‘It’s good competition which is good for everybody’
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has acknowledged that the company must “do better in Europe.”
In an interview in the latest Edge Magazine, Spencer said, “when I look globally, mainland Europe is definitely an area we want to focus on.”
I’m excited about going to Gamescom at the beginning of August, having another press show where we’re able to show games that we didn’t show [at E3]. So you’re going to see brand new games, as well as obviously some repeats, but you’re going to see Scalebound, Crackdown, Quantum Break from my friends at Remedy. From a product standpoint, I like where we are. I think the team’s doing a great job with the games and building a platform for gamers.
“Sony does a really good job in those markets, and they have a long history – long before we were in this business – and they’ve earned the success that they get in those regions,” Spencer added. “I watch what they do because they do a lot of good things, and I want to make sure that we’re being smart about succeeding. And there are places like Latin America where Xbox does really well, and in the US the numbers keep going back and forth – it’s good competition which I think is good for everybody.”
Content-wise, though, I’m excited about this Forza, I’m excited about Tomb Raider, I’m excited about the new Rare game, Sea Of Thieves… And I think we can do more artful games that I have found resonate more. That’s definitely a focus for us.
Yesterday, SCEE president Jim Ryan said that the PlayStation 4 had a “very significant” share of the console marketplace” – at least 70 percent, and “frequently greater than 90 percent” – within continental Europe.
Xbox is kicking off Gamescom festivities one day early with a press briefing on August 4 (4 pm CEST/10 am Eastern). On August 4 and 5, it’ll also hold a Fanfest, a community event where fans can play upcoming titles without going to the full Gamescom show.
Microsoft: We need to do better in Europe [VG247]
