Everything has a selling price, and in Xbox's case, Microsoft's gaming division could be worth at least $100 billion. That's according to a new report, which claims that several private equity firms mulled purchasing Xbox and were willing to go as high as $150 billion for Microsoft's gaming hub--enough cash to buy 15 billion rubber duckies, 50 billion McDouble Cheeseburgers, or 100 billion Costco Hot Dog combos. Or if you felt like wasting that cash, you could easily fund the production of 500 more Avatar movies from James Cameron.
According to The Information, the companies involved were merely exploring options and didn't start any negotiations with Microsoft. Fortune recently claimed that several people inside the company believe that it is being prepped for an "eventual sale, spin-off, outside investment, or conversion into a subsidiary," and that a high-level presentation exploring potential scenarios was made after Asha Sharma took over as Xbox CEO.
It's also worth noting that Sharma has in the past dismissed claims that Xbox could be sold. "Xbox is not for sale," Sharma said. "We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model, and everything needed to achieve that."
Putting enough zeroes on the end of a paycheck could persuade Microsoft to get out of the gaming business. That corporate entity isn't made of stone!
The next Xbox console could cost as much as $1,800, depending on whether Microsoft decides to subsidize some of the cost. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella commented earlier this year that Xbox needs to start pulling its financial weight, as its accountability margins amount to only a 3% profit--not a good look, considering Microsoft has invested billions in its gaming ambitions over 25 years.
Since Sharma took over Xbox operations, the company has undergone a "reset" designed to get it back on track and profitable once again. Unfortunately, that has meant sweeping layoffs across multiple departments--with more to come--and the departure of several studios from the Xbox portfolio. Sharma has spoken about Microsoft's ambitious goal to substantially expand Xbox's reach across the world, and recently, new arms of the company have been set up. Xbox XP will be largely focused on non-gaming Xbox initiatives like its multimedia projects, while Xbox Labs appears to be an answer to the rise of vibe-coded web browser ports that have popping up lately.