The creation of Respawn Entertainment, and published by Electronic Arts, “Titanfall” is seen as a potential blockbuster game, akin to “Halo” and “Call of Duty.”
It already has garnered good reviews and generated weeks of social-media buzz.
Important for Microsoft, “Titanfall” is also coming as exclusive to its platforms. The game launches Tuesday in North America for Xbox One and Windows PCs. It launches March 25 for the older Xbox 360.
Microsoft is hoping that exclusive deal gives people reason to choose its Xbox One console, which sells for $500 and includes the Kinect motion-and-voice sensor, over the PlayStation 4, which is $100 cheaper.
Indeed, Microsoft is offering a deal on a “Titanfall” bundle that includes the console, game and a month of Xbox Live Gold membership for $500.
(A $60-a-year Xbox Live Gold subscription service membership is required to play “Titanfall.” The service also offers entertainment options, including the ability to stream movies and TV shows and to access apps such as Netflix.)
Microsoft launched the Xbox One console Nov. 22, and it sold well over the holiday season.
The company said it sold 3.9 million consoles through the end of 2013 — the most recent sales figure it has released. It also said the Xbox One was the sales leader among consoles sold in December, citing figures from research firm NPD Group.
Sony, meanwhile, which launched its PlayStation 4 on Nov. 15, said it had sold 4.2 million consoles by the end of 2013.
The company said the PlayStation 4 was the top-selling console in the U.S. in January.
And last week, Sony said it had sold 6 million PlayStation 4 units as of March 2.
Although the PlayStation 4 has aced Xbox One in sales so far, Mehdi said, “We feel good about the [Xbox One] price. It’s always a combination of price and value.
“We try to provide something that you can’t get anywhere else. You get live TV integration, you have the Kinect that allows you voice control, you have some unique things like NFL interactive,” Mehdi said. “We think there’s great value there.”
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