In July, Don Mattrick came off an 18-month sabbatical to take the helm at Microsoft games. To say things were a bit rocky for the Xbox 360 makers would be an understatement.
As the rest of the games industry was gearing up for E3, the company put out a public mea culpa about its Xbox 360 hardware failures. To pay for the extended warranties on the consoles, Microsoft announced that it would take a $1 billion hit against quarterly earnings. Before the month was out, Peter Moore, the head of Microsoft games, would resign to take the top spot at EA Sports.
But as Microsoft heads into the holiday season, Mattrick says he feels that the company has rebounded just fine from the summer's bit of bad press – and is poised to trump the competition this holiday season.
"On a price-per-value basis, I think we win…relative to Sony and Nintendo," he says. "Of course, I'm biased, given the role that I'm in, but if I really think about it using my consumer instincts and the experience that I've had, this is the best blend of performance, price, online and games – by far."
