On Saturday evening, in the Ansal Plaza in the heart of New Delhi, the moment hundreds of thousands of Indian gamers have been eagerly waiting for finally arrived – the launch of the Xbox 360 in their country.

India became the 31st country to join the Xbox world, and all reports are that is was a magical affair. 

Peter was joined on stage by Bollywood heartthrob Akshay Kumar (who rappelled down a 100 ft rope suspended from a crane above the stage), and via satellite, Yuvraj Singh, superstar member of the Indian National Cricket Team.

2,000 members of the media, business partners and consumers were present, and the whole thing was broadcast live on MTV India.   We announced a launch line-up of 25 titles, including exclusive rights to Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007 from Codemasters.

With a population now approaching 1.1 billion, India boasts a rapidly expanding middle class, a tech-savvy and well-educated younger generation (the average Indian is 24 years old), and a retail landscape that is growing in both reach and sophistication.

Xbox365.com has some more information about the launch, and IT News has details about the market.  CNN-IBN did a quick video interview with Peter Moore that you might enjoy...

Welcome, Indian gamers!

[Edit: Indian gamer and Halo fan "Prince" was there, and posted photos and videos on his blog.  Check them out!]

DSC_0258IMG_3653IMG_3587_DSC0551IMG_3782IMG_3501IMG_2249IMG_3556_DSC0392IMG_3695