6 ms·

They do, but Xbox isn't considered a large enough market to be considered a gatekeeper affected by the DMA. None of the major console makers are. The platform

They do, but Xbox isn't considered a large enough market to be considered a gatekeeper affected by the DMA. None of the major console makers are. The platform must have any of the following to be a DMA gatekeeper: * Market capitalization of at least €75 billion. * More than €7.5 billion turnover from EEA residents. * At least 45 million customers in EEA. * At least 4.5 million business customers in EEA. Once any of those criteria are met for 3 years, they qualify as a Gatekeeper. While the gaming market is massive, any individual console platform still sits pretty comfortably below those criteria. You can find the customer number by googling around a bit - Xbox only has around 3 million active customers if I'm not mistaken (counted by Xbox Live accounts that were active in the past year). A platform truly needs to be collosal to be considered a Gatekeeper. This law is specifically for the large platforms, not small fry.

InsomniacL 3y ago
> Xbox only has around 3 million active customers This seems very low given: > As of 2022, Microsoft announced around 120 million monthly active users (MAUs).
- noirscape 3y ago
  Mind that Xbox is much smaller outside the US and the UK compared to the other console makers. From the top of my head, the percentage counts for Europe in console market share are around 50/40/10 (Nintendo/Sony/Xbox). So yes, they probably have 120 million MAUs globally, but the overwhelming majority of those will be coming from the US, where Xbox controls about half the console market. (Just for completeness sake: Xbox has almost no presence in Asia, South America or Africa - their failures in Asia are well documented and Xbox does no advertising whatsoever in South America whilst the African gaming market isn't large enough to be worth considering since there are other priorities there). And of course, those users aren't considered for EU legislation since the US isn't part of the EEA.
  - nottorp 3y ago
    Interesting enough, back in the ps3/ps4 days everyone in my corner of Eastern Europe seemed to have gone for an xbox (and maybe even an xbox 360). In the past few years, the xboxes were always in stock while people were joining waiting lists and lotteries * for the PS5. * One large electronics chain actually had a lottery for the PS5 preorders at launch, because they weren't getting enough to cover what was already paid for! Some lucky people got a PS5 the rest got their money back :)
    - bombcar 3y ago
      Every generation has the "most piracy friendly console" and that one often does quite well, for that and other reasons. The Xbox was king there for awhile.
      - nottorp 3y ago
        That too. I guess people have got used to paying for games now and are picking the console based on exclusives/general experience. In my mind the xbox is for dudebro shooters and the playstation is for original, creative games. Things may have changed from the original xbox but it's too late for me.
        bombcar 3y ago
        Halo and XBMC really shaped (at least) my perception of the consoles even to this day; but I got an Xbox X because it plays blu-ray and was in stock. Later I learned the PS5 can't even play CDs so maybe I dodged a tiny bullet. Of course, most of the actual gaming happens on the Switch, but if it's cross-platform I'll probably get it on the Xbox (Hogwarts, for example).
        nottorp 3y ago
        > Halo and XBMC really shaped (at least) my perception of the consoles even to this day; but I got an Xbox X because it plays blu-ray and was in stock. Sorry. I played the windows port of the first Halo until some level with a jeep. I got lost in it, didn't know where to go, and I abandoned it. I kinda weaned myself off shooters (except Serious Sam) about then, or with some return to castle wolfenstein game which i found about as boring. And that was even before cover based shooters... As for XBMC... I don't like having a noisy power hungry box on when I watch a movie. Had different solutions, right now using a Chromecast. > Of course, most of the actual gaming happens on the Switch It's interesting from the outside how Nintendo has captured the minds of gamers everywhere where they grew up with those gameboys and NESes... Me, I grew up with ZX Spectrum clones that were 'just a computer'. Then I got different computers. Fine. Not really a fan of a platform.
- snowpid 3y ago
  Xbox is rather unimportant in the EU. https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456571/ps5-vs-xbox-series-xs-vs-switch-2023-europe-sales-comparison-charts-through-february/ https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456571/ps5-vs-xbox-series-x...
- tyfon 3y ago
  This is not really Xbox, but also Minecraft, Roblox, windows game pass etc, and it is for the whole world. Xbox the console is almost non existent among users and in stores here in Europe, it's all Nintendo and PlayStation
- pera 3y ago
  I believe the threshold for DMA is 45m MAU inside the EU.
ryandrake 3y ago
I wonder if the monetary values will be regularly adjusted for inflation. If not, then it’s only a matter of time, waiting for money to be devalued and then the platforms qualify.

InsomniacL 3y ago

> Xbox only has around 3 million active customers This seems very low given: > As of 2022, Microsoft announced around 120 million monthly active users (MAUs).

noirscape 3y ago
Mind that Xbox is much smaller outside the US and the UK compared to the other console makers. From the top of my head, the percentage counts for Europe in console market share are around 50/40/10 (Nintendo/Sony/Xbox). So yes, they probably have 120 million MAUs globally, but the overwhelming majority of those will be coming from the US, where Xbox controls about half the console market. (Just for completeness sake: Xbox has almost no presence in Asia, South America or Africa - their failures in Asia are well documented and Xbox does no advertising whatsoever in South America whilst the African gaming market isn't large enough to be worth considering since there are other priorities there). And of course, those users aren't considered for EU legislation since the US isn't part of the EEA.
- nottorp 3y ago
  Interesting enough, back in the ps3/ps4 days everyone in my corner of Eastern Europe seemed to have gone for an xbox (and maybe even an xbox 360). In the past few years, the xboxes were always in stock while people were joining waiting lists and lotteries * for the PS5. * One large electronics chain actually had a lottery for the PS5 preorders at launch, because they weren't getting enough to cover what was already paid for! Some lucky people got a PS5 the rest got their money back :)
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Every generation has the "most piracy friendly console" and that one often does quite well, for that and other reasons. The Xbox was king there for awhile.
    - nottorp 3y ago
      That too. I guess people have got used to paying for games now and are picking the console based on exclusives/general experience. In my mind the xbox is for dudebro shooters and the playstation is for original, creative games. Things may have changed from the original xbox but it's too late for me.
      - bombcar 3y ago
        Halo and XBMC really shaped (at least) my perception of the consoles even to this day; but I got an Xbox X because it plays blu-ray and was in stock. Later I learned the PS5 can't even play CDs so maybe I dodged a tiny bullet. Of course, most of the actual gaming happens on the Switch, but if it's cross-platform I'll probably get it on the Xbox (Hogwarts, for example).
        nottorp 3y ago
        > Halo and XBMC really shaped (at least) my perception of the consoles even to this day; but I got an Xbox X because it plays blu-ray and was in stock. Sorry. I played the windows port of the first Halo until some level with a jeep. I got lost in it, didn't know where to go, and I abandoned it. I kinda weaned myself off shooters (except Serious Sam) about then, or with some return to castle wolfenstein game which i found about as boring. And that was even before cover based shooters... As for XBMC... I don't like having a noisy power hungry box on when I watch a movie. Had different solutions, right now using a Chromecast. > Of course, most of the actual gaming happens on the Switch It's interesting from the outside how Nintendo has captured the minds of gamers everywhere where they grew up with those gameboys and NESes... Me, I grew up with ZX Spectrum clones that were 'just a computer'. Then I got different computers. Fine. Not really a fan of a platform.
snowpid 3y ago
Xbox is rather unimportant in the EU. https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456571/ps5-vs-xbox-series-xs-vs-switch-2023-europe-sales-comparison-charts-through-february/ https://www.vgchartz.com/article/456571/ps5-vs-xbox-series-x...
tyfon 3y ago
This is not really Xbox, but also Minecraft, Roblox, windows game pass etc, and it is for the whole world. Xbox the console is almost non existent among users and in stores here in Europe, it's all Nintendo and PlayStation
pera 3y ago
I believe the threshold for DMA is 45m MAU inside the EU.

ryandrake 3y ago

I wonder if the monetary values will be regularly adjusted for inflation. If not, then it’s only a matter of time, waiting for money to be devalued and then the platforms qualify.