New Zealand: first in the world to launch Xbox One

Media release

22 November 2013

New Zealand: first in the world to launch Xbox One

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First in the world - New Zealander Daniel Livingstone with his new Xbox One

NZ Xbox fans attend the world’s first Xbox One Midnight Madness event, heralding the start of a new era in gaming and interactive entertainment

New Zealand has just become the first country in the world to launch the highly anticipated Xbox One. 

At a special midnight event at Auckland’s Shed 10 tonight, hundreds of Xbox fans gathered to celebrate the arrival of the first new Xbox console in eight years. In addition, an ecstatic Daniel Livingstone became the first New Zealander to get his hands on the coveted first console, fresh from the shark tank at Kelly Tarlton’s SEA LIFE Aquarium where it has been ‘housed’ for the last week for safe-keeping.

Tonight’s event was the largest Xbox launch in New Zealand history. At Shed 10, fans were invited to get hands-on with the newest Xbox games and to see former Shihad front man Jon Toogood and AHoriBuzz’s Aaron Tokona take on Rocksmith 2014.

There were visits from special Xbox games characters, including Halo’s Masterchief and a group of Dead Rising 3 Zombies.

Auckland’s Sky Tower pulsed green to mark the first of 13 launches around the world for Xbox One.

And, at the Xbox-sponsored Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards earlier in the night, the Kiwi superstar songstress Lorde took out the Xbox One International Achievement Award.

Xbox One is available from today at selected retailers across the country. Thousands of fans have already pre-ordered their console from retailers the length and breadth of the country.

Cloud-powered and built for the digital age, Xbox One is where the best games, movies, music, sports and live TV come together in one place. Xbox One games look and feel incredibly real, with cinematic gameplay that rivals HD movies. Users can watch TV or chat with friends on Skype while they play.

The launch of Xbox One signals the beginning of a new era for gaming and interactive entertainment. Boasting the deepest and most varied launch lineup in Xbox history, the new games and exclusive titles tap into the incredible power of new hardware. Additionally, advanced software tools and exclusive features like Xbox Live, Kinect and SmartGlass bring an entirely new world of gaming to life.

Xbox New Zealand Lead, Steven Blackburn, said, “Being the first country in the world to launch is a proud moment for us. New Zealanders are historically very supportive of Xbox launches, as we experienced at the Halo 4 release last year. We’re pleased we can now present the hot new console to the many fans that have been waiting patiently for it.”

Visionary game creators and some of the world’s most respected developers, including Capcom, Crytek, Rare and Turn 10 Studios, have partnered with Xbox One to deliver the richest and most diverse games lineup in Xbox history. Xbox One’s award-winning lineup of launch games features 22 titles, as well as 10 exclusive games.

From the vivid realism of the racetrack to the visceral brutality of ancient Rome, and the zombie apocalypse to a wildlife utopia, the lineup of Xbox One exclusives launching today offers new immersive for every kind of gamer worlds to explore.

Xbox One launch games include:

·       Forza Motorsport 51 is a cinematic automotive journey starring the world’s greatest cars and tracks, including Bathurst. Built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox One and the vast power of the cloud, no game better delivers the wide-eyed thrill of racing.
·       Ryse: Son of Rome2 is an immersive action-adventure story of struggle, brutality and heroism, following a fearless Roman soldier named Marius Titus as he seeks to avenge the death of his family and save the Roman Empire. “Ryse: Son of Rome” presents a cinematic recreation of the ancient Roman Empire and its people, conflicts and landscapes, in breathtaking detail that represents the graphical benchmark for the new platform generation.
·       Dead Rising 33 marks the return of the wildly popular zombie franchise and introduces a blockbuster open-world action experience that will define a new generation of zombie-slaying mayhem. With intense action, an unmatched level of weapon and character customization, and immersive Xbox SmartGlass and Kinect integration, “Dead Rising 3” delivers a heart-pounding experience unlike any other as players fight for survival in a massive, open world teeming with the undead.
·       Zoo Tycoon4 is back and fully reimagined for Xbox One. The wildly popular franchise cranks up the challenge and fun of building the ultimate zoo and allows players to seamlessly switch between controller and Kinect play to interact with ultrarealistic animals. Supported with next-generation technology, the Xbox One version will have greater visual fidelity, larger zoos, more animals, Game DVR capability, Skype chat and four-person multiplayer over Xbox Live.
·       Kinect Sports Rivals5 Pre-season is a free trial experience of “Kinect Sports Rivals” wake racing, available for download on launch day. Monthly challenges and exclusive in-game rewards let players get ahead of the competition before the full game launches in spring 2014. The all-new, re-engineered Kinect in Xbox One puts players in the game like never before, tracks movements and expressions with incredible accuracy, and offers never-ending competition between friends and rivals.

Digital games on Xbox One feature next-generation graphics and entertainment. These include:

·       Killer Instinct6 brings the classic fighting action and popular characters of the original franchise exclusively to Xbox One. With its enhanced combat system, players will enjoy intense gameplay and stunning next-generation graphics.
·       Fly through the skies in Crimson Dragon7 a rail shooting game that takes place on a recently colonised planet populated by dragons. Players use the power of Kinect to dodge enemies and communicate with their partner dragon.
·       In LocoCycle8 gamers can try their skills in the immersive combat racing game that takes them on a thrilling ride. With a weaponized motorcycle I.R.I.S, players traverse highways, canyons and waterways while battling Big Arms and the deadly counter assault motorcycle S.P.I.K.E.
·       Players can test their talents on the green in Powerstar Golf 9a fun, animated sports game that challenges you against one of six unique characters with special golfing abilities. With the power of the cloud, players can also select Rival Mode to play against friends while they sleep.

In addition to the blockbuster titles created by Microsoft Studios, Xbox One will be home to the world’s best games. Fan favorites including Call of Duty ®: Ghosts10, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag11, FIFA 1412 and NBA 2K1413 will all be available on Xbox One at launch.

Highly-anticipated exclusives including Titanfall14, Sunset Overdrive15 and Quantum Break16 guarantee a rich pipeline of new games to look forward to after launch, as well as multiplatform games including Destiny17, Final Fantasy XV18, Kingdom Hearts III19, and Watch_Dogs20.  

Xbox One will also be the first place to get new map packs and other add-ons, with early exclusivity on downloadable content for Call of Duty: Ghosts ®, FIFA 14 and more. 

The games portfolio will only continue to grow with more independent developers already on board to deliver innovative experiences in the coming months via the ID@Xbox developer publishing programme.

For more information, please visit www.xbox.com/en-nz.

Ends

1Forza Motorsport 5 is rated G
2Ryse: Son of Rome is rated R18
3Dead Rising 3 is rated R18
4Zoo Tycoon is rated G
5Kinect Sports Rivals is rated G
6Killer Instinct is rated M
7Crimson Dragon is rated M
8 LocoCycle is rated PG
9 Powerstar Golf is rated G
10 Call of Duty: Ghosts is rated R16
11 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is rated R16
12 FIFA 14 is rated G
13 NBA 2K14 is rated G
14 Titanfall is not yet rated in New Zealand.
15 Sunset Overdrive is not yet rated in New Zealand
16 Quantum Break is not yet rated in New Zealand
17 Destiny is not yet rated in New Zealand
18 Final Fantasy XV is not yet rated in New Zealand
19 Kingdom Hearts III is not yet rated in New Zealand
20 Watch Dogs is rated R18

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