wraggster
November 13th, 2014, 00:04
As we reported (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-10-27-xbox-one-will-be-cheaper-than-ps4-this-christmas) at the end of October, Microsoft made a move to gain a price advantage on Sony this holiday season, knocking $50 off the Xbox One and various bundles as of November 2. Xbox One bundles with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Assassin's Creed: Unity and Sunset Overdrive have been available for $349 without Kinect, which is $50 cheaper than a PlayStation 4 with no games. For cost conscious consumers, that's an offer that's hard to refuse and Microsoft noted today that it's already seen a big uptick in sales as a result.
"The response to this wave of blockbuster game releases and new bundles has been amazing, and sales have skyrocketed since the new price took effect on Nov. 2. Compared to the previous week, Xbox One sales in the US have more than tripled, which is exciting as more and more friends will be playing together this holiday," said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Business, Xbox. "As we head into the busy holiday season Xbox One led generation 8 console sales in the US for the past two weeks. Shortly, we will have sold in to retailers more than 10 million Xbox One consoles.
"Almost one year ago, I had the honor of shaking hands with hundreds of fans at our Xbox One launch in New York City. We have listened to your feedback and have worked hard to deliver hundreds of improvements to Xbox One, celebrated the launch of amazing new games, and sought ways to offer more value for you. As we reach this milestone, I remain awestruck by your passion for games and your support of Xbox One. Thank you for an incredible year."
Microsoft recently launched Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which has seengenerally favorable reviews (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-11-10-critical-consensus-the-master-chief-collection-is-a-slice-of-gamings-history). And with top-rated games like Sunset Overdrive bundled with cheaper hardware, Microsoft is hoping to gain an edge in holiday sales. It remains to be seen if the $349 price will be limited to a holiday promotion or if it will stick. If Microsoft wants to catch Sony in the console race, the latter may be the better choice.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-11-12-xbox-one-sales-triple-following-usd349-promotion
"The response to this wave of blockbuster game releases and new bundles has been amazing, and sales have skyrocketed since the new price took effect on Nov. 2. Compared to the previous week, Xbox One sales in the US have more than tripled, which is exciting as more and more friends will be playing together this holiday," said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Business, Xbox. "As we head into the busy holiday season Xbox One led generation 8 console sales in the US for the past two weeks. Shortly, we will have sold in to retailers more than 10 million Xbox One consoles.
"Almost one year ago, I had the honor of shaking hands with hundreds of fans at our Xbox One launch in New York City. We have listened to your feedback and have worked hard to deliver hundreds of improvements to Xbox One, celebrated the launch of amazing new games, and sought ways to offer more value for you. As we reach this milestone, I remain awestruck by your passion for games and your support of Xbox One. Thank you for an incredible year."
Microsoft recently launched Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which has seengenerally favorable reviews (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-11-10-critical-consensus-the-master-chief-collection-is-a-slice-of-gamings-history). And with top-rated games like Sunset Overdrive bundled with cheaper hardware, Microsoft is hoping to gain an edge in holiday sales. It remains to be seen if the $349 price will be limited to a holiday promotion or if it will stick. If Microsoft wants to catch Sony in the console race, the latter may be the better choice.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-11-12-xbox-one-sales-triple-following-usd349-promotion