Microsoft "Investing to Win" in Europe

David Gosen, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Live and Microsoft, has plotted the company's path to Xbox 360 success in Europe.

"Xbox is going to be the platform that wins this hardware generation," declared Gosen on stage at the Gamefest UK conference. His remarks reflect his words from a month ago, when he warned that Microsoft would soon be spending large sums to compete with Sony in Europe, where the PlayStation 3's brand helped it pass Xbox 360 lifetime sales in May, despite Microsoft's year head-start.

Gosen stated, "We're going to invest in more ways than we have before." He listed deals to provide exclusive content for the Xbox Live Marketplace and financial support for third parties in the region.

"We've got two new developer account managers dedicated to Europe, which we've never had before, to really work hand in glove with developers across the whole suite of different size and shape companies in the territory today," he continued.

On backing local third party studios, Microsoft believes that is has "an obligation to all of us to have a good talent strategy."

"We have to grow new talent in the industry. [Our investment and the upcoming Community Games channel] is us supporting the industry, as we know you have to bring talent through," explained Gosen. "It's really difficult today for new developers to break through and for them to get people to look at their games, and it's really difficult once someone has looked at a game to give them access to sell that game on."

Gosen confidently concluded, "We will outsell the PlayStation 3."

Source: Develop Magazine