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[Dabanton]

All that effort for little return they should be instead targeting europe a bit more.

Anyway they have the more important part the japanese devs who are all about western expansion Capcom were one of the first Japanese devs to see which way this gen would be going. For many of the others it took a while to see that the PS3 was not going to be able to make up all the numbers needed for these big budget 'HD' games.

 

[Vic]

Even if it's doomed to sell like shit in Japan, they'll still want a presence over there.

 

[Grinchy]

If they want to waste money, go ahead. Just as long as they don't moneyhat exclusives

I wonder what other strategy they have? It's not like they are going to just strengthen their first party studios.

 

[Jonnyram]

Yeah, I really think they should just not bother.
One day Japan may come around to Western gaming ideas, but Microsoft won't be the ones leading the charge.

 

[watership]

They should do it. Show everyone that despite the dislike for MS and their system they will still be there. Determination. Everyone fights. No one quits.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Make Monster Hunter exclusive. They can afford it.

That would sooner kill Monster Hunter.

 

[wrowa]

I do not see them doing this and I doubt they will. Microsoft proved that they could be successful by focusing on their core American market, while still supporting the European market. They completely failed in Japan, but simultaneously, this generation saw the biggest move away from Japan as the prime game target that we've ever seen in this industry.

Yep. There is really no reason why MS even would want to go after Japan. Last generation not having Japanese games actually was still a problem. Nowadays only very few games made in Japan are still important outside of the country.

The importance of Japanese games was always a much more important factor than the acual sales in Japan. Japanese sales are nothing to sneeze at, but in the bigger picture they doesn't matter that much.

 

[Derrick01]

Your shtick is getting really old, dude.

Would you like to actually contribute to the thread? Can you refute what pretty much everyone is saying here and tell us why they should bother?

 

[Shiloa]

All those damning the Japanese devs should remember that things can change dramatically with the changes in hardware. This generation has shown that the Japanese dominance slipped with this gen, with western devs taking pole position, but since then there's a shift to small companies from anywhere in the world. Who knows what will happen next time?

I need the first picture in higher resolution.

I tried but failed so I had to settle for the little one.

 

[strem]

I've seen the games that are successful in Japan...if I were MS I would stay as far away as possible

 

[speedpop]

I've seen the games that are successful in Japan...if I were MS I would stay as far away as possible

Well I guess everyone can't be Nintendo...

 

[funkystudent]

pay whatever it takes to get a real monster hunter or Dragon quest game as a exclusive.

other then that there isnt much else they could try.


They did try damn hard for the first few years this gen getting some big japanese talent to make exclusive games but it was all new IP's that no one gave a shit about.

 

[Riposte]

I believe PC gaming and a serious gaming phone platform (which Windows Phone is suppose to be right? Getting a Cave shooter anyway) have a much better chance than another Xbox would. That is, unless the way Japanese approach consoles suddenly changes. If they completely ignore console pursuits in Japan it would be quite a sad day considering some of the best games ever were odd ball titles which Japanese developers put on the Xbox and 360 for no reason other than to be purposefully niche.

Also generally speaking posters like Derrick01 are not worthy of comment, so get over it.

 

[StreetsAhead]

I've seen the games that are successful in Japan...if I were MS I would stay as far away as possible

Like Mario, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest are so terrible?

 

[speedpop]

pay whatever it takes to get a real monster hunter or Dragon quest game as a exclusive.

Monster Hunter requires a portable device to seriously move units. Dragon Quest historically goes to the leading platform.

 

[Dabanton]

Well I guess everyone can't be Nintendo...

Nintendo makes universally appealing games.

 

[Neuromancer]

Yeah I really don't think they're going to bother this time. It was a thankless endeavor with the 360.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Damn, this thread reminds me of when they announced all those exclusive JRPGs in one conference. I was never so happy.

 

[GillianSeed79]

They could always pull a Commodore Perry and just show up on Japan's shores with warships, refusing to leave until Japanese people bought Xbox's and Windows phones.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

All those damning the Japanese devs should remember that things can change dramatically with the changes in hardware. This generation has shown that the Japanese dominance slipped with this gen, with western devs taking pole position, but since then there's a shift to small companies from anywhere in the world. Who knows what will happen next time?

While I agree with this, I just don't believe that Microsoft will put in continuous , genuine effort in offering Japanese games. They left such a bad impression with the 360's Japanese offerings, that I'll never consider them again for my gaming needs. (Totally regret buying the console.)

 

[see5harp]

I still think they need a presence there but money would probably be better spent in Europe.

 

[iceatcs]

I think MS will win on next gen in Japan.

 

[Riposte]

They could always pull a Commodore Perry and just show up on Japan's shores with warships, refusing to leave until Japanese people bought Xbox's and Windows phones.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Would you like to actually contribute to the thread? Can you refute what pretty much everyone is saying here and tell us why they should bother?

There's a difference between a market that was once on top shrinking and "means nothing to the overall gaming world". A good percentage of the games that exist today are still coming from Japan even if they sell less both domestically and internationally. Even then, it's a country where a non-Nintendo game can sell over 4 million units. Yeah, it isn't 20 million or whatever like some COD game in the US, but it's by no means insignificant.

Had MS stuck it out and continued to push their products in Japan, they might have actually gotten somewhere which would have built a base for their next console. But they weren't looking at the long term and ended up caring less and less about advertising and securing exclusives that would appeal to the target demographic.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

That would sooner kill Monster Hunter.

That might not be such a bad thing, one fewer revenue stream for Capcom and one fewer IP for Capcom to milk to death.

 

[Gattsu25]

I think they've realized they will probably never make much headway in Japan.

It probably wasn't a good idea to name the codename for the original XBox "Project Midway"

 

[jbug617]

I always wonder if the story was true that Sega wanted the orginial Xbox to branded a Sega console in Japan and Microsoft console everywhere else.

 

[Quadrangulum]

Securing Mistwalker, Tales of Vesperia, and a bunch of other Japanese games justified my purchase many times over, even if I found many disappointing. It'd be upsetting if they ignored Japan but then again, maybe Japanese studios can benefit by having to focus on fewer platforms.

 

[Derrick01]

There's a difference between a market that was once on top shrinking and "means nothing to the overall gaming world". A good percentage of the games that exist today are still coming from Japan even if they sell less both domestically and internationally. Even then, it's a country where a non-Nintendo game can sell over 4 million units. Yeah, it isn't 20 million or whatever like some COD game in the US, but it's by no means insignificant.

Had MS stuck it out and continued to push their products in Japan, they might have actually gotten somewhere which would have built a base for their next console. But they weren't looking at the long term and ended up caring less and less about advertising and securing exclusives that would appeal to the target demographic.

I actually somewhat agree with you for what's it worth. But I don't think MS will try harder, nor do I think they know how to, so I'm saying they shouldn't bother. They've done perfectly well selling only a million or two 360s in Japan this gen. They would have to change their entire business strategy, relentlessly pursue developers and games in a country where they're largely not wanted and compete with fan favorites Sony and Nintendo and I just don't think it's worth the effort for them. Especially as Japan becomes more handheld focused.

 

[Esura]

Microsoft would be really dumb to skip out on Japan next gen.

 

[grap3fruitman]

A friend pointed out to me that the letter X in Japan is usually associated with "wrong" or "bad." Maybe start out by not calling you system the "Wrong-box?"

 

[fernoca]

A friend pointed out to me that the letter X in Japan is usually associated with "wrong" or "bad." Maybe start out by not calling you system the "Wrong-box?"

I've heard that, not sure if it's true.
Also that Microsoft spend a good amount of time, money and space promoting the 360 as "HD"...when the whole "HD" doesn't exist (or exited?) in Japan.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

I actually somewhat agree with you for what's it worth. But I don't think MS will try harder, nor do I think they know how to, so I'm saying they shouldn't bother. They've done perfectly well selling only a million or two 360s in Japan this gen. They would have to change their entire business strategy, relentlessly pursue developers and games in a country where they're largely not wanted and compete with fan favorites Sony and Nintendo and I just don't think it's worth the effort for them. Especially as Japan becomes more handheld focused.

Yeah, it probably isn't worth the effort at this point. Like I said, had they stuck with the push, they could have been in a very good position once the next generation came around. Unfortunately, just stopping wiped out most of the progress they had already made.

Starting all over again with the next console would essentially be redoing a gamble that most likely wouldn't even turn a profit for a while even if it does pay off. Like I said, they don't seem to be as concerned with the long-term and building a fanbase at this point even if they are leagues ahead of where they were during the original Xbox years.

Still, I do expect the successor to at least release there even if not a ton is put into advertising. It really all depends on MS' direction in general. If they focus more on Kinect-like experiences, it might be even more dead in the water in Japan.

 

[Jonnyram]

They should do it. Show everyone that despite the dislike for MS and their system they will still be there. Determination. Everyone fights. No one quits.

Pissing away a load of cash on inefficient developers who are taking you for a ride is not what I'd call "fighting".

 

[Raide]

They need to nail a new Monster Hunter game, new Tales game, new Final Fantasy game and fill out the RPG's again. Kinect is a no-go for the majority of gamers in Japan, unless they sort out the tech for Kinect 2 to work in much smaller spaces.

Unfortunately, Japan is very much a mobile gaming land. Its all about handhelds and smartphones, so unless they can link 720 and Windows 8 gaming with a new Docomo/Softbank link, then they are a bit stuck.

 

[Nora Kisaragi]

A friend pointed out to me that the letter X in Japan is usually associated with "wrong" or "bad." Maybe start out by not calling you system the "Wrong-box?"

Kind of, the letter X in Japan is a symbol for "Cross". Like Street Fighter X Tekken (pronounced 'Street Fighter Cross Tekken' in Japan..). They called it street fighter x tekken because the SF and Tekken guys hate eachother. X is kind of like a synonym for 'Versus'. I wouldn't be surprised to see some japanese people calling it the ''Cross Box"

 

[Quicksilver4648]

While a new Xbox would certainly be a loss for them in Japan, simply due to wanting a presence in the region I do believe they will sell there. I expect a launch of the new console in western regions (North America and Western Europe) at the same time while Japan will be six months later and fairly low priority. I expect an initial marketing push but once sales are once again extremely low Microsoft will turn nearly all of its attention away. I think everyone realizes (inside and outside of Microsoft) that Japan is a lost cause for them.

 

[MasterSheen]

Lets see if the 720 can reach 2m next gen.

But seriously, I see no reason why they should even bother with releasing their next console in Japan. Their brand is completely irrelevant there and they'd be unnecessarily spending a lot of money. They are better off just focusing mostly on America.

 

[StreetsAhead]

A friend pointed out to me that the letter X in Japan is usually associated with "wrong" or "bad." Maybe start out by not calling you system the "Wrong-box?"

Batsu-Box!

 

[Zoe]

Kind of, the letter X in Japan is a symbol for "Cross". Like Street Fighter X Tekken (pronounced 'Street Fighter Cross Tekken' in Japan..). They called it street fighter x tekken because the SF and Tekken guys hate eachother. X is kind of like a synonym for 'Versus'. I wouldn't be surprised to see some japanese people calling it the ''Cross Box"

His friend was referring to the ばつ mark. Incorrect things are marked with ×, correct with ○.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

That might not be such a bad thing, one fewer revenue stream for Capcom and one fewer IP for Capcom to milk to death.

Less games is always a bad thing. Hang your head.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Sometimes I wonder why even bother.

At least they got us home ports of some of the best arcade games this gen. I love them for that.

 

[SykoTech]

Has Japan ever cared about Microsoft?

They can never manage to even get me interested enough to buy their platform. No way Japan has ever given a damn.

 

[WrikaWrek]

Well, the wheels have reversed. MS no longer needs to do anything, since Japanese developers have been adopting the mentality of making games for a global audience (we all know what that means).

So, why even care? Don't waste anymore effort there than you would in other countries.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

I'm still wondering how N3 got a sequel while Phantom Dust, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey didn't.

 

[saucylion]

I don't understand why they shouldn't. I mean they should be able to sell a couple hundred thousand units with very little advertisement. Scary as it may sound there are some people in Japan who enjoy their xboxes. Big new releases still chart for a week or 2 in media create, despite the fact that most retailers have pulled the 360.

 

[Raide]

I'm still wondering how N3 got a sequel while Phantom Dust, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey didn't.

N3 was probably a hell of a lot cheaper to make than a Blue Dragon or Lost Odyssey sequel. As for Phantom Dust (would kickstart the hell out of an XBLA/PSN remake) Anarchy Reigns is the closest we will get.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I'm still wondering how N3 got a sequel while Phantom Dust, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey didn't.

Other publishers didn't commission sequels. Konami published N3II, not Microsoft Game Studios.

 

[RurouniZel]

Frankly, Microsoft is always going to be super niche in the Japanese home console space. They would have to make a portable to even have a chance (unlikely even then).

If I were Microsoft, I'd simply make the next XBox region-free so it can play both US and Japanese games and just sell left-over systems from the US there. They likely won't sell more than one million total units lifetime in the region, so any units that don't sell in Japan can just be shipped to the US instead.

 

[Slayer-33]

If MS want to succeed in Japan, or at least hit a respectable number, 5m? They have to go all or nothing. Money hat Tales, FF, MH ect, buy Mistwalker and a couple of other Japanese devs, be very price competitive, perhaps completely different branding.

It's not even worth it at all.