14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has confirmed that this month's launch of Titanfall, the multiplayer-only first-person shooter from Respawn Entertainment, has benefited its Xbox One console greatly, causing not just big sales but also a lot of engagement with the console, as new users are spending a lot of time with it.
Titanfall made its debut at the beginning of the month for the PC and Xbox One platforms, delivering a bold new experience that attracted quite a lot of first-person shooter fans from around the world.
Microsoft took advantage of this new game to promote its Xbox One and even rolled out a special bundle for those who've yet to get its console.
The result has been stellar, according to Microsoft's Phil Harrison, who talked with VentureBeat about the performance of the new title.
Besides increasing sales worldwide through the new bundle, Titanfall also causes the new users to interact with the console for extended periods of time, apparently.
"Things are going great. It’s the fastest, most successful launch in our history," he said. "Titanfall is blowing the doors off, literally and figuratively. Great engagement, just fantastic proof of users not only buying Xbox One, but using it in a very engaged way. More than five hours average use per day, which is amazing."
Harrison has emphasized that, so far, the new console war is still in its infancy and that the current different between sales in favor of the PS4 won't stay like that for long.
"We’re 120 days into our platform lifecycle. This is a marathon, not a sprint," he said. "We’re happy with our plan. We’re happy with the performances of our key franchises and key partnerships, most notably Titanfall in the last couple of weeks."
The Microsoft executive has also mentioned that sales are increasing, especially in the UK after the recent price cut and that, with upcoming game announcements, things are looking great.
"You can see independent surveys and studies showing our sell-through doubling in the UK as far as hardware. We have a fantastic lineup we’ll reveal more of at E3 and beyond. We have a lot of great surprises to come."
Sales figures for the month of March aren't available just yet, but Microsoft has a lot of catching up to do, as Sony confirmed that over 6 million PS4 units had been sold as of the beginning of the month.
Microsoft's last official figures mentioned 3.2 million consoles sold at the end of 2013, as since then it declined to offer any insight into the Xbox One's performance.