NEWS
one has sold out, stock is coming’
But Kinect supply will be ‘healthy’ for Xmas rush
hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Kinect in families’ hands this Christmas. Retail will have a really good season on the platform.” Last week GAME, Asda, and many others all maxxed out their pre-order schemes. “When we launch new products people ask ‘are you going to have enough?’ but in some ways you hope not – because if we haven’t got the consumer demand we clearly aren’t being successful. “The important thing is: are we going to satisfy demand over the Christmas period? We’re doing everything in our power to push our supply chain. “Kinect will be the best selling product this Christmas.”
arrives to run Rare
In 16 years with Microsoft Henson has contributed to development of Xbox, Xbox Live, 360 and Kinect.
He now hopes Rare will lead the way in regard to future motion gaming innovation. “Both Rare and I have a great history of innovation and creating experiences that breakthrough and reach millions of people,” Henson told MCVthis week. “The timing is perfect. I’ve worked on Xbox since before the original Xbox. I helped bring Live to life. Rare over the last 25 years is the
MS veteran Henson takes charge of legendary Rare immediately
same story. It’s all those things coming together at a time when Kinect is about to launch with an excellent launch title in Kinect Sports. The combination is extremely powerful.”
LEADER
WHEELS IN MOTION FOR KINECT STOCK
FORMAT-HOLDERS are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Supply enough product for launch, just enough to satisfy day one with some overspill, then you’re branded a so-so hit. Or a borderline failure. Don’t supply enough product, and you aren’t working hard enough,
over-inflating demand, or simply cocked up your manufacturing. We’ve heard a fair bit of off-the-record grumbling over the last few days about Kinect allocations. Some say a few stores are getting just one unit each, a stark contrast to what’s obviously going on at the likes of GAME and Asda, where November 10th is effectively the launch of a new console. But I think you can take Microsoft’s comments to the left at face
value. Bitch and moan all you like about what happens on day one – I’m sure there isn’t as much stock available as Microsoft wanted, and you bet they have looked after preferred retail partners first. They need those people on side for the long-haul. So no, I don’t think you can accuse the format holder of mishandling this launch. Excitement for Kinect is high and, if the company keeps playing it right, we could be in for a Wii-like boom that we haven’t seen for some time.
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The notion of set-top boxes finally being worthy games machines is something we’ve heard before. My first major MCVstory as a junior reporter back in 2002 was about ‘real’ console-style games being broadcast via satellite dishes. Eight years to the day later, and it still feels unnatural – games are best played on dedicated hardware, right? Not so fast. YouView’s plan to launch an app store for the TV is emblematic of significant changes ahead. Clearly there’s a battle the three format- holders have seen coming. Their integrated channels for iPlayer, Sky and movie content are built to maintain an edge not just over each other, but over boring old normal TVs as well. And if the next wave of set-top boxes really do champion games – and good games at that – a world where the TV links to the web, bypasses games hardware and offers something like Angry Birdsin- between episodes of Doctor Who... Well, that doesn’t seem too unlikely at all these days. Michael.French@
intentmedia.co.uk
October 29th 2010 5
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