Lewis: MS "pretty intolerant of anything that isn’t growth"

Microsoft VP of interactive entertainment, Chris Lewis, has agreed with E&D president Robbie Bach that Kintec is a "mid-life kicker" for the Xbox 360 brand.

Speaking in an interview with VG247 during E3, Lewis said that the firm is pretty intolerant of anything that isn't growth, and with the 360's sales slipping last year in certain sectors of the world due to the economy - Kinect gives MS "a big punch of adrenaline".

"We’re pretty intolerant of anything that isn’t growth," he said. "Profitable growth I would say. I’m not being facetious at all when I say that. We have a similarly low tolerance for anything that isn’t profitable, and we think [Kinect] will be profitable and if you watch our earnings releases, you will see that we are now consistently profitable.

"I think that that market was a little bit tough in the last 12-months, and those kind of factors always play a part in these things. There are certain parts of Europe that I think are a little more susceptible to that – it’s where you’ve got strong housing based economies like Spain – I think UK to an extent too.

"But with Robbie’s description of a shot in the arm there, in many ways I think it’s a lot more significant even than that. I think it does take us onto a new trajectory, as we will be planning, clearly, for a much bigger year. So I think that this extension of the platform and the life cycle – whether or not we get to use the “shot in the arm” analogy or not – gives us a big punch of adrenaline for our business".

Kinect was announced for release in the US on November 4, and the slimline 360 starts shipping this week.