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Microsoft UK bosses have suggested that whatever Sony announces next week won’t damage Xbox 360.
Speaking to MCV, Microsoft UK’s senior regional director Jonathan Grimes claimed that “the majority of consumers in the UK won’t know” about the product Sony is set to reveal next week – which many expect will be PlayStation 4 – and that it is important to “remember who is buying [consoles] right now”.
“Whatever gets announced on February 20, the majority of consumers in the UK won’t know,” said Grimes. “They’ll still want to buy the devices out there. So in terms of noise our job will be to ensure that the consumers are going into stores, going online, still see and experience Xbox, rather than get lost in the industry chatter.
“Whatever is announced is important from an industry perspective, but we must remember who is buying right now.”
Grimes comments were backed up by Xbox marketing director Harvey Eagle, who suggested that the firm didn’t know what Sony was planning to announce next week.
“All we know [is] that there is an event planned on February 20,” said Eagle. “So we can only wait and see what is announced.
“We are very happy with our offering at the moment. Our software market share in value was 55 per cent. So we are pretty happy.”
But even with the PlayStation 4’s announcement looming, Grimes suggests that a price cut for Xbox 360 isn’t on the cards.
“We’re comfortable with the position and our market share,” Grimes said when asked about the console’s price. “So there are no plans to address anything.
“The market has changed. We changed it by introducing Xbox LIVE and being able to update Xbox 360. The console that you bought when we launch versus the one today is totally different. And this has enabled us to get the install base we have – an install base that wants to buy games.
“We need to be careful about wishing for constant ‘new’. We should look at how we can benefit from what is already out.”
Source: MCV | Friday February 15 2013 Issue
