Microsoft: Were winning over families

Microsoft has significantly grown its audience – and it has the accolades to prove it.

The platform holder took home the Best Family Game award at this year’s Video Game BAFTAs for Kinect Sports. And the firm’s UK boss says that this represents a major shift in audience for Xbox.

The motion-sensing game exclusive beat several other big-name nominees, such as Warner Bros’ LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Disney Interactive’s Toy Story 3. In fact, there were four Kinect games in the shortlist.

With Kinect Sports winning Best Family Game, you could argue Xbox is moving to a broader audience in terms of its market appeal,” Neil Thompson, Microsoft’s UK GM for retail sales and marketing, told MCV.

And as the install base grows, more publishers will seek success because the range of consumers we’re attracting to the platform is becoming more diverse every day. I think people will see that success and love it.”

Xbox is a console renowned for core game hits such as Halo and Gears of War. But Thompson said the current focus is attracting new audiences through Kinect.

We’re constantly looking at what we’re doing as a platform,” he added.

I think people are excited about Kinect, that’s what we’re focusing on and that’s what you’re going to see us really deliver on as we go through this calendar year, both in terms of what we’re doing with that platform and the different types of gaming experiences that we’re bringing to the market.”

Kinect also recently broke the Guinness World Record for becoming the fastest-selling consumer electronics device, selling 10m units globally since launch.