The massive success of Forza Horizon 5 proves that Microsoft’s strategy is clever – Numerama

Microsoft is proud to announce that Forza Horizon 5 is already a huge success. The racing game validates a strategy that is finally bearing fruit.

Boss of the Xbox branch, Phil Spencer is not one to boast. He nevertheless wanted to congratulate himself on the more than successful launch of Forza Horizon 5, hair-raising racing game available on November 9 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and the cloud (via subscription Xbox Game Pass). The numbers speak for themselves: according to his tweet published on November 10, more than 4.5 million players have already left to discover Mexico aboard various and varied cars. One year to the day after the release of the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X.

” For years, we have invested in the Xbox brand so that more people can play. With more than 4.5 million players on PC, cloud and console, Forza Horizon 5 proves that promise is coming true. This is the best launch for an Xbox Game Studios game Phil Spencer emphasizes. Forza Horizon 5 Outperforms its predecessor, with a peak of fans connected at the same time three times higher.

Forza Horizon 5 validates Microsoft’s efforts

The craze for Forza Horizon 5 it’s nothing new. From the early paid access (offered on November 5), we were able to see the beginnings of a real success. As indicated Video Games Chronicle in an article published on November 6, they were already nearly a million playing Forza Horizon 5 before its launch. However, you had to acquire the Premium Edition (€ 99.99) or the Premium Extensions Bundle (€ 49.99) to play a few days in advance. This financial barrier has obviously not been a problem for the most impatient.

This performance is also exported to Steam, where Forza Horizon 5 is already one of the best sellers. In terms of players connected at the same time, it is already doing better than Forza Horizon 4 : more 70,000 people, versus 40,000 according to statistics stored by Steam Charts. Another proof that the hype is real: one of the first suggestions from Google when you type the name of the game in the search bar is: ‘Forza Horizon 5 PS5’ – which will never happen. Many people want to try their hand at the title developed by Playground Games, which combines incredible graphics and ultra accessible gameplay (not to mention the many options to allow people with disabilities to benefit from them). On the Metacritic aggregator, Forza Horizon 5 cumulates a score of 92 out of 100.

A few months ago, we made fun of Microsoft when it announced it wanted to aim the 2 billion users. Of course, 4.5 million is not 2 billion, but today we have to recognize that its strategy, based on openness, is paying off. If we do not know the share of Xbox Game Pass subscribers in these 4.5 million people conquered, there is no doubt that the gaming service of the Redmond firm must weigh heavily in the accounts. Especially since it allows players PlayStation – and Nintendo – to taste Forza Horizon 5 thanks to cloud gaming (with the Ultimate formula, which allows you to play on a smartphone, tablet or PC). This is also the great strength of Microsoft’s gaming proposition: there is no longer a need for an Xbox console to play Xbox games.

We now wonder if the multinational will transform the test with Halo Infinite, slated for release on December 8.

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