Microsoft: 'Cross-Platform Experience Is Better On Xbox'

Microsoft has told of how exclusive games and downloadable content for the Xbox 360, whether it be timed exclusivity or not, are "critical" to differentiate the console from others. Chris Lewis, Microsoft's European head of marketing for Xbox, explained to games site Eurogamer that it is also important to the company that cross-platform releases are "better on Xbox." "[Exclusives] are important," he said. "DLC windows of exclusivity are critical for us for differentiation. We'll continue to bring those exclusives through our own studio work, Gears and Forza and other titles." "We're also pretty confident the cross-platform experience is better on Xbox," he continued. "We enjoy great success with Call of Duty. Live is the oxygen that runs through our business." "The experience users have through Xbox Live is a fundamental differentiator for us versus other platforms... Our ongoing commitment to experiencing better and playing better on Xbox is partly a function of what we do with Xbox Live." "So, exclusive IP is critical, of course. You'll see more of that over time. You'll also see us, though, committed to working with people like EA and Activision on their cross-platform consoles to make sure they play better, and they integrate better across PC, phone and the console in a way other people's just simply can't." Turning his attention to the publishers that Microsoft works with, Lewis explained, "We have good, healthy partnerships with all the publishers around the globe." "They see that ambition, they know how much money we're going to spend. They know the depth of the partnerships. They love the technology. And they understand we want to differentiate ourselves through DLC or the beauty of the integration across the different device types that we have and are uniquely placed to be able to offer versus our very good quality competition." As part of his analysis of the NPD's U.S. retail estimates last month, Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews found that Xbox 360 software sales overtook Nintendo Wii software sales in the first-half of 2011.