
Don Mattrick, senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, said: We’ve always been confident that Xbox 360 offers more entertainment value than any other console on the market and these latest numbers show that consumers agree.”
Xbox LIVE reaches 26 countries worldwide and claims to be in more homes than any satellite television provider. Before the end of the year, the number of Xbox LIVE members is expected to surpass the number of subscribers to the largest cable provider.
Reportedly, activity on Xbox LIVE has increased following the launch of the new Xbox Experience in November 2008, recording almost a 136% membership rise.
Xbox 360 blends content, including personal pictures and music, with a unified online social network to create an entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. Xbox LIVE, a gaming and entertainment network, brings friends together, from the same living room or around the globe, to share the entertainment experience.
