Microsoft’s Peter Moore Resigns To Head EA Sports

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Corporate News, Electronic Arts, Games for Windows, Microsoft, Xbox 360

The man who has really been the face of Xbox for the past several years, Peter Moore, has just resigned as corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business. (IEB oversees both the Xbox and Games for Windows divisons.) He has decided to leave for personal reasons and will move his family back to the Bay Area. Don Mattrick, former president of Electronic Arts, will take over and lead the IEB division.

“Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go,” said Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “Since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent.”

1UP initially reported rumors earlier today that Moore was leaving to head up EA Sports. Microsoft denied the rumors, but there has now been a confirmation from both Microsoft and Moore himself that this is indeed the case.

I wonder what he’s going to do about those tattoos…

Read More | 1UP

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Hallelujah, Microsoft To Further Expand Xbox 360 Warranty

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Xbox 360

Microsoft has announced that if you suffer the ever-dreaded red rings of death (indicated by three flashing red lights), you’ll be covered for up to three years following the date of purchase. This is terrific news, but at the same time it was a necessity with the rate of Xbox 360 hardware failures appearing to be extremely high. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft was facing a class action lawsuit from pissed-off consumers. Anyone who has had to pay for repairs that would have been covered by the new warranty will qualify for reimbursement.

The press release stated:

As a result of what Microsoft views as an unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, the company conducted extensive investigations into potential sources of general hardware failures.  Having identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console, Microsoft has made improvements to the console and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers.

Microsoft stands behind its products and is taking responsibility to repair or replace any Xbox 360 console that experiences the ‘three flashing red lights’ error message within three years from time of purchase free of charge, including shipping costs.

Microsoft execs have chimed in, with an open letter from Peter Moore being posted on Xbox.com and a statement from Robbie Bach appearing in the press release.

“The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one. But, this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologize,” said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division. “We value our community tremendously and look at this as an investment in our customer base. We look forward to great things to come.”

Big knock on wood – I’m probably one of the three lucky individuals who have a launch console that hasn’t failed. Aside from an unfortunate glitch in Oblivion which wrecked a save file of mine, I’ve had nothing but good times with my Xbox 360.

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Robbie Bach Talks Zune, Xbox, Movies, And Sony

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Xbox 360

Dean Takahashi from Mercury News was able to speak with Robbie Bach a couple of weeks ago, and they talked about a number of the challenges and achievements of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. Bach first discussed the recently launched Zune; as an iPod killer the device has gotten mixed reviews, but Takahashi also investigated why the company chose to enter that arena, rather than challenge Sony or Nintendo in the portable gaming realm. For Bach, the question was a matter of focus, and where the company wanted to put its energies; Bach actually felt that a lack of focus might be hurting Sony in this regard.

Bach also tied the Zune into the company’s efforts with Windows Vista and the Xbox 360, leading the discussion to Microsoft’s next generation console. Bach still feels that they are on track to make their goal of 10 million consoles shipped by year’s end, and with Sony floundering on console availability, this target now seems more likely. Bach also discusses the general financials for the Entertainment division; Microsoft still feels that they are on track for profitability in the division by 2008, but with the diversity of offerings in the group, this doesn’t mean that the Xbox 360 will necessarily hit that goal by then.

Bach also talks about the Halo movie, and the difficulties of managing original intellectual property. Part of the answer seems to be that Microsoft will do things with Halo when it feels right, and that seems to be part of the reason that the movie deal fell apart. While Microsoft would certainly like to see more game releases in the Halo realm, they also seem cognizant of the dangers of saturation. Overall, the interview gives decent insight into the business aspects of the Entertainment division, while not really addressing future developments.

Read More | Mercury News

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story