Xbox 2 in Stores for Christmas?

Microsoft proves it's serious about being first.

Microsoft has made impressive strides with Xbox in North America and Europe. In 2004, the company had a 30% share of the videogame market, despite Xbox arriving nearly two years after Sony's PlayStation 2.

Microsoft has been adamant that it won't repeat this late arrival with its Xbox successor, currently codenamed Xenon, and new reports suggest that Microsoft could roll out the new console in both North America and Europe before the end of this year.

Citing unnamed sources in the US, British games trade paper MCV is reporting today that publishers are planning their game releases around a launch for Xenon before the Christmas season in both North America and Europe.

Does this look like the face of a man who's going to
let the same thing happen to him twice?

A second report today cites senior officials in both the publishing and retail sectors in the UK who confirm that the Xbox successor will arrive later this year, between late October and early November.

This strategy would be quite different from what has become the norm in the global videogame industry, where hardware usually debuts in either Japan or North America, with Europe invariably coming in last. This new-found respect for Europe is doubtless in recognition of the region's growing importance in the global videogame market.

Microsoft does, however, run the not-insignificant risk of a customer backlash. If Xenon were to debut in late 2005, that would be a scant three-and-a-half years after the launch of the Xbox. In contrast, there'll be a six-year gap between PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, which isn't due until late 2006.

Microsoft has refused to comment on any current speculation, though the company will undoubtedly reveal its next-generation plans at E3 in May.

For more on the Xbox successor, check our Xenon page.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games