Assuming handheld console also still exist by then?
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Japanese traditional video games have their worst/lowest sales week in history
- Thread starter hiska-kun
- Start date
Assuming handheld console also still exist by then?
DryEyeRelief
Member
Making games about high school makes sense. Audiences. How old are you?
I'm getting Persona 5 day one on PS4 of course!
And yeah I do get what vita jrpgs I can. Also picked up some recent rereleases on Steam. Trying to prod this market forward as much as possible, darnit.
Best selling Japanese games in 2014 include:
1. Yo-kai Watch 2
2. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
3. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
4. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
5. Mario Kart 8
Alright, cool. I wasn't around during a period where JRPGs were apparently bountiful, but it does seem there are still a bunch being made, and many to look forward to.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Maybe if they actually made and released as many games in the west as they used to
JRPG was the genre I sunk ALL of my money into in the PS1/PS2 generation. Then the PS3 generation started and I was suddenly starved for them.
I'd even still buy them if they were still ps2 quality graphics (Maybe just with higher resolution), surely I can't be the only one. Give me another golden age of jrpgs
PS4 is looking better than PS3 in terms of jrpgs at the same moment in time.
FlyingSaucer
Banned
The most shocking is that we will continue to see strong levels of denial on a lot ot topics here on Gaf. People refuse to acknowledge that the world is changing.
Just speaking of domestic sales in Japan it´s not too surprising considering when it comes to quantity of releases, Sonys systems combined seem to get the most in Japan among dedicated videogame systems, despite bad and at best mediocre hardware sales, 3rd parties have been basically runnning against the wall regardless since last gen, something that made it even easier for smartphone games to get to its current position and to fasten the downward spiral for dedicated systems.
DarkLordMalik
Member
It hurts, it hurts so much
fuzzyreactor
Banned
Morpheus will restore Japan
DryEyeRelief
Member
Mobile
Alcoholikaust
Member
terrible sales-all round
Nah, if anything, it will allow them to create games for non-otaku audiences again.
You mean for retail.
Because there are lots of western developers that make "traditional" games for consoles and PC, they just don't release them at retail. There's no reason why Japanese developers, even smaller ones like Platinum, Treasure, Acquire, Camelot etc. can't do the same.
Goro Majima
Kitty Genovese Member
So kinda how Castlevania and Devil May Cry were licensed out to western developers last gen, is that a possibility going forward this gen still?
It just seems weird that Japanese publishers look at that western console market and decide they want nothing of it when they're sitting on all these recognizable IPs. I guess the issue would come down to who is funding these games in that scenario since the publishers themselves in Japan don't want to spend that kind of money. I just figure that they'd want to keep those IPs alive in the west in case the market ever shifts back to a more traditional market in the next decade or so.
It just seems weird that Japanese publishers look at that western console market and decide they want nothing of it when they're sitting on all these recognizable IPs. I guess the issue would come down to who is funding these games in that scenario since the publishers themselves in Japan don't want to spend that kind of money. I just figure that they'd want to keep those IPs alive in the west in case the market ever shifts back to a more traditional market in the next decade or so.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
No because DMC4 outsold DmC by a notable bit. I'd say Capcom should make DMC5 as a result but it might also depend on what Itsuno and co are doing right now. Although we know NT are doing Hellblade.
Times have changed. Mobile gaming has surged significantly since then and there's more demand for mobile games with deeper gameplay than ever (which might require more precise controls, which a smartphone/handheld hybrid could deliver), and the more recent Xperia Z-series smartphones (compared to Xperia Play from 2010) and others have been very acclaimed in terms of quality. The Xperia Play might have been slightly ahead of its time and wasn't made in collaboration with SCE.
Also the Xperia Play was not PlayStation-branded.
The device I'd suggest would be a true collaboration between SCE and Sony Mobile and both the PlayStation and Xperia brand would be attached to it (unlike Xperia Play) and would be able to play PS1, PSP games in addition to Android Google Play games of course.
If ya looked at Satellite Of Love's link, the reason why Japan is catering to the super weird subculture the rest of Japan tries to ignore is because that super weird subculture is the only one that's actually still spending money in Japan. Of course, Japan would cater to the fanservice, loli-crap, and highschool fetishism crowd if that's the only crowd actually spending money on shit.
The issue is naturally that this sort of stuff does not appeal to the West so Japan increasingly has to choose to either cater to foreign tastes and bomb in Japan or cater to Japanese niche tastes and bomb in foreign markets. This is an either/or situation.
No. Retail data comes from unit sales at retailers instead of from gross revenue and game vendors.
The vast majority of mobile money is in f2p, and they're not sold at retail, so the same tracking method wouldn't make sense.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast ~🎶
Oh well. Thankfully I've been lurking in sales threads for long enough that it didn't come as a surprise to me, it was really only a matter of when, not if.
Still, I kinda wish we could go back to the hilarity of the Wii/DS days. We don't have enough insight into the mobile market, and the games that make it over usually come late and lag behind the original significantly, so it's hard to get excited, really.
The curse it is cast ~🎶
Oh well. Thankfully I've been lurking in sales threads for long enough that it didn't come as a surprise to me, it was really only a matter of when, not if.
Still, I kinda wish we could go back to the hilarity of the Wii/DS days. We don't have enough insight into the mobile market, and the games that make it over usually come late and lag behind the original significantly, so it's hard to get excited, really.
sixteen-bit
Member
Hello darkness my old friend
Platinum games has between 150-200 employees. That's to much to do "traditional non retail games". Certainly with the sales they usually have, even in the west.
Treasure and camelot have more to gain (cfr stability) doing contract work for nintendo. I'm not that familiar with Acquire.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Japanese retail games(outside Nintendo) had a good run
We do get estimated digital sales for Japan, but most are very small.
Honestly, I don't see how it can get more japanese unless they start adding more stuff.
Anyways, my point is that they're not doing things to just try to appeal western audiences like Binary Domain (although I loved that game) or give their IP's to western studios as much (like DmC, LP3, Castlevania). I think they realized is best to just make their games for japanese audiences because thats what sells here too.
A problem with this is of course the lack of interest in home consoles in Japan.
Ganondorfo
Junior Member
We will never relieve the Snes-PS2 japan anymore right? They will never create so many great jrpgs in a short era like during the Snes-PS2 gens.
Mr. Giggles
Member
Ganondorfo
Junior Member
End of an era, it makes the video game industry kinda boring.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
What you don't like open world games and remasters?
This isn't unit sales like the OP, but the annual revenue chart should generally get at what you're asking:
I heard once that Japanese wages have been stagnating since around 1997, which just about lines up with this chart.
demosthenes
Member
:lol
You think it's messed up now? Wait till it starts happening more and more in the west. We're just delayed a bit here
Keeping an eye out if anything.
It's currently just one week, that followed some slow but not as bad weeks.
Some were celebrating the bump in sales of the PS4 a few weeks ago and even titles like Xenoblade X which didn't moved the numbers some expected, still moved more than the first game.
Puzzle & Dragons sell through may also look bad, but initial sales weren't that great anyway. Maybe the result if them getting it as a standalone release, whe other regions got it bundled with Z(?).
The upcoming lineup of games doesn't look it will change much. Maybe the new Monster Hunter adventure game.
It's currently just one week, that followed some slow but not as bad weeks.
Some were celebrating the bump in sales of the PS4 a few weeks ago and even titles like Xenoblade X which didn't moved the numbers some expected, still moved more than the first game.
Puzzle & Dragons sell through may also look bad, but initial sales weren't that great anyway. Maybe the result if them getting it as a standalone release, whe other regions got it bundled with Z(?).
The upcoming lineup of games doesn't look it will change much. Maybe the new Monster Hunter adventure game.
The two previous weeks were golden week. They should have been great weeks, but like you said it were slow weeks that would have been like a normal week a few years ago.
Stories? That's 2016.
Demoskinos
Member
As much as people have been hating on Konami I don't think you can really blame them for going into mobile when that is the way Japan is trending these days. I think the west will still trend to dedicated consoles for awhile longer but yeah...japan not looking to hot these days.
I know.
But that's the thing, there's talk about changes, but maybe that's part of those changes. When sales are good, they are. The rest of the time it may not be as high expected, but still nothing drastic.
Just something to keep an eye out. Similar threads has been posted in the past, and is not about been in denial or anything. Just that, again maybe this is just part of said changes. Maybe sales won't be "as great", maybe there will be more horrible weeks...and maybe there will be the usual ones, that brings the "backfromthegrave.gif" along many variations.
I always wondered if Japan was trending toward mobile because japanese devs just suddenly stopped making console games in the ps3 generation. I mean, obviously, they didn't really stop, lots of games still got made, but all of a sudden there was no constant stream of new huge franchises like final fantasies, dragon quests, breath of fires, personas, etc... A steady stream turned to a trickle, then combine that with smart phones becoming common, so of course the gamerbase would drop? If the big franchises still tried would it have dropped nearly as much? Monster Hunter can't carry all the weight.
As a general gaming comment, I was reading Simon Pegg's apology recently and one thing he said rings true. Geeks and nerds are ubiquitous now, we've won.
I wonder if this fact bleeds into the gaming industry. More people are playing games casually, meaning developers don't put as much effort into games, meaning the more dedicated fans withdraw support.
Not really related to this but this whole 'gaming in trouble' concept made me think of that. Maybe video game players are just becoming disillusioned.
I wonder if this fact bleeds into the gaming industry. More people are playing games casually, meaning developers don't put as much effort into games, meaning the more dedicated fans withdraw support.
Not really related to this but this whole 'gaming in trouble' concept made me think of that. Maybe video game players are just becoming disillusioned.
TC McQueen
Member
Not really surprised how shit things are in Japan, considering the confluence of bad economy, shrinking target demo, and Galapagos syndrome they have. That said, considering how a ton of games rely on mechanics and interfaces that haven't changed much since the 90s, it's not too surprising that a lot of stuff is heading to mobile and doing alright on that platform. And given the commuter heavy nature of Japan, it's no surprise that it's their most preferred platform for gaming.
Demoskinos
Member
Kotaku says it's the worst sales since 2001, am I missing something?
http://kotaku.com/the-worst-japanese-sales-week-in-a-long-time-1706242144
http://kotaku.com/the-worst-japanese-sales-week-in-a-long-time-1706242144
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I mean to test the market for these kind of games, as I'd doubt they'd stick around if many of these cratered now that there's "exit strageties" unless they're really driven like Experience or they're betting with Sony and Nintendo money.
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
It's just not set in stone. They may have mobile games on the rise, but we aren't talking "classics" or "GOTY" here. We're talking F2P and we aren't seeing anything besides people throwing money into gimmicky games. Mobile games are very throw away. You are throwing so little time into a point system with large payouts. Reaching level 22 in 4 minutes because you got to spin a casino wheel in game isn't game changing. In fact it doesn't make sense.
I have no clue why mobile games are so great? I think the reward systems in mobile games are almost as bad as casino games. Why do they enjoy so many watered down mobile games? Why are they paying for small things in-game that aren't even groundbreaking in terms of being an actual game? The general idea will come from how much content can be reduced inside a mobile game?
The RPGs and puzzle games all seem the same. I guess I haven't had the feeling of pure enjoyment from them yet. I own quite a few iOS games, but they're copy and paste (except a few of them). I feel like my saves are going to be deleted or the game is going to crash.
The way people keep talking about mobile is weird. It sounds like Japanese players don't like video games as much as they do being amused by cell phone games. That they've somehow given up on games in general. The games they're playing now want more money than the ones they enjoyed before.
If anything there's more people raising arguments that aren't really that important.
It's like the large audience they're attracting now aren't into games for story, gameplay, etc. etc. They just want something with their phone. It's like the re-birth of Tetris.
I don't wish to poke fun at it, but it's like society in general can't define it and they're just going with whatever they see in their phone's app store. I hate some of the smaller games, back alley Steam, app casino RPGs/action/racing games anymore. I like what I like and I need weight to it.
These conditions is what's driving the push towards niche products in both games and other media industries in Japan. It's sustainable (for now), but extremely hard to export.