Future Prepares For European Xbox Launch

The Future Network has announced the launch of its Official Xbox Magazine in four countries across Europe, including the UK, to coincide with Microsoft’s European launch of the new games console.

The title will go on sale on 28 February, ahead of the console’s 14 March launch date. The magazine will be priced at £5.99 and will be the only title to offer covermounted playable games discs. Dom Beaven, international development director for the Future Network said: “This is the largest simultaneous magazine launch in many, many years. It’s a landmark event for us and for the games industry. For the first time ever one company is producing a single games magazine brand that caters for multiple markets of gamers.”

The gaming market is an important one for Future, which benefits from owning the licence to publish the official magazine for the Sony Playstation consoles, as well as the Xbox licence for all countries except Japan. Evidence from ABC shows that in a fickle market, in which the fortunes of any title connected to a specific console will change as new consoles make old ones obsolete, new launches are necessary to keep up (see graph, below).

The Xbox was launched in the US (with an official, Future-produced magazine) in November 2001 and so far 1.5 million Xbox units have been shipped. Future claims that across Europe over 1 million video games consumers will be targeted through advertising and promotions throughout March.

Future Publishing: 01225 442 244 www.futurenet.com

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