That was the message from Microsoft’s VP for EMEA and home entertainment Chris Lewis, as he discussed the current state of the next-gen market with MCV.

So far 1.3m Xbox 360 machines have been sold in PAL territories under the guidance of Lewis, with global sales at five million.

He expects the 10m global target to be hit by Christmas, with his territories commanding an increased proportion of sales and the UK leading the way.

"The UK team expects to get to a million 360 sales well ahead of Christmas. We have built up a good head of steam, so it certainly won’t be nip and tuck," said Lewis.

European sales will be aided by increased efforts in major territories, and also new markets such as Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and South Africa, which will each see the 360 being launched over the next few months.

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Russia could be next. "We’re still trying to get there as soon as we possibly can, but only when we’ve got a localised dashboard on the console."

Lewis dismissed notions that European sales outside of the UK and Nordic regions had been poor to date, but did admit that in Spain Microsoft "have had to re-set the dial".

And he added that despite some recent reports, Microsoft has no plans to drop the price of its next-generation console. "We have no intention of making any price moves with 360. We offer great value right now and great choice thanks to the Core and Premium systems. We will also have 160 games and totally own football, so there is plenty to be driving demand."