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[jimbojim]

Only if they buy Sony and Nintendo

 

[DonJorginho]

Do a Halo game in rural Japan.

 

[DGrayson]

MS success in Japan has to be a meme by now.

 

[Wizz-Art]

Japan makes a unique type of games that the west often fails to replicate.
By excluding them, they do so in expense of variety and audience.
Lets not forget how the X360 by it's end was filled with military shooters.

I still don't care and seeing the sales performances of those game in the West I'm not the only one.

 

[LazyParrot]

I still don't care and seeing the sales performances of those game in the West I'm not the only one.

Yeah, Japanese games do better at home than abroad. But then again, so does Xbox. Microsoft could ditch the entire console business tomorrow and most people outside North America would just shrug and go right back to playing on their PS4/Switch or refreshing that PS5 preorder page.

 

[The_Mike]

Spencer has japan covered.

No Japanese or weeb can resist the power of X anime titties.

 

[silentstorm]

That just reminds me Neptunia isn't coming to Xbox despite the series having a character that is literally a personification of Xbox itself and is a spear wielding gamer girl.

Anyways, yeah, people everywhere have told MS to change their marketing strategy for years and they haven't, they suck at marketing to countries where they aren't popular and don't seem to be trying at all, also, just want to say that MS did try to have some mascots, but honestly, who remembers this:

Or this?

The last one was even from Rare and it failed.

 

[Wizz-Art]

Yeah, Japanese games do better at home than abroad. But then again, so does Xbox. Microsoft could ditch the entire console business tomorrow and most people outside North America would just shrug and go right back to playing on their PS4/Switch or refreshing that PS5 preorder page.

Nice try, most Xbox gamers would go on PC or even Xcloud then they would go with the anti-consumer company.

 

[LazyParrot]

Nice try, most Xbox gamers would go on PC or even Xcloud then they would go with the anti-consumer company.

You're delusional if you think the average console buyer wastes even a single thought on whether or not the company making their plastic box of choice is "pro-consumer" or not, and you're even more delusional if you think of Microsoft as a "pro-consumer" company.

 

[Wizz-Art]

You're delusional if you think the average console buyer wastes even a single thought on whether or not the company making their plastic box of choice is "pro-consumer" or not, and you're even more delusional if you think of Microsoft as a "pro-consumer" company.

I think you are delusional!

 

[Spaceman292]

Is if they put gamepass on Switch. I feel like they would get a lot more Japanese support as well and more Japanese consumers into their ecosystem.

Or make some japanese games

 

[MagnesG]

They still can't figure it out on how to do effective marketing sadly.

 

[Compsiox]

I think they have somewhat of a chance with gamepass and XCloud. If we don't see results within a year that's probably it tbh.

Microsoft's real goal right now is to at least make the Xbox name known in Japan so Japanese devs are familiar with it and want to develop for the platform.

 

[Compsiox]

You're delusional if you think the average console buyer wastes even a single thought on whether or not the company making their plastic box of choice is "pro-consumer" or not, and you're even more delusional if you think of Microsoft as a "pro-consumer" company.

The Xbox division is definitely pro consumer with the services they're offering thanks to Phil. Sony has definitely been going in the other direction unfortunately (probably because of Jim Ryan).

 

[jufonuk]

Wednesday can't come soon enough.

but which Wednesday?

 

[Hudo]

They should do a reverse Sony and move the Xbox HQ to Tokyo.

 

[waquzy]

Microsoft doesn't not give nearly enough fucks about their gaming portion to do that. Gaming is a pretty small part of Microsoft

I know. All I’m saying is that they have enough money to buy them outright no questions asked. Sony and Nintendo are small fish compared to Microsoft

 

[Cert.in.Death]

but which Wednesday?

“Wednesday” is more of an idea than actual period in space and time.

 

[MayauMiao]

Is if they put gamepass on Switch. I feel like they would get a lot more Japanese support as well and more Japanese consumers into their ecosystem.

Why would Japanese developers have to pay MS fee, on top of potential Nintendo fee? Not to mention having to put up with Western censorship.

 

[LazyParrot]

The Xbox division is definitely pro consumer with the services they're offering thanks to Phil. Sony has definitely been going in the other direction unfortunately (probably because of Jim Ryan).

They're "pro-consumer" because they got absolutely trashed by Sony last gen both in sales and in terms of reputation. They can't afford not to be right now. They don't have any games yet and taking back the power crown 3 years ago with Xbox One X didn't help their sales much. Painting themselves as the good guys is all they've got for now.

This isn't unique to Microsoft, of course. Success breeds arrogance. Microsoft got cocky after Xbox 360 just as Sony got arrogant coming off of PS2 and now PS4. Don Mattrick may be gone, but rest assured that most of the higher-ups who either thought Xbox One as presented at E3 2013 was a great idea or did nothing to stop it (this included Phil, btw) are still around, and they'll get back to their old tricks the second they think they can get away with it.

 

[Inviusx]

The Bethesda buyout will make an impact in Japan if the games go exclusive. As someone who has put over 500 hours into Fallout 76 I can tell you the game is weirdly popular over there. I almost see more Japanese players than westerners.

 

[Compsiox]

They're "pro-consumer" because they got absolutely trashed by Sony last gen both in sales and in terms of reputation. They can't afford not to be right now. They don't have any games yet and taking back the power crown 3 years ago with Xbox One X didn't help their sales much. Painting themselves as the good guys is all they've got for now.

This isn't unique to Microsoft, of course. Success breeds arrogance. Microsoft got cocky after Xbox 360 just as Sony got arrogant coming off of PS2 and now PS4. Don Mattrick may be gone, but rest assured that most of the higher-ups who either thought Xbox One as presented at E3 2013 was a great idea or did nothing to stop it (this included Phil, btw) are still around, and they'll get back to their old tricks the second they think they can get away with it.

At least under Phil I don't think they'd go anti consumer if they find success. He seems genuine.

 

[Fitzchiv]

Most of the answers to this thread imply one way or another that the only way MS is successful in Japan is by not being MS. Therein lays the answer and the issue. Their proposition isn't a good fit for the Japanese market, it's just that simple. I'm not sure what they could do to satisfy the quite unique mix of hardware desire and games in Japan that would bring enough commercial success elsewhere to make it worth the investment WITHOUT changing the core of their brand.

If MS want to make money in Japan it will be as a platform, not as the Xbox brand.

 

[silentstorm]

Dear lord, that Xbox One announcement at E3 was amazingly awful, Sony genuinely got applauded for announcing some things would stay the same, like them making a video about gamers getting used games and nothing happening, i like to think even the executives who thought it was a good idea back then learnt something from it.

But man, so many people went to PS4 or Wii U out of spite despite having been Xbox fans it's amazing, it's almost a miracle that the Xbox brand stayed strong enough that Xbox Series is still selling well.

 

[KiteGr]

I still don't care and seeing the sales performances of those game in the West I'm not the only one.

It's only in the recent years that those kind of games had fallen from grace. In the past most of the more interesting games where Japanese, but today, most big Japanese developers are making multiplatform, politically correct games, while the rest are mostly anime visual novel shovelware. However we still get Japanese gems that break the mold, like Demon's Souls, Persona 5, and Nier Automata. It would be a crime to abandon that culture.

To answer the Topic's question:
To get into the Japanese console Market, Microsoft would have to do what Sony did to win the last generation of Console War.... NOTHING!
The current arrogant Sony is currently in the process of shooting them self's in their foot, as their recent exclusive censorships over Japanese games have angered Japanese developers and players alike!

 

[mcjmetroid]

It would be very hard for them to break Japan and no matter what they say I don't think they think it's worth it.
It would require buying up a lot of Japanese IPs

 

[lock2k]

Minecraft on 3ds. ALso:



I am not sure if that is the video where they talk about it (I searched for it to post here, but I am not sure if that is the video where I saw it). There have been games that were licensed by some company and released as a piece of crap for competing platforms, so their own platform would look good in comparison.

Now Minecraft, I believe in the 3ds it originally had the 3d stereoscopic feature, but yet once it was released and sold, M$, who bought Minecraft, crippled it by removing the stereoscopic feature and any kind of online play, basically selling something useless for a full price. Imagine if you could play online Minecraft and watch it as a real 3d thing, how would have it looked in their own platform compared to it (their own game), and why not prefer the 3d version instead. And if it had those features and they crippled it I still don't understand why there has not been a class action suit yet

Not to derail the thread, but thanks for the video, and especially the final part which highlights why I despise the current Marvel and the MCU so much. Fuck Disney.

Get back on the thread subject now

 

[Thirty7ven]

“Only way for Xbox to be successful in Japan is to do the impossible.”

Oh ok

 

[DaGwaphics]

I think MS's best chance in Japan is to advertise Switches on ebay (or whatever the Japanese equivalent is) for $200 and then send an XSX instead.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Why does OP pick Japan? Because of their great gaming legacy? Because of their island atmosphere? Microsoft has a great line and great opportunities ahead. Their relationships will improve with these countries.

 

[Kerotan]

I'll assume they didn't ship many games either, since only one charted

TrY hArDer nExT TIme.

Did you see how many free games ps plus members got? Plus there's a digital ps5 and then there's digital on the disc version. Playstation players have too many games to play.

 

[jaysius]

Oh look another random crystal ball thread mine says:

• we'll all end up being John Romero's bitch with his newest game
• Half-Life 3 will be a Nintendo console exclusive
• Gaf will have people that don't shitpost new threads based on random tweets from nobodies and other stupid shit.

I'm sure one of those will happen.

 

[Thabass]

Nope, it's from buying Sega.

Came to post this.