Xbox LIVE^® arrives in India – Bollywood plugs in!

The ultimate online console gaming service arrives in India on 5 November 2007

Loaded with exclusive Indian content especially for Indian consumers

7Get ready for a whole new world of gaming and entertainment with Xbox 360™ and a broadband Internet connection! Xbox LIVE®, the premier service for online console gaming and community, will arrive in India effective 5 November 2007 with exclusive local entertainment content. The announcement was made at a launch event organized at the city today, by Robbie Bach, Global President of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division (E&D) in the presence of Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman of Microsoft India, Alan Bowman, General Manager of Microsoft E&D Asia Pacific and Greater China Region and Mohit Anand, Country Manager of Microsoft E&D in India.

Speaking at the occasion, Robbie Bach heralded the arrival of Xbox LIVE®, “We have just celebrated the first anniversary of Xbox 360 in the country this year and it is with a celebratory spirit that we offer our Indian consumers even more entertainment options on Xbox 360. This is not only a firm reiteration of our commitment to the Indian market but also an exciting foray into connecting our Indian consumers to a world of 7 million Xbox LIVE members around the world.”

Robbie added, “The Microsoft Entertainment & Devices division is committed to building strong businesses that support the vision of Connected Entertainment.  Xbox LIVE in India is a first step to realize a world of Connected Entertainment that enables people to experience a broad spectrum of entertainment content across a range of devices, interact with and personalize that content and share it with their friends and social communities.” 

Timed to coincide with the festival season in India to become a part of Indian consumers’ celebrations, Xbox LIVE® will be launched with a unique local flavor keeping in mind the affinity that Indians have for entertainment through movies and music, which was unveiled by Alan Bowman, General Manager of Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division Asia Pacific & Greater China Region at the event.

Users will be able to log on not only to enjoy casual, fast-paced arcade action, new game content or multiplayer frag-fests but also never seen before, exclusive local Bollywood movie trailers of “Hanuman returns” to begin with. A tie-up with UTV ensures that users will have access to other already released but popular Bollywood content of UTV films. XBOX LIVE® will also make available content related to Love Story 2050 – Harman Baweja’s debut film opposite Priyanka Chopra -  
a perfect fit for XBOX LIVE® and its users.

Microsoft has also tied up with Seventymm – a leading name in the movie rentals category for the unique rent-a-game Service – a first of its kind initiative which will enable gamers to rent “on demand” the latest Xbox 360 games for a fixed number of days.

Sharing his excitement about the potential that entertainment as an industry has in India today and elaborating on Xbox 360’s role in it, Mohit Anand, Country Manager of Microsoft E&D in India said, “We are very pleased to bring Xbox LIVE® into India. With this launch, Xbox 360 will lead the foray into the future of gaming & entertainment by truly becoming the ultimate destination for a wholesome experience for the entire family.”

He added, “Xbox LIVE® has something for everyone and our Indian content partnership with the biggest production houses is just the tip of what’s in store for Indian consumers going forward.”

The Xbox LIVE® service will be available to users to log on and sample for free with the Silver subscription level and a paid Gold membership to offer the best in gaming and entertainment to consumers who want a heightened entertainment experience. On the occasion of the launch of Xbox LIVE®, Microsoft also announces a number of new trendy accessories to complete the entertainment experience – Xbox Live Vision camera, Xbox 360 Wireless and Wired Headset, Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter and Xbox 360 Text input device to name a few! 

Across the world, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE® offer the largest, most active online community of friends and family. It is the largest social network in the living room with 2.4 million instant messages, text and voice messages sent over the service every day. In 2007, Xbox LIVE® members are averaging more than one hour a day on the service engaging in a variety of activities such as playing games, watching TV shows or movies or downloading content.  

Xbox 360™ and Xbox LIVE® are leading the charge into the future of gaming and entertainment, bringing the best games, an active community and a growing catalogue of high definition games and entertainment to all members of the household. More than 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold across 37 countries. Xbox LIVE is currently available in 25 countries across the globe. India will be the 26^thmarket to launch Xbox LIVE®.  

Jump in; the world is yours to game!