NEWS - Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Xbox Number Two In Europe
Microsoft has today announced new sales data and claims that the Xbox is now clearly the number two console in Europe. The sales data is based on Microsoft’s own results as well as independent statistics from research firms Chart-Track and GfK. In the UK, Xbox passed the million console mark during the first week of December, and as of the end of December there were more than 3.7 million Xbox consoles across Europe. By the end of 2003 some 13.7 million Xbox consoles had been shipped worldwide, suggesting that Microsoft is on target to meet its worldwide shipment goal of 14.5-16 million units by the end of its current fiscal year in June. The Xbox enjoyed particularly strong sales over the Christmas period, which Microsoft attributes to a number of value offers at retail and to the release of such games as Project Gotham Racing 2, Top Spin, Counter-Strike, Need for Speed Underground, Rainbow Six 3, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In Europe, the attach rate of Xbox software is now 5.2 games per console--a figure which Microsoft claims the Xbox has achieved more quickly in its lifecycle than any other current generation console. Xbox Live, which is now available in 14 European countries, also enjoyed a strong Christmas. There are now over 100,000 Xbox Live gamers in Europe, and almost 750,000 worldwide. The most-played Xbox Live title over the Christmas period was Project Gotham Racing 2, followed by Rainbow Six 3, Counter-Strike, and Top Spin.Source: http://www.gamespot.com/
