Skype Boosts Xbox Division at Microsoft

Microsoft has announced worse-than-expected financial results for the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year, but one bright spot in the report has been the increased revenue linked to the Entertainment and Devices Division that also houses its Xbox 360-based operations.

The revenue has grown by more than 20 percent when compared to the same period of 2011 and when the full year is taken into account the division has seen an increase of 8%.

The increase was linked to the fact that Skype was added to the Entertainment and Devices Division.

The Xbox 360 has been a solid revenue creator for the company in the last few years, being one of the home consoles that has seen a better than expected performance during the second half of its life cycle.

Microsoft is supposed to announce its plans for the next generation of home consoles before the end of the year, with an actual date for launch expected for 2013.