Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

EA launched Need for Speed Undercover in Delhi today (more on that soon) and while there, we met Ashim Mathur, the National Marketing Manager of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. Earlier, Microsoft India had said they expected Gears of War 2 to help boost sales of their console, and today Mathur said that while they can’t reveal the exact figures, sales for the 360 went up by 30 to 45 per cent in the wake of Gears 2.

Of course, while exclusives like Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 might have been important in pushing the sales for the 360 up, the games came out around Diwali, a major festival here in India, and traditionally when people buy a lot of gifts for their friends and family. In terms of spending, it’s our Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, so Microsoft’s huge surge seems a lot more questionable all of a sudden.

Still, in India, Microsoft’s library is clearly doing well, something independent retailers confirmed for us, while Sony’s new ad campaign is still gathering steam, the Wii remains an import. So, the XBox 360 has apparently got a lead in the console wars here, for now anyway.