Xbox European launch a success [sic]
According to Microsoft, anyway
Microsoft this morning declared the Xbox's European launch to have been a great success, describing the console as "a runaway hit" and adding that "preliminary reports show [the] Xbox has taken Europe by storm". According to the press release, thousands of gamers in sixteen countries across the continent queued up overnight to be first in line for an Xbox, making the console "a near sell-out in its first day at retail". Games were also selling strongly, with Electronics Boutique commercial director Lisa Morgan reporting impressive sales on launch day and "a good attachment rate covering both 1st and 3rd party games". "I'm excited to finally see Xbox in the hands of gamers", Xbox Europe VP Sandy Duncan beamed. "I've always known that Xbox is the best video game system ever, but after playing games with people at launch I see that gamers also recognise the amazing power and intense fun that only Xbox can offer. European gamers have welcomed Xbox into their hearts and into their homes in a big way." Meanwhile Infogrames CEO Bruno Bonnell reported that his company had "had a very good weekend with Xbox" in a small motel near Lilles. Oh, he was talking about their sales figures? Apparently "we have had to produce more copies of Jet Set Radio Future .. to keep up with demand [and] Trans World Surf is also doing well for us". Meanwhile 74% of Xbox buyers at Amazon.co.uk took the day off work to play with their new toy, people across the country were describing things as "totally Xbox", a gospel choir in Rotherham broke into a spontaneous rendition of Infogrames' infamous Xbox Rocks My World song, and Chairman Arafat and Ariel Sharon agreed to settle their differences with a bout on Dead Or Alive 3. Note : some or all of the above may in fact be completely untrue. Actual reports suggest that the Xbox had a solid if uninspiring launch in the UK, with 48,000 consoles flying off shelves (and probably injuring a small child in the process) along with some 120,000 games, giving the Xbox no less than seven slots in the all formats top 20 games chart. But elsewhere in Europe things were rather more patchy. Early rumours suggest that the Xbox's Irish launch floundered in a bog somewhere west of Dublin, while price cutting failed to make an impact in Germany as the country's stores experienced something of a ruhetag, with just 10,000 consoles said to have been sold. In other news, Infogrames' Jet Set Radio Future rounded out the bottom end of the Xbox top ten, in the UK at least, making it rather unlikely that the company would really need to rush off to the factory for fresh supplies. Trans World Surf was last seen being attacked by sharks off the coast of Australia. So that's five stars for enthusiasm and one star for factual accuracy. You can find the greatest work of fiction since War & Peace here if you want to find out more about how Microsoft would have wanted the Xbox's European launch to have gone. Related Feature - UK Xbox sales figures