Microsoft Refurbishes Xbox Sports Titles

Microsoft plans to muscle into the sports gaming industry by launching its own brand of sports games, christened "XSN Sports."

Taking a page out of the fantasy sports book, XSN game titles lasso together the Xbox console, Xbox Live service and personal computer to offer players broader competition and enriched management of leagues and stats. The label's Website, XSNsports.com, goes live today.

"XSN Sports will revolutionize sports video games as we know them," said Ed Fries, corporate vice president of Xbox games publishing. "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."

Only the inaugural title, NFL Fever 2004, is currently available for purchase. A fall lineup of additional Xbox exclusive titles is poised to follow; these include: Top Spin (tennis), Amped 2 (snowboarding), NBA Inside Drive 2004 (basketball), Links 2004 (gold), and NHL Rivals 2004 (hockey).

Gamers can log into XSNsports.com to establish their personalized and password-protected 16-game seasons. A virtual sports page monitors gamers' exploits - providing up-to-date statistics, stands, tendencies and trade proposals at fifteen minute intervals. Top ranked competitors can also face off in worldwide tournaments.

According to Microsoft, the company intends to support the XSN consumer electronics brand -- and games under the brand -- with print and television advertising, a strong retail presence, online marketing and numerous publicity events.

Today's announcement seeks to breathe life into Xbox, whose overall sales have not met expectations, drawing out significant revenue from Redmond's coffers.