Coulomb_Barrier
Member
So will the launch weekend sales actually break into double figures?
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AFP:Japan launch of Microsoft Xbox One a damp squib
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So will the launch weekend sales actually break into double figures?
n00bsauce87
Member
To be honest, Japan. If MS wanted to bank on a strong Asian presence to be a major factor globally, they would have stopped after OG Xbox. Some markets, there's no worthy competition. Hasn't stopped MS from trying.
Coulomb_Barrier
Member
I don't think many people would be making that argument really.
Uncle Rupee
Banned
The Wii U has already sold more units than the Xbox 360 did over the course of its entire life in Japan. I don't think anyone would care if MS didn't release it in Japan.
funkystudent
Member
Super curious to see what the numbers are for the launch.
It will probably do over 10k and beat the PS4 and maybe Wii U for 1 week right? I cant imagine it would sell THAT bad at launch.
It will probably do over 10k and beat the PS4 and maybe Wii U for 1 week right? I cant imagine it would sell THAT bad at launch.
MS needs to learn a lesson about their horrible decisions with the One, including delaying the launch of the console in so many countries. It wouldn't be enough to struggle for less than a year, they deserve to be behind the entire generation.
They'll continue trying hard to win back gamers. I'm far more interested in seeing them go through some pain for a while longer, watching Sony succeed, so they overcompensate. It's MS, they have the resources to make something incredible, but they need the right direction. We'll get a better Xbox from it next gen.
Do you realize that mostly yahoo news content is from other news agency like Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse etc, right?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_agency
You speak the truth (delayed launch not as big a deal IMO though). MS had turned its efforts into incredible good will for 1.5 cycles. All of a sudden, it dropped the ball on focusing on traditional games out of a desire to steal the Wii's thunder and gatgher more info for advertisers, and then blatantly tried screwing the traditional gamers over as much as possible with One. If MS shows a long pattern of proper focus and reasonableness the rest of this generation into the next (like Sony had to do last time), I think they have a chance of recapturing what they lost some day.
P. sure there is a sizable IT Crowd fanbase on every tech-related website.
Haunted
Member
BTW.... Yahoo Japan is a complete different company than the Yahoo! from US.
SoftBank has more shares on "Yahoo! Japan" than american Yahoo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_Japan
SoftBank has more shares on "Yahoo! Japan" than american Yahoo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_Japan
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
I never, in a million years, imagined this could turn out to be true.
Never understood this statement so they shouldn't release their console there at all? You know its nice for people to go to their local store and buy, instead of having to importing it no matter how small the market.
Do You work for Sony or Nintendo? (serious question) or can You explain why you Are thankfully?
Supporting the console in Japan costs them money.
Denton
Member
Competition is great, and part of free market competition is companies that do not treat their customers well failing. This is happening to MS, and it is a good, and fully deserved, thing.
No idea what that means, I guess I do not know all english idioms.
I am not affiliated with any game industry company in any way. I just like to see market working as intended - badly behaving companies getting punished. I also like seeing it working the other way, good companies suceeding, which is why I love to support companies like CD Projekt, Valve, 4A, and many, many others.
Paging Y2kev:
The companies competed. This is the result of the competition.
But you're implying that the Japanese market is valuable enough to spend unbelievable sums of money on in order to slightly increase their market share. It's clearly a losing proposition for them. They tried it for 2 years with the launch of the 360, and were completely unopposed in the console space for a year and still couldn't do any meaningful damage. Why should they spend millions on Japanese studios when all signs point to the console space slowing down over there? Especially when that space is already dominated by Nintendo and Sony? Why not spend money on Australian devs or Chinese devs? What makes the Japanese market so important to Microsoft that they should spend extra resources trying to woo them?
To be honest, I have no idea why they even released the system there, but that must somehow fit in their cost-benefit analysis.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Well, the Wii U and PS3 is outselling the PS4 in Japan. Just saying.
Platinum Games is making Scalebound for Microsoft Studios. Clearly MS hasn't completely given up.
oldergamer
Member
If MS wants an influx of Japanese developed games. Make dev kits free to all developers in the japan region. You will suddenly see crazy amount of support...
.. and tentacles, but that is expected no?
.. and tentacles, but that is expected no?
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Platinum games are massive bombs in Japan. They have more appeal to the western audience.
Chris Metal
Member
Don't worry, everyone has blind spots...
Devilgunman
Member
I predict it will be the worst console launch in Japan yet. Probably less than 5k.
Visualante2
Member
Aren't Microsoft fans referred to something vulgar like pigs on 2ch's video game board?
Eddie Griffin
Banned
The delay was for localization, language, stores, currency, apps, kinect voice recognition of some, getting the ability to even sell in those countries the first place, and specific deals and promotions related to those countries.
Your anger for them delaying doesn't make much sense. technically, sonys delay was more nonsense in japan to be honest.
protomouse
Member
That's Nintendo fans, I believe. Sony fans are called cockroaches and I can't remember what Microsoft fans are called. Might be wrong.
Wasn't it "Molesters"? or something like that?
Edit Gropers or Molester it seems: http://kotaku.com/why-xbox-fans-are-called-gropers-in-japan-643703100 G
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
Don't know why MS even bothered.
Total waste of resources.
Total waste of resources.
protomouse
Member
That rings a bell. What a nice place.
Everyone had gone home by the time America, I mean Xbox One showed up.
I think its time for Blue Dragon 2 MS.
Goodacre0081
Member
if MS doesn't launch in japan they can say goodbye to any Japanese developer/publisher support. you might see the biggest games published but anything other than that wont be supported.
They did though in the beginning of the seventh gen. The problem was it didn't yield any dividend on a big enough scale. Yeah people camped out for TOV, but that wasn't anywhere near enough to justify the cost of maintaining an exclusive in a dead platform for the Japanese developers. They were basically throwing money away the whole time, much more than than they had gotten in the deal from MS.
Think about Japanese games. Think about why they are not very popular with western audiences. Take all the generalizations, ignorance and pure cultural differences, and reverse it to the Japanese with western games. Then, combine it with declining interest in consoles and core gaming in general. There you go.
The original Xbox most Japanese don't even know about since it being so long ago, and the 360(and now the One) are known as the device for western games. Today, all western games are described by non fans as murder games or FPS. There's literally no other distinction beyond them being FPS. And so when you have an easy to dismiss generalization like that, it becomes easy to ignore entirely.
katsubento
Member
One guy on launch and six journalists? Ouch.
NinjaMouse
Member
I'll never understand why failure is funny to people.
Don't you remember last Gen? Exclusives, games like Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, bargain basement pricing and they still couldn't make a dent.
It's simple, with Nintendo and Sony being homegrown Japanese consoles, it's hard for anyone else to bring something to the market they can't. In the mobile space, Apple was able to get a foothold but that's because they went largely unchallenged. For most Japanese gamers, there is nothing Xbox brings that they cannot get from Sony and Nintendo.
Additionally, the Japanese console market isn't as important as many on forums make it out to be. Last Gen, Microsoft was almost tied with Sony worldwide with only two regions, NA/EU vs Sony who has NA/EU/JP.
family_guy
Member
They can't make any real profit from this so why no just cut Japan out entirely? Save money on employees, distribution, office space, etc. They can't win so why not try to maximize profits instead of going after non-existent marketshare.
That was only because of the US overwhelmingly making up the difference. If the PS3 and 360 were tied in the US, the PS3 would actually have been winning significantly. 10+ million sales from Japan is no joke.
That isn't happening this time around on both counts.
rokkerkory
Member
Can't believe they are even trying in Japan still
Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Seems like that would be the case regardless. Having a tiny Japanese Xbox One userbase is almost as useless as having a non-existent one...and it's also a lot more expensive for Microsoft.
Sole reason is because of Japanese developer/publisher morale as puny as it might be (towards Xbox).
bigboss370
Member
i...what?
eddfromtheriver
Banned
Fake Kaz is a prophet lol.
Haha!!!, yeah i was reminded of his tweet, right on the money.
Was this posted? because Holy shit...
"Honestly speaking, we haven't sold a single Xbox yet today. The Xbox has never been a big-seller, but we would expect a few customers on the release day," a sales assistant at a Tokyo electronics store who asked for it not to be identified, told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Honestly speaking, we haven't sold a single Xbox yet today. The Xbox has never been a big-seller, but we would expect a few customers on the release day," a sales assistant at a Tokyo electronics store who asked for it not to be identified, told The Hollywood Reporter.