wraggster
November 5th, 2012, 20:20
Xbox product marketing exec Matt Barlow boasts about 360's momentum and talks strategy going into this holiday against PS3 and Wii U
Microsoft (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/resources/directory/company/microsoft)microsoft.com (http://www.microsoft.com/)
Following our interview with PlayStation executive John Koller (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-26-sony-on-ps3-its-not-what-you-buy-its-what-youre-buying-into) about the company's holiday positioning, GamesIndustry International got on the phone with Microsoft to see what the competition's game plan is. The Xbox 360 is entering its eighth holiday season now, and the platform and Microsoft's approach have both evolved quite a bit over the years.
As Xbox 360 nears the end of its life, Microsoft not only wants to retain the hardcore gamer with titles like Halo 4 and Forza Horizon, but the company is hoping to capture more and more of the broad base with cheaper bundles, better Kinect titles and the introduction of SmartGlass for a dual-screen experience across games and all sorts of entertainment.
Matt Barlow, general manager of product marketing at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, told us all about how he believes this holiday will shape up for Xbox. Hint: he's super confident.
Q: Xbox 360 has spent 7 years on the market. It has to be a challenge for the marketing team at this point in the lifecycle. How do you get new users during this holiday season and how do you have to approach it differently from when the 360 felt fresh?
Matt Barlow: When I look at that 7 years to the end of the lifecycle here, I'm excited that we're that one console that's been actually defying gravity. I do think we have a lot of help with Kinect coming into that. We built off that strong core base and then brought in that controller free gaming benefit with Kinect. So to your point - how can you position this thing later in the life cycle? - it's actually a neat place that we happen to be. We think we're the one console that's out there that speaks to everybody and delivers their entertainment and makes it more amazing.
And if you look at what we've got, if you're a core gamer, and you haven't stepped over to our box yet, there couldn't be a better time with the games we've got - we just shipped Fable and Forza Horizon and Halo is shipping in a week or so, and then we've got Gears of War coming up the first part of next year and then content for Call of Duty exclusively first on Xbox Live. We're seeing tons of people becoming dual console owners, especially at this stage in the lifecycle if they haven't already jumped into 360. With a starting price of $199, you might as well jump right into our box.
If you're a casual fan, we've got Dance Central 3, Kinect Sports Ultimate, and then Nike+ Kinect Fitness, which is going to be shipping. Great things available for people to play controller free if they are a fan of the Wii or if they're a little intimidated by the controller, we've got something for them. The entertainment offerings that we announced over the past couple of weeks, whether it's Xbox music, movies, or TV, the sports partnerships we've got with NBA, major league baseball, ESPN, on top of the games that we're bringing, is amazing. And then you look at what we're doing across all screens with Xbox SmartGlass, whether it's with Windows 8 PCs or phones, tablets, on top of the TV, being able to have that supplementary experience or flip content back and forth is an amazing thing for people who are looking to get more from that experience.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-11-05-xbox-360-the-only-console-to-defy-gravity-says-microsoft
Microsoft (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/resources/directory/company/microsoft)microsoft.com (http://www.microsoft.com/)
Following our interview with PlayStation executive John Koller (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-26-sony-on-ps3-its-not-what-you-buy-its-what-youre-buying-into) about the company's holiday positioning, GamesIndustry International got on the phone with Microsoft to see what the competition's game plan is. The Xbox 360 is entering its eighth holiday season now, and the platform and Microsoft's approach have both evolved quite a bit over the years.
As Xbox 360 nears the end of its life, Microsoft not only wants to retain the hardcore gamer with titles like Halo 4 and Forza Horizon, but the company is hoping to capture more and more of the broad base with cheaper bundles, better Kinect titles and the introduction of SmartGlass for a dual-screen experience across games and all sorts of entertainment.
Matt Barlow, general manager of product marketing at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, told us all about how he believes this holiday will shape up for Xbox. Hint: he's super confident.
Q: Xbox 360 has spent 7 years on the market. It has to be a challenge for the marketing team at this point in the lifecycle. How do you get new users during this holiday season and how do you have to approach it differently from when the 360 felt fresh?
Matt Barlow: When I look at that 7 years to the end of the lifecycle here, I'm excited that we're that one console that's been actually defying gravity. I do think we have a lot of help with Kinect coming into that. We built off that strong core base and then brought in that controller free gaming benefit with Kinect. So to your point - how can you position this thing later in the life cycle? - it's actually a neat place that we happen to be. We think we're the one console that's out there that speaks to everybody and delivers their entertainment and makes it more amazing.
And if you look at what we've got, if you're a core gamer, and you haven't stepped over to our box yet, there couldn't be a better time with the games we've got - we just shipped Fable and Forza Horizon and Halo is shipping in a week or so, and then we've got Gears of War coming up the first part of next year and then content for Call of Duty exclusively first on Xbox Live. We're seeing tons of people becoming dual console owners, especially at this stage in the lifecycle if they haven't already jumped into 360. With a starting price of $199, you might as well jump right into our box.
If you're a casual fan, we've got Dance Central 3, Kinect Sports Ultimate, and then Nike+ Kinect Fitness, which is going to be shipping. Great things available for people to play controller free if they are a fan of the Wii or if they're a little intimidated by the controller, we've got something for them. The entertainment offerings that we announced over the past couple of weeks, whether it's Xbox music, movies, or TV, the sports partnerships we've got with NBA, major league baseball, ESPN, on top of the games that we're bringing, is amazing. And then you look at what we're doing across all screens with Xbox SmartGlass, whether it's with Windows 8 PCs or phones, tablets, on top of the TV, being able to have that supplementary experience or flip content back and forth is an amazing thing for people who are looking to get more from that experience.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-11-05-xbox-360-the-only-console-to-defy-gravity-says-microsoft