Xbox Blows Away the Opposition

Xbox

4 December 2003, Sydney – According to industry analysts GfK Marketing Australia, Xbox Live kits have outsold its competitor’s online offering after their respective first full month of sales.

Launched on October 8, Xbox Live was the first online console gaming arena available to Australians and has so far proven to be the most popular choice among consumers.

To date, actual unit sales of the Xbox Live Kit have exceeded its competitor’s offering, and when compared per capita based on cumulative console sales, the uptake of the Xbox Live service is more than double. “As the statistics show, Xbox gamers are eagerly embracing this new technology because the Live service makes gaming more sociable than ever before, as you’re communicating in real-time,” says Xbox regional manager, David McLean.

Xbox Live offers a raft of unique features to give consumers an unprecedented online gaming experience. Gamers can compete against the rest of the world, meet with friends and talk in real time. From being able to pick up your Xbox messages through your PC or mobile, through to only needing to sign up once with your individual GamerTag, Xbox Live has been designed with consumer needs in mind. Xbox has also outshone its competitors in terms of its breadth of games on offer. At launch there were over 20 Live enabled games, and 50 are scheduled by Christmas.

According to Xbox, consumer demand in the Australian market is indicative of a strong worldwide uptake of the Live service. “The Xbox Live community is now well over half a million strong globally and a recent survey found 96 percent of subscribers would recommend the service to a friend*,” says McLean.

Major national retailers say consumer demand for the service has been strong. “Demand for Xbox Live starter packs has been considerable,” says Steve Wilson, managing director Electronics Boutique Australia. “We haven’t been able to keep boxes on the shelves and are already experiencing increased demand for Xbox Live enabled games.”

* US Xbox Live Customer Satisfaction Survey, (northern hemisphere summer 2003)