Microsoft Launches XSN Sports Video Gaming

Posted on September 19, 2003

Microsoft Corp. has unveiled its new brand of sports video games, XSN Sports. Each XSN Sports video game will include technology that will link the Xbox video game system, Xbox Live service and personal computer. XSN Sports will offer gamers the ability to set up leagues, build tournaments and analyze scouting reports on the centralized website, XSNsports.com.

XSN Sports begins with NFL Fever 2004, the first title in the new XSN Sports brand and Microsoft's best- selling football franchise exclusive to Xbox. NFL Fever 2004 recently hit store shelves to coincide with the launch of XSNsports.com and the XSN Sports brand. To gain marketshare in sports gaming Microsoft will be chasing Electronic Arts, which currently dominates the sports gaming market with leading sports games like Madden Football.

With XSNsports.com, gamers will be able to battle their friends in a personalized and password-protected 16-game user-created season, challenge top-ranked online competitors in a worldwide tournament, or settle scores with bitter rivals from the comfort of their living room. XSNsports.com will provide gamers with their own virtual sports page of their exploits and broadcast up-to-date statistics, standings, tendencies and trade proposals every 15 minutes.

"XSN Sports will revolutionize sports video games as we know them," said Ed Fries, corporate vice president of Xbox games publishing at Microsoft. "The ability to create customized leagues and tournaments among your group of friends, where the competition truly matters, is the breakthrough sports gamers have been waiting for."

In addition to NFL Fever 2004, XSN Sports titles launching this fall include:

Top Spin: This tennis experience tallows gamers to experience intense, realistic tournament competition featuring 16 tennis stars including Pete Sampras, Anna Kournikova and Lleyton Hewitt.
Amped 2: The sequel to the popular extreme sport title on Xbox now includes more rendered real mountains, new combo and style tricks, and multiplayer modes.
NBA Inside Drive 2004: The hoops game now features new cover athlete Shaquille O'Neal and revamped offensive and defensive schemes.
Links 2004: This golf series on the PC has been specially designed for Xbox and is set to make its console debut.
NHL Rivals 2004: The first hockey title created by Microsoft for Xbox features Steve Yzerman as the cover athlete.