Wed, May 21, 2008 | 10:44 BST
Microsoft winds down Xbox 360 business in India, says report
According to this MoneyControl India story, Microsoft has withdrawn its Indian marketing budget for Xbox 360 this year and has “withdrawn from several Tier-I cities due to lackluster sales” of the machine.
The piece continued, pulling no punches:
“The console’s last TV commercial, which featured Akshay Kumar and Yuvraj Singh was created in 2006, for the launch of the console business. The company has been facing dismal sales already due to sloppy customer support, high hardware failure, and pirated games. While Microsoft games cost upwards of Rs 2,500, it is easily available in the grey market for Rs 100.”
The story also points out that Mohit Anand, Indian manager of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division, left the company earlier this year, and that the division’s marketing boss, Ashim Mathur, is also now rumoured to be quitting.
Whoops. More through the link.
2 comments
#1
Garth
20/05/08, 10:43 pm
There’s a response to this here:
http://theangrypixel.com/blog/2008/05/20/rumor-curb-stomped-xbox-360-to-stay-put-in-india/
“All I can say is that this is all rubbish.
Microsoft is completely committed to the market and Xbox 360 is doing exceptionally well in the country.
Regards,
Ashim”
#2
Blerk
21/05/08, 8:19 am
How’s Sony doing over there? Bad enough to start planting stories with the Indian media?