Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's chairman, flies in later to hold presence alongside Phil Harrison, Sony's worldwide VP of development: announcements on next-generation machines from both parties are expected later in the week.

BBC: New consoles could make 2006 difficult for game makers

Reporting into Phil Harrison, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business (EMEA), the new studio's remit will be to develop a long-term business with Entertainment as a Service at its core, with a focus on Windows 8 tablet devices as the underlying technology and platforms as part of Microsoft Studios' continued expansion across the region.

ENGADGET: Microsoft announces new entertainment and game studio focused on Windows 8 tablet development

After Ken Kutaragi straight up told his rivals that he " didn't care" about the so-called competition they were trying to provide, and those very rivals laughed in his face over Sony's countless delays in producing its miracle machine, it seems that we're finally getting a bit of good ole honesty from Sony's "worldwide studios boss, " Phil Harrison.

ENGADGET: Sony admits to "overreaching" on PlayStation3's Blu-ray production, no relief for Europe