Microsoft: Xbox Live growth led Entertainment division to profit in Q4

A surge in Xbox Live revenue has helped Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division to a profitable Q4 and full year for its fiscal 2013.

The company reported Q4 revenue of $19.9bn for the three-month period ending on June 30th, with total revenue for the year coming at $77.85bn.

The Xbox 360-led Entertainment and Devices division grew 8 per cent to $134m during the quarter, and was up 6 per cent for the full year. The increase was largely credited to a 20 per cent spike in transactional revenue on Xbox Live during the quarter – which includes launch numbers from the out-of-the-blue zombie hit State of Decay.

We continue to see strong demand for our enterprise products and services, with more and more customers making long-term commitments to the Microsoft platform,” COO Kevin Turner said.

The growing adoption of our cloud services, including Office 365, Windows Azure and Dynamics CRM, continues to demonstrate our leadership position in the cloud.”

Following the results, Major Nelson added that Xbox One pre-orders are trending ahead of Xbox 360 pre-orders during the same timeframe – with many outlets already no longer accepting pre-orders for the upcoming console.

It wasn’t all good news for the firm during the quarter: Microsoft’s results included a $900m charge for "Surface RT inventory adjustments," impacting stock by 7 cents per share.

We are working hard to deliver compelling new devices and high value experiences from Microsoft and our partners in the coming months, including new Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs,” CEO Steve Ballmer said.

Our new products and the strategic realignment we announced last week position us well for long-term success, as we focus our energy and resources on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value the most.”