LONDON, 12/08/2005 — Today Microsoft lifted the shroud of mystery surrounding the location for X05 and confirmed that Amsterdam will be the city to host this years X0 event. Often referred to as one of the most colourful and vibrant cities in the world, Amsterdam’s sophisticated culture and modern mentality make it the perfect home for this year’s Xbox® invite-only brand experience for the games and entertainment industry.

A highlight of the gaming calendar, Xbox enjoys this opportunity to bring together gamers from around the world and create a unique and immersive experience for their guests. X05 will be held on October 4th and 5th this year and will offer global industry leaders the chance to fully experience Xbox 360; including the first opportunity to play next generation games.

As previous events have shown, location is a key part of the X0 mix. X01 was memorably held in Pierre Cardin’s Bubble House in Cannes, whilst La Isla Magica (Seville) was the theme-park location of X02 and X03 saw guests at an exclusive beach club location in Juan-les-Pins.

Chris Lewis, regional vice president, Xbox, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: “We put a great deal of thought into determining the location for X05. We have a lot of exciting announcements to make this year and it was essential that we make them in the right place. To tell you our rational for choosing Amsterdam would reveal some of our plans and we want to keep those as secret as possible! Suffice to say that after X05 it will be clear that the next generation starts with Xbox. Xbox will be sending out more communication and invitations over the next few weeks.