Xbox Arrives In Europe

 Unmatched System Power and Game Portfolio Wow European Gamers

LONDON, 14th March 2002 – Xbox, the video game system from Microsoft, arrived in Europe today amidst green light shows, celebratory events and long queues of gamers waiting to get their hands on the future of gaming. 

With the best graphics and audio power of any gaming system and the strongest portfolio of games ever at a console launch, Xbox invites European gamers to experience the most explosive, engrossing and intense gaming experiences on the planet.

 “The future of gaming in Europe starts today, and it starts with Xbox,” said Sandy Duncan, VP, Xbox Europe. “Gamers in Europe have been watching, waiting, playing demo pods, and looking forward to 14th March for months, and finally Xbox has arrived.  The power of Xbox coupled with its critically-acclaimed games line-up means that gamers are in for some extraordinary gaming experiences – and we expect there will be a lot of late nights as gamers get introduced to their new Xbox systems.

 “Together with our partners, we created Xbox to change the way people think about video games,” said Duncan. “Today’s launch of Xbox is a giant step toward achieving that goal. Over the next few weeks and months, you can expect new Xbox games that further demonstrate the power of Xbox through unprecedented levels of realism, gameplay and entertainment.”

 The Best European Launch Line-Up Ever

 Graphics matter, but it’s great gameplay that excites gamers, and Xbox has the strongest games portfolio for a European video game system ever.  Games in the Xbox launch portfolio have won critical acclaim around the world,” said Duncan.  “Halo, for instance, is one of only a handful of games ever to garner 10 out of 10 scores in Edge, the influential European games magazine.  And the Xbox editions of multi-platform titles such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Max Payne and FIFA are widely regarded in the media to be the definitive versions.  This shows that the power of Xbox can spawn new franchises and genres as well as breathing new life into existing franchises because of the incredible graphics horsepower and features such as the in-built hard drive”

 The launch day line-up includes US best-sellers Halo, Project Gotham Racing and Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee (all from Microsoft Games Studios) as well as 3rd-party titles such as Dead or Alive 3 (Tecmo), Jet Set Radio Future (Sega) and Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (Activision), all of which are exclusive to the platform.

 A total of 20 games are available today and a total of 60 titles will be available by the end of June.  Many more are in development from some of the world’s best game publishers and developers, including Electronic Arts, Infogrames, Sega, Codemasters, Eidos, UbiSoft, Activision and Konami.

"The Xbox is a welcome addition to European video game culture,” said David Gardner, European General Manager and Senior Vice President, Electronic Arts.  “It's a terrific system that offers new levels of graphics, gameplay and fun - I've already played a few titles on the Xbox and I think European gamers are going to love this new video game system.

 “EA games like FIFA World Cup 2002 look and play great on the Xbox,” said Gardner.  “In the next few months you'll see several more titles from EA including NBA Live and NHL 2002 and, later in the year, James Bond, Agent Under Fire."

 “Microsoft has been a great partner to work with,” said Scott Dodkins, Senior Vice President, Activision European Publishing.  “They have listened to third-party publishers and kept us well informed along the way, allowing us to plan early to bring great games to Xbox.

 “With Xbox we have the opportunity to start new franchises such as Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions and extend our proven franchises starting with Tony Hawk and Obi Wan from the Star Wars series by Lucas Arts.  The games look and sound better on Xbox and this can only be good for everyone.”

 Xbox Online: The Future of Gaming

 The launch excitement surrounding Xbox only scratches the surface of what the system can deliver.  Looking to the future, Xbox gamers in Europe will enter an online theme park full of thrilling rides beyond their imaginations. The built-in hard drive coupled with the built-in Ethernet port for broadband connectivity will connect living rooms to create global playgrounds. The online capability of Xbox will allow players to access new levels, new characters and new games, all from the comforts of their sitting room. No other system has this built-in capability.

 “With a built-in hard drive and Ethernet port, Xbox is the only system designed from the ground up to deliver a complete online gaming experience,” said Duncan.

 Excitement Heating Up at Retail

 Retailers feel the rumblings of an imminent Xbox arrival, and they are excited too.  Around Europe, many retailers opened at midnight to accommodate the hordes of gamers clamouring for Xbox.  “This is undoubtedly a key event, if not THE key event, in games retailing,” said Martyn Gibbs, Head of Games, HMV UK and Ireland.  “An excellent launch line-up of games and a good release schedule over the coming months means that gamers can be confident that they will not have to wait months between quality games. Hardware is promised on a weekly basis but these units won't stay on the shelves long as the clamour for Microsoft's heavyweight entrant to the games market grows at an unprecedented rate.”

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