Tag Archives: chris lewis

European Xbox 360 bossman Chris Lewis has said that there is no reason for gamers to fear that Microsoft is losing it’s edge with the release of Project Natal.

Far be it – the firm says it’s staying committed to the core audience.

More »

Euro 360 boss Chris Lewis is in the zone. The Live zone. Can you toe-step his Live shit? No, you cannot.

“No one can touch us in terms of developing that service, completely reinventing that service in the way that we did last year with the New Xbox Experience update last November,” he told GI.

Microsoft’s focus on software and services this console gen is its own direction, Lewis added: “That was not predicated upon a new piece of hardware. We’re able to deliver that kind of innovation via our Xbox 360 service without troubling the consumer in any way.”

Do not fuck with Xbox Live. Hit the link while you’re not doing that.

Microsoft has responded to last week’s Natal information which was leaked from a “behind-closed-doors tour of UK publishers and studios”.

This information, according to Xbox UK bossman Neil Thompson is not “accurate” and nothing more than “rumors”.

“I’ve got nothing more to say about it”, he told GI.biz. “We’re still very much in the baking on Natal and there’s a lot of things to get decided on it.”

“Now you know better than to listen to that stuff,” said Microsoft Europe’s Chris Lewis. “We will announce in good time. As you can imagine, we’ve shared this technology with our worldwide development partners now for some time, and the pace with which they’re developing the kind of experiences is just amazing.

“I’m not going to be specific about what they might be, I will say however we’re committed to ensure those experiences are unique, compelling and very exciting right from the outset. That has to happen and that will happen.”

It was revealed last week by a source close to MCV that Natal would release during November 2010 with 14 launch games at a price point of £50 or for as little as £30.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis reckons multi-format games work better online through a 360. Massive shock there.

“We have a great journey through to Christmas,” he told MCV, via OXM.

“There are key titles that are exclusives but also great cross-platform titles that will just work better on Xbox Live.

“And in terms of content and networking, we have more content partnerships for Xbox Live.”

What have you got to say to that, Sony? Eh?

Thanks, CVG.

Microsoft’s Chris Lewis has told MCV that the European install base for Xbox 360 is one million higher than the one for PS3.

According to recent figures, 360 has 9-million-plus and PS3 around 10-million-plus. His explanation for how Microsoft is bigger, goes thus:

“We’re confident we are actually around a million units ahead. We count installed base differently to them.

“We count the number of units in the hands of consumers. We are committed to continuing that momentum – not only in places like the UK, France and Germany. Continued growth in all parts of Europe is integral to winning [against PS3] overall.”

More through the link above.

Thanks, Joystiq.

European Xbox 360 head Chris Lewis has told GI that the 360 Pro pack’s been discontinued due to a need to “clarify” the machine’s SKU-base.

“We felt that the time is right and there’s been a demand to clarify our SKUs and our offerings to the consumers,” he said, speaking after the announcement this morning of 360 hardware reshuffle in both the US and Europe this morning.

“We continue to offer an entry console in the Arcade unit and, now we’ve lowered the price of the Xbox 360 Elite, we’re confident we’re offering a premium gaming experience at a very competitive price.”

It was confirmed today that the Pro SKU would be dropped in favour of a set-up featuring a more expensive Arcade and cheaper Elite.

There’s a full interview through the link.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told MCV that the now-confirmed 360 Arcade SKU price hike to £159.99 from £129.99 is thanks in part to exchange rates.

“We are making modest increases on the Xbox 360 Arcade console as you can see,” said the exec.

“The reality now is partly to offset currency exchange rate fluctuations which have impacted us in local market conditions – particularly in the UK.

“And you’ve seen other consumer products operate in the same way. But I think even with that we still offer the most affordable console in the marketplace out there.

“So we’ve reset the price point largely based on exchange rate fluctuations, but are still very happy we offer great value through the Xbox 360 Arcade.”

Microsoft said this morning that Arcade would rise £30 in the UK, while the Elite pack would drop to £199.99.

Told you so. Microsoft’s confirmed that 360′s Elite model will be cut to £199.99 in the UK and €249.99 on the mainland from tomorrow, August 28.

“With the Christmas season right around the corner, it’s already time to start looking for entertainment and gifts that everyone will enjoy,” said Euro Xbox head Chris Lewis.

“We have a goal over the next 18 months to reinvent entertainment in the living room and we want to ensure that we have the right foundations in place for our consumers to make simple informed choices around their entertainment platform.

“We know that price is a critical influencing factor in consumer choice, but we also know that consumers across Europe are looking for value, benefit and entertainment experiences, so we need to address all these points to continue to grow and be successful in Europe.”

As we reported last night, the Arcade SKU has been pulled up to £159.99 from £129.99.

PR after the break. The American drop details have also been confirmed, the US Elite dropping to $299.99.

More »

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told MCV that Xbox 360 has now passed 9 million sales in Europe.

“Our installed base is now well over nine million in Europe, where we enjoy about 27 per cent of the current share of the console market,” he said.

“This calendar year, we’re the only console showing positive growth. That’s 22 percent on the first half against a market that is down to a similar margin overall. So we are bucking that trend.”

Buck that trend, Chris. Buck the shit out of it. More through there.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told MCV that “Christmas” 360 sales were up 120 percent at the end of last year.

“Christmas 2008 was the biggest sales period in the history of the Xbox brand,” he said.

“Sales of the console were more than double over the period a year before, in excess of 120 percent in fact.

“We’ve had record sales in January too – much better than we anticipated. We’re at over 8 million console sales to end of 2008.”

Does that mean Chris and the gang are going to rest on their laurels? No sir.

“We’re not dusting ourselves down saying ‘we’ve solved that challenge’,” he added. “You’re going to see us continue to invest in keeping things strong.

“The UK remains one of our strongest markets. We’ve now been consistently ahead of our competition in terms of Sony for a long and sustained period, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

More through there.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told GI that second-hand games are just something the industry has to live with.

“I’m a fan of the ecosystem overall,” he said.

“I can see the positive in it, because I can see that what you then get is more and more people touching, playing, experiencing a game that they may not otherwise have access to.

“I think you’ve got to try and extract some positive from it, and that’s undoubtedly a good factor – a positive swirl of ecosystem that results.

“Clearly it’s a reality, and certain retailers are very focused and spend a lot of time on it. It’s good business for them.”

The exec’s comments come after Gamestop boss J Paul Raines said at DICE last week that used game sales don’t harm full-price products.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told GI that gamers have nothing to fear from Windows 7.

“Windows 7 will be great for games, undoubtedly,” he said.

“It’s all good news – it’s even more robust, it’s quicker relatively, and the early testing cycles are proving very promising overall.

“I think it’ll be nothing but good news for PC gamers, but we’ll have more to say on that later on this year.”

Lewis also reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to PC gaming overall, claiming that the Games For Windows campaign would be an ongoing investment.

The third part of the site’s Lewis interview’s here.

And round and round we go. Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told GI that 360 is well ahead of PS3 in EMEA.

“If you look right across my area of responsibility, every data point that I’ve got, which I trust – and data points we’ve always used – put us approximately 1 million units ahead in the aggregate,” he said.

Lewis is using GfK Chart-Track, figures, he said, and it talking specifically about EMEA – Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

This grouping doesn’t include Australia and New Zealand, which will be added to Sony’s figures when they talk about the PAL region.

Next up: David Reeves says Chris Lewis is wrong! Keep that breath bated while you wait.

Speaking to GI, Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has allayed fears that original Microsoft IP will get bitten by general disaster in the macro-economy.

We’ll let Chris do the talking:

“I think you’ll see some [IP under threat], yes – but I also think, and I can only really speak with authority about our own games development work, be very confident we’ll continue to innovate, and focus on exciting IP for the future,” he said.

“Be very confident that we see that ultimately as central to our ability to continue to be successful, because I think if you batten down the hatches and simply work where you know you’re already strong, that doesn’t give you the future growth that we’re all hungry for.

“I think all the big, mature companies are thinking that way – because if we’re in the eye of the storm right now in terms of the economic situation, then clearly we’ll come out. We will come out of this situation, people will start spending money again, banks will start issuing credit in a slightly more flexible way and we’ll come out of it.

“The healthy companies will be the ones that have invested sufficiently during that phase that they’ve got exciting IP and innovative things happening for when that recovery starts to happen. I don’t know when that is… I’d love to know, but I tend to think very positively about the opportunities that it subsequently creates.”

You go, Mr Lewis. More through the link.

Chris Lewis, regional vice president of Xbox Europe, has issued a statement whereby he says that 2008 saw the Xbox brand grow faster than its competitors and that 360 has enjoyed its best Christmas ever sales-wise.

“2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period,” said Lewis.

“With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA, we’re poised to build on this success in 2009.

“This success was only possible through our partnerships with retail and with publishers, with whom we’ve worked closely to build a strong ecosystem in the region and to bring value to our shared customer base.”

There could be some weight to Lewis’ claims as the platform holder points to GfK Chart-Track data which shows that Xbox 360 was the fastest-growing console in 2008, with sales in the last three months of the year over double the same period in 2007 in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

“As we move into 2009 and an uncertain economic climate, we continue to be committed to offering the right blend of gaming and entertainment experiences at the right price,” Lewis added.

By Mike Bowden

Microsoft’s just claimed that Xbox 360 sales in November were the highest they’ve been in Europe since launch.

According to GfK Chart-Track data, said the firm, Xbox 360 outsold PlayStation 3 across the whole territory, with notable gains in France, Spain and Italy.

“November was a very significant milestone for Xbox – we sold the most consoles ever in our history in Europe, and are outselling PlayStation 3 week-on-week across Europe,” said Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis.

“Since the reduction in the Xbox 360 ERP in September, bringing the entry-level price point for Xbox 360 down to £129.99, consumers have responded enthusiastically to the Xbox 360 offering.

“Our strong partnerships with retail and with publishers have played a big role in this success – we are working closely with retail to ensure a steady supply of consoles throughout the Christmas season, and third-party games have been selling well on the Xbox 360 platform and providing great choice for consumers.”

November Xbox 360 sales were up 124 percent compared to last year, Microsoft said, while Wii and PS3 were up 43 percent and 3 percent respectively.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has claimed that Xbox 360 is currently outselling PS3 at almost 3:1 in the UK, and that the machine’s current European marketing push is equalling that seen when it launched three years ago.

“For us in EMEA, there’s a been a considerable uptick in what we’re spending in terms of media, almost effectively to launch levels again,” the exec told Edge.

“We’ve seen this huge uptick in our velocity, which has taken us considerably ahead, certainly of PlayStation 3, right across the region. In some geographies, the U.K. specifically, we were almost three times Sony’s volume last week, for instance.”

Lewis added: “It’s generally very good. We’re really happy with our performance. There’s a lot more still to come, of course, so there’s no complacency, but it’s great to be at this course and speed.”

Full interview through there.

According to this MCV story, Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has claimed Xbox 360 is now beyond the installed base of the original Xbox.

“We’ve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox – which is a really significant milestone,” he said.

“We’ve been blown away by the appetite of people to consumer digital entertainment experiences.”

The milestone was predicted earlier this month.

Lewis added: “We’re at a price point that is uniquely placed – not least of which because we’re in somewhat of a challenging economic time. Ever since we dropped the price seven weeks ago, we’ve outstripped PS3 on a weekly run rate in all the territories we care about in EMEA – specifically the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Russia.”

Speaking to MCV, Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has claimed that 360 has seen a dramatic change in fortunes against PS3 sales across Europe since its price was dropped in September.

“We don’t fixate on the competition, but it’s a very important bellwether of our success,” he said. “In the UK, we’ve sold more than double PS3’s volume since the price drop in September.

“I would call out our success in the Mediterranean countries in the last few weeks as a genuine step change from where we’ve been. The investment we’ve made in the right campaigns, the right price point and content that truly appeals to those markets.

“In Italy, we were double PS3’s sales last week. In France and Germany we are at or better than PS3 consistently now. We dominate in Russia and the Nordic countries and in Spain – a traditional Sony stronghold – we’re now outselling PS3. It bodes incredibly well for our Christmas prospects.”

More through there.

Microsoft’s announced that sales of Xbox 360 have risen 214 percent in the past two weeks, and that the console is, according to the company, now outselling PS3 by 2:1.

The firm’s calculations come from Chart-Track figures.

“This data shows that the Xbox 360 trajectory continues upwards, and not just in the UK,” said Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis.

“We’ve seen uplift in all countries in Europe and are confident that even at this rate of growth we can keep retail satisfied with a steady supply of consoles throughout the Christmas season.

“Our commitment to continuously improving and innovating new content, our new high-profile marketing campaign and the fact that we’re now the best-value next-gen console on the market with an entry-level ERP of £129.99 combine to make Xbox 360 the right blend of gaming and wider experiences at the right price to offer unparalleled entertainment for everyone. And these figures prove it.”

The figure rise has come from a substantially price cut earlier this month.