When Microsoft announced the Xbox 360, which had a one year head-start over the PlayStation 3 – the consequences of the same which we’d learn about later – developers were quick to praise the system’s architecture and power. In the process, they uniformly abandoned the Xbox.
However, with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Microsoft is eager to replicate the transition that Sony had going from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 3. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Microsoft Europe’s VP of Interactive Entertainment Chris Lew stated that the company will support the Xbox 360 for a good long while, even after the Xbox One’s release.
“Xbox 360 will continue for another multiple-year time frame. We’ve already got meaningful marketing plans for the next 12 months for Xbox 360 and beyond. Our third-party publishers will bring more content to it, because the installed base is so high.”
Microsoft has also promised a “huge” Xbox 360-related announcement for E3, which we can only assume is a new design and price drop.