2011 Will Be ‘An Incredible Year’ for Hardcore Xbox 360 Gamers

2011 will delight hardcore Xbox 360 gamers, at least according to Microsoft, who revealed this right after one of its biggest exclusive franchises, Gears of War 3, received a concrete release date and details about its multiplayer beta stage.

Microsoft, with the runaway success of the Kinect motion sensor, had seemed that it was neglecting hardcore gamers, especially after declaring that 2011 will be the year of the Kinect.

Now, after Gears of War 3 received a release date, September 20, and details about its upcoming multiplayer beta, Microsoft is once again hyping up its hardcore properties that will appear this year.

Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business Senior Producer, Kevin Unangst, talked with CVG and said that this is just the beginning in terms of the hardcore offers that 2011 will bring.

"Hardcore gamers are where it started and absolutely, we've got Gears, great games like Homefront, Batman: Arkham City... if you like core games - and I'm a core gamer - this is going to be an incredible year," he said, adding that "what you're seeing here today is just the beginning."

The Xbox 360 exclusive lineup is looking a bit shaky, with only a handful of titles, like Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 4, trying to hold their own against the onslaught of exclusives that the PlayStation 3 will receive throughout 2011, including Uncharted 3, Infamous 2 or Resistance 3.

Still, Microsoft is confident that through DLC deals, like the one for Homefront, which will see its add-ons appear as timed Xbox 360 exclusives, will bring more gamers to its platform.

The North American company also promised at the end of last year that more hardcore Kinect experiences will also be launched this year, so established gamers should also think about buying the new device if they haven't already.

Do you think hardcore gaming still has a role on the Xbox 360 or will Kinect's family friendly nature play a bigger role in Microsoft's strategy?