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Microsoft Xbox 360 goes to India

by Steven Williamson on 23 May 2006, 13:16

Tags: Xbox 360, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Xbox 360

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Xbox 360 in India

Microsoft have today announced plans to launch the Xbox 360 in India with 1,200 stores due to open nationwide. According to Reuters, the planned launch will be before Diwali on October 21st of this year.

Microsoft feel that it's the right time to launch a console in India due to the current economic boom.

"It is estimated there are 1.6 million gamers in India who spend at least 2 hours playing everyday," said Mohit Anand, manager of Microsoft's India entertainment and devices division. "We will be in India before our competition has launched in any other market," he said, taking the opportunity to let Sony know they're one step ahead of the PS3.

Back in 2005, the San Jose Mercury news wrote an article on video gaming in India, and came to the conclusion that video games are more popular in Inida than the U.S, “About 30 percent of those polled in India said they spend half their leisure time playing games, compared with about 20 percent in Mexico and 24 percent in the United States.”

One question, will the potential opening of Xbox 360 development centres in India lead to the *offshoring of programming/development and even call centre jobs in the Western world?

Source: Reuters

EDIT: *Amened from outsourcing to off-shoring.


HEXUS Forums :: 7 Comments

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Posted by deleted - Tue 23 May 2006 13:28
Deleted
Just playing devil's advocate but, do you think that this move may lead to the programming /development/call centre jobs being outsourced to India?

That was my exact first thought after only reading the thread title
Posted by deleted - Tue 23 May 2006 15:39
I lost my job not so long ago due to the company relocating, only within the UK mind you but still too far for me to travel.
Jobs just aren't all that safe these days!

Anyhow, that's a whole other discussion.
Posted by deleted - Tue 23 May 2006 16:18
Deleted
Microsoft have announced plans to launch the xbox 360 in India this year.

Check out the Headline for more info.

Just playing devil's advocate but, do you think that this move may lead to the programming /development/call centre jobs being outsourced to India?

I've been looking around the net and can find plenty of evidence that suggests that Microsoft have seriously thought about this in the past, but I can't find anything concrete to say that they actually went ahead with it - due to protests from U.S companies.

I've lost count of the number of high profile companies, M&S, BT, not to mention most of the major banks that are outsourcing. Will it be only a matter of time before India is the centre for the Xbox live call centre?

I don't really have a huge issue with this but, having lost my job at Natwest due to outsourcing, I can understand how it affects people.
Outsourcing and offshoring are different things. And how in Ganesha's name are you making the connection between a console launch in a country and jobs moving there? Why pick on India?

They launched their American console in the UK as well (you bought one, so did I!). Are you asking the same question about US companies offshoring with UK workers, too?

This smacks of bitterness, and despite feeling for your situation in losing your job, it was ill advised to turn a console launch news snippet into something else entirely, in my opinion.
Posted by deleted - Tue 23 May 2006 16:21
I hope they've improved the cooling of the 360. India's notorious for being warm and humid :)
Posted by deleted - Tue 23 May 2006 17:07
Whilst researching the subject of Microsoft launching 360 in India, I saw numerous articles regarding Microsoft out-sourcing jobs to India, so considered it a topic that may be of interest as an aside to the main launch news.

The topic is gaming related - it's an issue that's being discussed now and has been in the past.

The connection between the console launch and India is - Microsoft's known plans to move development/programming jobs in the past to India, and the outrage that it has caused in the U.S. The launch of the 360 in India opens up the possibility of development studios being built and jobs moving over, which is an issue to some people.

This topic has brought the subject up again for discussion, whether we agree or not. The news post purely asks a question.

Frankly I had no will whatsoever to stay in banking and it was blessing in disguise that the role was made redundant. I was more upset for the people who relied on the job to get by and the people who have worked there for years, so no I'm not bitter.

It's not picking on anyone, it's merely asking a question that other people have thought about but are too scared to ask in case the ‘racist’ card is played- sensoring thoughts and opinions is becoming more mainstream and I knew as soon as I wrote that it would provoke a response somewhere - it's totally relevant to the news piece and I don't regret the decision to write something about it.

Deleted
They launched their American console in the UK as well (you bought one, so did I!). Are you asking the same question about US companies offshoring with UK workers, too?

I couldn't say because I wasn't working with HEXUS in the lead up to the launch of 360 in U.K/U.S, but if it was public opinion and I'd seen reports about it then ‘yes’ I would have done.

My actual opinion on this issue is that it makes totally no odds to me at all in my current situation, but may be a potentially interesting subject to other readers, in my opinion.

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