Following a strong start late last year, Microsoft saw a sharp decline in the sales of their latest console, the Xbox One. After being outsold by the Sony PlayStation 4 2-to-1 earlier this year, Microsoft is hoping to rally by leveraging on the release of Titanfall.
Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 were released in November last year but Microsoft has been having a hard time keeping up with its main rival Sony. Popular exclusives games like Killzone: Shadow Fall have continued to drive PlayStation sales and Microsoft is now hoping that the release of the highly anticipated Titanfall will help the company increase the number of Xbox One units sold.
"It's hard to overstate the importance of Titanfall to the Xbox One release this year," said Microsoft devices and studios chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi. "For us, it's a game changer. It's a system seller."
Titanfall has a number of important elements that could potentially make it a game changer for Microsoft. First of all, it will be a Microsoft exclusive game. Titanfall will be available for Windows, the older Xbox 360 and the current Xbox One. Titanfall was also developed by Respawn Entertainment, a relatively new game developer founded by Jason West and Vince Zampella. West and Zampella have cemented their reputation as video game developers when they helped create the highly successful Call of Duty franchise when they were still with Infinity Ward.
In order to get more gamers to switch to the Xbox One, Microsoft also announced that they will be bundling Titanfall with the Xbox One at no additional cost. The bundle will be priced at $500, which means that people who purchase the bundle will be able to save $60.
"To celebrate the launch of "Titanfall", we wanted to do something special. For those of you who are already fans of Xbox One, we hope this will encourage more of your friends to join you on day one for "Titanfall" on Xbox One, said Mehdi in a post on the official Xbox blog. "If you've been waiting for the biggest game of the generation before purchasing your Xbox One, this special, limited time offer is perfect for you. In partnership with Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts, we're excited to announce the Xbox One "Titanfall" Bundle, available starting March 11 for $499.99 at select retailers."
EA released Titanfall for the Xbox One and PC in the US on March 11. Other countries may have to wait two days to get their copies.
"We have partnered with the Microsoft Store, GameStop and Best Buy to make sure you can pick your game up on March 11th 12:00 AM (local time)," said EA. "We also have special launch events taking place in Austin, Texas at SXSW and in Los Angeles at GameStop in West Hollywood at 7100 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 117."
