With the approaching release date of GTA IV on April 29 for the PS3 and 360, Microsoft is already making noises that its version of the game will dominate.
Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios, said matter-of-factly, "We already own it, I believe, from a content standpoint, because we have the exclusive episodes. And so Xbox 360 is still going to have the ultimate experience for GTA IV."
But Kim realizes that it won’t be just a walk in the park and that Microsoft will have to work hard in letting the consumer know that the Xbox 360 version is the one to get. He sees this as a golden opportunity to further the popularity of the 360 and compared the situation to what happened with the PS2 years back.
"But we have to make sure the customers know that. If you look back, again, to the role of GTA III and what that played in terms of PS2’s development – in Europe as well, because it was huge in Europe. That’s a great opportunity for us. We need to take advantage of it."
Kim also realizes the challenge of trying to break the brand association of Grand Theft Auto with the PlayStation game console.
"Even though we’ve managed to do a good job in terms of getting the game day and date, people still, if you just let things roll, will associate Grand Theft Auto as a PlayStation franchise. Which means that we have to work really hard to make people understand that no, it’s not, and that you’ll actually get a greater experience on Xbox 360."
That being said, between the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions of GTA IV, which version do you think will come out on top?
[via CVG]
