Xbox could go Live in SA

By Siyabonga Africa for Microsoft
Johannesburg, 18 Jul 2008

Microsoft SA hopes to bring Xbox 360's online platform, Xbox Live, to SA soon.

Xbox product manager John Press is confident Microsoft would greenlight an Xbox Live expansion into the country.

The Xbox has a market share of more than 35% of next-generation consoles sold in SA.

Press says there are already 4 000 Xbox Live users in SA (they pay in dollars to use the US networks) and the group hopes to attract more.

"The pressing question is always 'what is Xbox Live and why don't we have it?'" He explains that Microsoft had not formerly launched its online gaming service in SA simply because the country is not the "only emerging market out there".

"Yet we are working closely with the people in charge and we want to convince Microsoft that when Xbox Live is launched in SA, they will have a 100% adequate service."

Microsoft SA points to the number of sales it had made in the past two years as a sign that there is a feasible market for Xbox Live to be launched here. The product manager explains that Xbox Live revolutionised the gaming sphere by giving gamers a platform to game online.

"Gamers can now communicate between each other through either text messaging or audio," he says. "We want people to know that the Xbox 360 is more than just a gaming console, it has MP3 playback capabilities and also DVD playback, and through Xbox Live people can also download movie trailers, among other things."

He explains that the success of the Xbox 360 in SA is because of its extensive game library that includes titles like Halo 3 and Gears of War. Press says Microsoft SA hopes to get more sales through the release of new game titles such as Gears of War 2 and more social titles such as Lips, which are easier to play and would attract a wider audience to the console.

Indie games boost

Microsoft this week unveiled several new game titles during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in the Los Angeles. This includes Gears of War 2, which is set for a December release.

More attention was drawn to the games that were touted to be independently developed, such as Castle Crashers and Braid. According to media reports, these games will be downloadable over Xbox Live for as low as $5 each.

Press says once Xbox Live is launched in SA, the group hopes to work closely with independent game developers on formulating games for the local market. "Microsoft has developed technology that allows new developers to come into the scene. Independent developers generate never thought before ideas and are a benefit to the sector."

Nanogames CEO Jonathan Smit is also confident the local market could provide the talent to produce viable games. "There is a large independent development scene locally, with indie developers doing a host of standalone titles, meant for community. These titles are not sold but are distributed freely among likeminded individuals."

Pippa Tshabalala, Wits 3D animation lecturer and host of GO! Channel's Playr, says the local game market is not that big and could not compete with the international market. "But there are people who are intent on growing it, and some of them quite successfully so far. The potential is there."