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Microsoft reshuffles games unit, names Moore V-P
Los Angeles, Mar 20: Microsoft on Friday promoted longtime industry executive Peter Moore to a job overseeing global game production and marketing, and formally named Shane Kim to head its video game development studios, both effective immediately.
Los Angeles, Mar 20: Microsoft on Friday promoted longtime industry executive Peter Moore to a job overseeing global game production and marketing, and formally named Shane Kim to head its video game development studios, both effective immediately.
Moore ran the US games arm of Japan's Sega Corp.'s before joining Microsoft in January 2003 to oversee its game sales and marketing efforts in Europe and Japan.
His new title is corporate vice president for worldwide content and marketing, heading the game studios, global marketing efforts and relationships with third-party publishers. Microsoft's games content and marketing previously operated separately.
Moore will also retain oversight of the Japanese market in his portfolio. Microsoft's Xbox has struggled for acceptance in the Japanese market since the video game system's launch in February 2002, and Moore said that market was his "pet project."
"We're really starting to show some progress (in Japan)," Moore said, noting that tastes were changing there and consumers were more open than in the past to playing games brought in from the United States and Europe. Kim becomes general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, after holding the job on an interim basis since mid-January, when veteran studio head Ed Fries resigned. Kim was his top lieutenant.
The studio oversees game titles like ‘Age of Mythology’ for the personal computer and ‘Halo’ on the Xbox. Microsoft executives had sought to name a permanent replacement for Fries before E3, the key industry trade show in May. Kim will report to Moore.
The reshuffling comes less than a week ahead of the Game Developers Conference, an annual industry gathering in San Jose, California, where game designers and industry leaders meet to discuss trends and technology.
Financial analysts, game publishers and game retailers widely expect both Microsoft and its chief competitor, market leader Sony Corp. , to cut the prices of their consoles to $149 from $179 no later than mid-May, when the industry gathers in Los Angeles for E3.
A Microsoft spokeswoman denied the company was cutting the price of its console, though analysts were unswayed on Friday.
UBS analyst Mike Wallace, in a note, reiterated comments first made in late February that a price cut on the Xbox was likely by April 1.
"We think Sony will wait to see the impact of the Xbox cut on its share before potentially cutting the PS2," Wallace said. "Sony also needs to wait a few weeks after the end of its fiscal year (March) before cutting price to avoid marking down the inventory in the current fiscal year."
Rumors have circulated on the Internet for weeks that a price cut on the Xbox was imminent, including scans of what appeared to be retail newspaper ads showing the console at the lower price. Bureau Report
His new title is corporate vice president for worldwide content and marketing, heading the game studios, global marketing efforts and relationships with third-party publishers. Microsoft's games content and marketing previously operated separately.
Moore will also retain oversight of the Japanese market in his portfolio. Microsoft's Xbox has struggled for acceptance in the Japanese market since the video game system's launch in February 2002, and Moore said that market was his "pet project."
"We're really starting to show some progress (in Japan)," Moore said, noting that tastes were changing there and consumers were more open than in the past to playing games brought in from the United States and Europe. Kim becomes general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, after holding the job on an interim basis since mid-January, when veteran studio head Ed Fries resigned. Kim was his top lieutenant.
The studio oversees game titles like ‘Age of Mythology’ for the personal computer and ‘Halo’ on the Xbox. Microsoft executives had sought to name a permanent replacement for Fries before E3, the key industry trade show in May. Kim will report to Moore.
The reshuffling comes less than a week ahead of the Game Developers Conference, an annual industry gathering in San Jose, California, where game designers and industry leaders meet to discuss trends and technology.
Financial analysts, game publishers and game retailers widely expect both Microsoft and its chief competitor, market leader Sony Corp. , to cut the prices of their consoles to $149 from $179 no later than mid-May, when the industry gathers in Los Angeles for E3.
A Microsoft spokeswoman denied the company was cutting the price of its console, though analysts were unswayed on Friday.
UBS analyst Mike Wallace, in a note, reiterated comments first made in late February that a price cut on the Xbox was likely by April 1.
"We think Sony will wait to see the impact of the Xbox cut on its share before potentially cutting the PS2," Wallace said. "Sony also needs to wait a few weeks after the end of its fiscal year (March) before cutting price to avoid marking down the inventory in the current fiscal year."
Rumors have circulated on the Internet for weeks that a price cut on the Xbox was imminent, including scans of what appeared to be retail newspaper ads showing the console at the lower price. Bureau Report