Microsoft promotes family entertainment with Xbox 360 Arcade

Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360 Group Product Manager, recently promoted the newly-launched Xbox 360 Arcade pack as an all-in-one solution for more casual, family-oriented entertainment. This came as a response to the criticism leveled against Microsoft for being too “hardcore focused,” to the detriment of the more casual gamers who help keep the industry going.

As proof of Microsoft’s new marketing strategy, Mr. Greenberg pointed to some of the games that will be part of the Xbox 360 Arcade: Pac-Man: Championship Edition, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and Viva Piñata: Party Animals. On top of that, Microsoft has struck deals with Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon for their family-friendly shows to be made available to consumers via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

While confident that Microsoft would lead the holiday market in terms of total software sales, Mr. Greenberg did not go so far as to claim that the new Microsoft Xbox Arcade 360 would thrash the Nintendo Wii. Mr Greenberg said that Microsoft hoped to provide an alternative or a supplement to Nintendo’s family-friendly machine while it continued to entice the more hardcore gamers – in short, a little something for everyone in the gaming family.

Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360 Group Product Manager, recently promoted the newly-launched Xbox 360 Arcade pack as an all-in-one solution for more casual, family-oriented entertainment. This came as a response to the criticism leveled against Microsoft for being too “hardcore focused,” to the detriment of the more casual gamers who help keep the industry going.

As proof of Microsoft’s new marketing strategy, Mr. Greenberg pointed to some of the games that will be part of the Xbox 360 Arcade: Pac-Man: Championship Edition, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and Viva Piñata: Party Animals. On top of that, Microsoft has struck deals with Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon for their family-friendly shows to be made available to consumers via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

While confident that Microsoft would lead the holiday market in terms of total software sales, Mr. Greenberg did not go so far as to claim that the new Microsoft Xbox Arcade 360 would thrash the Nintendo Wii. Mr Greenberg said that Microsoft hoped to provide an alternative or a supplement to Nintendo’s family-friendly machine while it continued to entice the more hardcore gamers – in short, a little something for everyone in the gaming family.