Microsoft: We Are Investing To Win In Europe

[Dodece]

When the generation began it was explained to me by many European gamers that Europe was a subservient bitch to Sony. I suspect in part Sony viewed the European market in much the same way. That is why Europe was made to wait six months, and were then given a more expensive machine that had been gutted. Remember in comparison Japan and even North America got real loving from Sony.

Since then Nintendo has bent Europe over backwards on the table and had their way with it. Meanwhile mighty Sony spent much of last year in a close quarters knife fight with Microsoft. Sony still isn't number one, and a twenty three percent weekly margin with these low sales is the kind of lead that can evaporate in short order. In other words if Sony is ahead in Europe it is most certainly not by very much, and most certainly Sony is not some god like entity that cannot be overcome.

I never believed that Europeans were so stupid to only be swayed by brand name alone no matter what others told me, and you know what I was right. Nintendo proved me right. Sony spending over a year catching up to Microsoft in Europe has proven me right two. Does name brand matter yes is it a number one concern no. Europeans like gamers everywhere want the better product. Microsoft just needs to ensure they have a far better product.

The best way for them to do that in Europe is to cater to the markets wants and desires, and whom better to see to that then the local developers. They should be able to placate their fellow Europeans, and if not well the game industry in Europe is going to be in dire straights. Seems like a good strategy to me, but I am wondering is he talking of future plans, or plans that have been in motion for some time. I think I have seen perhaps a dozen decent looking games coming out of European developers that have yet to find themselves a publisher, and it would be good to see Microsoft taking up that slack since the large third party developers in Europe do not seem to be doing that.