Microsoft recently announced its financial results for Q1’23 (it’s actually Q3 for Microsoft’s financial year but we’ll stick to the calendar year for this report), revealing an overall positive performance compared to the corresponding period in the previous fiscal year. The company posted a revenue of $52.9 billion, a 7% increase (10% in constant currency). Microsoft’s operating income and net income both experienced growth, with a 10% (15% in constant currency) and 9% (14% in constant currency) increase respectively.
| Revenue Category | Constant Currency Impact | Percentage Change Y/Y Constant Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Cloud revenue | 3% | 25% |
| Office Commercial products and cloud services | 4% | 17% |
| Office 365 Commercial | 4% | 18% |
| Office Consumer products and cloud services | 3% | 4% |
| 2% | 10% | |
| Dynamics products and cloud services | 4% | 21% |
| Dynamics 365 | 4% | 29% |
| Server products and cloud services | 4% | 21% |
| Azure and other cloud services | 4% | 31% |
| Windows OEM | 0% | (28)% |
| Windows Commercial products and cloud services | 4% | 18% |
| Xbox content and services | 2% | 5% |
| Search and news advertising excluding TAC | 3% | 13% |
| Devices | 4% | (26)% |
Microsoft’s Gaming Performance
Focusing on Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox content and services revenue experienced a moderate 3% growth (5% in constant currency) in Q1’23. Although not the most significant increase, this performance contributes to the company’s overall solid results. Microsoft’s Q1’23 financial results revealed that the company’s gaming subscriptions revenue reached almost $1 billion within the quarter, with Game Pass being extended to 40 new countries during the same period. Moreover, Microsoft has surpassed 500 million lifetime unique users across its first-party titles, and the company has reached record numbers for a Q3 in terms of monthly active users in gaming.
However, Xbox hardware revenue declined by 30% and 28% in constant currency on a high prior year comparable that benefited from increased console supply. Additionally, Xbox Series X and S console sales were down 10% in Europe during the first quarter of the calendar year 2023. Despite this, Xbox content and services revenue increased slightly due to better-than-expected monetization in third-party and first-party content, as well as growth in Xbox Game Pass.
Looking ahead, CFO Amy Hood expects gaming to grow “in the mid- to high single digits” during Q4, with Xbox content services revenue growth in the low to mid-teens driven by third-party and first-party content as well as Xbox Game Pass. Overall, Microsoft’s Q1’23 financial results indicate that the company’s gaming division continues to perform well despite challenges such as declining hardware revenue and lower console sales in certain regions. The growth in gaming subscriptions revenue and the expansion of Game Pass to new markets suggest that Microsoft is successfully leveraging the popularity of its gaming platform to drive revenue and user engagement.
Microsoft’s Business Unit Performance Metrics
As for other business highlights, revenue in Productivity and Business Processes reached $17.5 billion with an 11% increase (15% in constant currency), Intelligent Cloud generated $22.1 billion with a 16% increase (19% in constant currency), and More Personal Computing saw a revenue of $13.3 billion, decreasing by 9% (7% in constant currency).
| Revenue Category | Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 | Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 | Nine Months Ended March 31, 2023 | Nine Months Ended March 31, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productivity and Business Processes | $17,516 | $15,789 | $50,983 | $46,764 |
| Intelligent Cloud | $22,081 | $18,987 | $63,914 | $54,161 |
| More Personal Computing | $13,260 | $14,584 | $40,829 | $45,480 |
| Total | $52,857 | $49,360 | $155,726 | $146,405 |
| Operating Income | ||||
| Productivity and Business Processes | $8,639 | $7,185 | $25,137 | $22,454 |
| Intelligent Cloud | $9,476 | $8,391 | $27,358 | $24,395 |
| More Personal Computing | $4,237 | $4,788 | $11,774 | $16,000 |
| Total | $22,352 | $20,364 | $64,269 | $62,849 |
In summary, Microsoft demonstrated strong growth in Q1’23, with revenue, operating income, and net income all showing positive results compared to the previous fiscal year. While Xbox content and services revenue only saw moderate growth, the overall performance of Microsoft remains robust, indicating a continued upward trend in the technology market.
