The World Embraces Xbox 360
The worldwide Xbox 360 launch was met with great success and fanfare in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore on March 16 and Australia and New Zealand on March 23, successfully placing the console around the world.
The launch “down under” was the highest grossing entertainment launch in Australian history – grossing more than the Harry Potter books or the Lord of the Rings movies. More than 350 stores opened in Australia and New Zealand at midnight and the console availability may have temporarily impacted the region’s productivity: more than half of customers who preordered a console said they intended to take a day off from work to play their new consoles. More than 30,000 consoles sold in the first four days, making Xbox 360 the fastest-selling console launch in Australian history.
The excitement continues on April 22 when Australia aims to break records again, this time with the world’s largest water balloon fight. The water balloon event ties into the console’s “Jump In” brand advertising tagline, which has heralded the next generation of gaming (check out the ad online at xbox.com.au/waterballoon). The event takes place at Coogee Beach, one of Australia’s iconic beaches. Thousands of gamers from all over the world will launch more than 50,000 water balloons at each other.
Australia isn’t the only country stepping up the fun. In a news conference in Tokyo on April 6, Takashi Sensui, the new general manager of the Japanese Xbox division, announced that 15 more games would be added to the Japanese lineup by summer, bringing the total to 40 – a number that is expected to double by the end of the year. Also announced was the “Blue Limited Edition” Xbox 360 model themed after the FIFA World Cup, of which Xbox 360 is the official games console. A special blue faceplate included in this model matches Japan’s national soccer team’s color. Other Japanese-exclusive content includes an online “Mobile Suit Gundam” game from Namco/Bandai, SquareEnix’ exclusive “Project Sylph,” a secret RPG developed by TriAce, downloadable anime episodes through Xbox Live Marketplace, and the upcoming RPGs “Lost Odyssey” and “Blue Dragon.”
In an effort to meet the unwavering demand for Xbox 360 across the world, Microsoft is now shipping two to three times the number of consoles that had previously been shipped to retailers each week. This keeps us firmly on track to meet forecast of 4.5 to 5.5 million units worldwide by the end of June 2006.
 
