Microsoft "Investing to Win" in Europe

[Logan Frederick]

Microsoft "Investing to Win" in Europe

David Gosen, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Live and Microsoft, has plotted the company's path to Xbox 360 success in Europe.

"Xbox is going to be the platform that wins this hardware generation," declared Gosen on stage at the Gamefest UK conference. His remarks reflect his words from a month ago, when he warned that Microsoft would soon be spending large sums to compete with Sony in Europe, where the PlayStation 3's brand helped it pass Xbox 360 lifetime sales [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/84338] in May, despite Microsoft's year head-start.

Gosen stated, "We're going to invest in more ways than we have before." He listed deals to provide exclusive content for the Xbox Live Marketplace and financial support for third parties in the region.

"We've got two new developer account managers dedicated to Europe, which we've never had before, to really work hand in glove with developers across the whole suite of different size and shape companies in the territory today," he continued.

On backing local third party studios, Microsoft believes that is has "an obligation to all of us to have a good talent strategy."

"We have to grow new talent in the industry. [Our investment and the upcoming Community Games channel] is us supporting the industry, as we know you have to bring talent through," explained Gosen. "It's really difficult today for new developers to break through and for them to get people to look at their games, and it's really difficult once someone has looked at a game to give them access to sell that game on."

Gosen confidently concluded, "We will outsell the PlayStation 3."

Source: Develop Magazine [http://www.developmag.com/news/30293/Microsoft-Were-investing-to-win-in-Europe]

Permalink

 

[Jack Sheehan]

Microsoft: Stop treating us like shit and you wont have any need for lovely press announcements.

 

[stompy]

Microsoft: Stop treating us like shit and you wont have any need for lovely press announcements.

Why thank you, that's what I wanted to say.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Bah. Companies and their silly wars.

People are going to play what they want to play.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

"Xbox is going to be the platform that wins this hardware generation,"

I will believe that when they do these two things.

Actually make a console that doesn't decide to go on "vacation" every three months.

And when you do that piss off into the mountains until you learn how to treat us like people. Not walking wallets

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Ya know it wouldn't be so bad if they were just pissing on us, but when they tell you it's raining it gets annoying.

 

[Radelaide]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. Microsoft simply said that they were going to invest money into an area they were failing in. It's just being competitive.

 

[Andy Chalk]

The trouble is that the current generation of consoles has been around long enough that we're well past the time for talking. The 360 and Xbox Live are well-established and familiar to gamers, so I think a lot of the impatience arises from a desire for less talk and more action. By now it should be assumed that Microsoft is going to "invest to win," so great, fantastic - how about actually doing it instead of just yammering on about it?

 

[xMacx]

Playstation has traditionally dominated Europe; this is significant in it's a large play for one of the places in the world that has traditionally been dominated by PS2's.

I agree games country of origin probably doesn't affect it's reception - but games built with a specific culture or group of people certainly do.

 

[xMacx]

I would argue that several of the titles shown at E3 this year were developed with Euro markets in mind as much (or more) than the US.

The trouble is that the current generation of consoles has been around long enough that we're well past the time for talking. The 360 and Xbox Live are well-established and familiar to gamers, so I think a lot of the impatience arises from a desire for less talk and more action. By now it should be assumed that Microsoft is going to "invest to win," so great, fantastic - how about actually doing it instead of just yammering on about it?

I think anyone at MS would agree with you. To be fair, this is taken from an interview, not like they held a press conference for it. Someone asked him a question about it.

I would argue that several of the titles shown at E3 this year were developed with Euro markets in mind first.

 

[xMacx]

Playstation has traditionally dominated Europe; this is significant in it's a large play for one of the places in the world that has traditionally been dominated by PS2's.

I agree games country of origin probably doesn't affect it's reception - but games built with a specific culture or group of people certainly do.

True, but we live in the 21st century - culture is not restricted by borders anymore.

Oversimplifying the problem - sounds good, but not actually applicable.

For example: Try talking about the intricacies of Australian rules football outside of Australia. Then consider having a gaming company develop it.

Would you want someone from New York trying to understand the game and develop a version that adequately simulates the real thing in a short period of time, or would you rather have an equally skilled company from New Zealand developing the title?

Now imagine you're the publisher funding the development house. Home grown talent or imported talent? No brainer. Culture has boundaries; they can just be kind of fuzzy from time to time.

Check this out on cultural geography before tossing out ideas like "Culture has no borders."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_geography

And google cultural boundary/cultural boundaries for the application of cultural boundaries in science and sociology. It's contentious, to be sure, but I'd say most critics wouldn't agree with your sentiment.

 

[xMacx]

The trouble is that the current generation of consoles has been around long enough that we're well past the time for talking. The 360 and Xbox Live are well-established and familiar to gamers, so I think a lot of the impatience arises from a desire for less talk and more action. By now it should be assumed that Microsoft is going to "invest to win," so great, fantastic - how about actually doing it instead of just yammering on about it?

I think anyone at MS would agree with you. To be fair, this is taken from an interview, not like they held a press conference for it. Someone asked him a question about it.

I would argue that several of the titles shown at E3 this year were developed with Euro markets in mind first.

....they didn't show anything new at e3 this year. They showed shared titles and more content about Fable II and Gears 2 (Unless you're talking about those half assed ripoffs of Sonys social games....).

Who said anything about them showing anything new? That was you, not me. I just said they showed titles developed for a Euro audience in response to the comment about doing something, not talking about it.

 

[xMacx]

Okay, what titles did they show that seem developed specifically for a Euro Audience.

The ones you said were second rate ripoffs .

Seriously, you should reply to the first one, Mr. "Culture has no boundaries." That's a much more interesting topic for hijacking a thread.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Exclsuive content, OH, you mean like america and canada get from the rest of the world?

Microsofts priority list:

1>America
2>Cananda
3>Europe<----me
4>Australia

 

[xMacx]

We like you more than Canada