Support NeoGAF

[Mista]

Today Xbox division head Phil Spencer appeared on episode 1,000 of Gamertag Radio and he had interesting insight to share the positioning of Xbox in the Japanese market.

We know that Spencer often goes to Japan to talk with local developers and publishers, and he explained his reasoning for that kind of dedication.

On top of that, he also pledged to do better with the launch of Xbox Series X compared to the delayed release of Xbox One.

When I got into this job, the thing I was seeing was third-parties skipping Xbox One and not even shipping on the platform.

To be fair there will still be examples of that and every one of them causes me pain, but the number one thing I wanted to do when I started in this role was to get back on the ground a couple of times a year playing with the studio heads, playing their games, and just making them know that I had a commitment to their global success.

I think one of the outputs of that was just the number of Japanese-published games that we were able to show at E3, and I’ve been really proud of the way that we’ve built a partnership with almost all of the publishers there and had really great showing on our E3 stages… and yes those games are shipping on all platforms, but the fact that games that have never been on our stage were on our stage, then we started seeing games that have never been on our platform not only coming to the platform but being highlighted on our stage… That’s the journey that I’ve started.

When I’m over there – I’ll tell you – the number one piece of feedback I get from the studio heads – I’ve been around for a long time and I know a lot of them incredibly well – is they say “the people on our studio love working with you guys. They just wish they saw more Xboxes in the stores around here.” You want to be working on a game and have a platform that is going to be seen in your own country. You want your friends to play and all this.

So our market in Japan for Xbox is important to us. Obviously Sony and Nintendo both strong Japanese companies have done a great job… I don’t know that we’re winning in Japan any time soon, but the position that we have in Japan today for a platform is unacceptable to me.

We’re gonna do a much better job with this next upcoming launch of not waiting ten months to launch in Japan like we did last time. We’re gonna make sure that our services like Game Pass and xCloud are there so people have access to them.

I think what you’re asking about is can we have more home-grown first-party content that’s developed there. I’ll just say I think we can. I’m not announcing anything, but I think the Japanese market is specifically important because of the creative community there, because of the gamer community there, and I want Xbox to mean more there than it does today.

That means working across a bunch of different fronts to make that possible, and it takes time. As I said, I’m still gonna see some things getting announced that aren’t on our platform, and I’ll cringe every time that happens, but relative to four-five years ago, I feel good about our progress, and I definitely know that we’re in this for the long run in that market. In all the markets, and we want to continue to increase the relevance and the importance of Xbox to people.

Phil Spencer Discusses Japan; Pledges to Do Better with Xbox Series X Launch & Wants Xbox to Mean More There

Today Xbox division head Phil Spencer had interesting insight to share the positioning of Xbox in the Japanese market, promising to do better.

twinfinite.net

 

[Mista]

If Phil and Xbox gets to actually turn around Xbox status in Japan, he will forever have my mad respect.

 

[chemical boy]

They have been with the same speech for 15 years.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

3 posts, slower than usual.

 

[Zephir]

He just need to copy-paste the first couple of years of Xbox 360 and keep it up for the whole Series X life cycle

 

[Mista]

3 posts, slower than usual.

Its covered already?

Edit: Never mind. I got you

 

[DW74]

It doesn’t matter what Phil says or does in Japan. It’s not going to change the minds of Japanese gamers. They want their Switch and phone games on the train, and MAYBE their PS4 at home. So, that’s where Japanese developers concentrate their efforts.

They have never cared about Xbox. And to be clear: this is not an anti-Xbox post.

 

[Spukc]

It doesn’t matter what Phil says or does in Japan. It’s not going to change the minds of Japanese gamers. They want their Switch and phone games on the train, and MAYBE their PS4 at home. So, that’s where Japanese developers concentrate their efforts.

They have never cared about Xbox.

K

 

[M1chl]

It doesn’t matter what Phil says or does in Japan. It’s not going to change the minds of Japanese gamers. They want their Switch and phone games on the train, and MAYBE their PS4 at home. So, that’s where Japanese developers concentrate their efforts.

They have never cared about Xbox.

That what Xcloud is probably about, anyway somewhere I read about high adoption rate in South Korea.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

To be fair, all Phil has to do is stick a few tentacles on the x-fridge and have it make high pitched 7 year old sounds when you turn it on.

Instant sell out, and would top their 47 units sold easy. Job done. I don’t know what their problem is.

 

[siekro1983]

They tried with 360 and it got them 1 million in sales. they have a better chance of pigs flying then being successful in japan

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Give the Switch all of your games, Mission Successful

 

[Panajev2001a]

3 posts, slower than usual.

Good thing you are here to protect Phil threads with...

To be fair, all Phil has to do is stick a few tentacles on the x-fridge and have it make high pitched 7 year old sounds when you turn it on.

Instant sell out, and would top their 47 units sold easy. Job done. I don’t know what their problem is.

... another Japanese are pedofiles (pseudo?) racist puerile loli tentacle hentai joke. I think you may be hurting good guy Phil’s message more than the poster you are criticising. As long as your are happy .

 

[Gavin Stevens]

You’re absolutely right, and I apologise to all reading.

I forgot the soft little anime tiddies on top. Sorry Phil, nearly had a problem on our hands.

 

[siekro1983]

Give the Switch all of your games, Mission Successful

Yea because all the western ports sold amazing on switch in Japan.

 

[Mista]

Give the Switch all of your games, Mission Successful

They're still not appealing to the Japanese audience. Look at the Switch and PS4 and you'll understand what appeals to them

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

If Phil and Xbox gets to actually turn around Xbox status in Japan, he will forever have my mad respect.

Competition is always a good thing, especially if Xbox gets a stronger hold of the Japanese game market.

 

[cireza]

Japan is Nintendo and handhelds land. Even PS4 is not really impressive there.

Still getting the games for a worldwide approach is important.

 

[brap]

Good thing you are here to protect Phil threads with...


... another Japanese are pedofiles (pseudo?) racist puerile loli tentacle hentai joke. I think you may be hurting good guy Phil’s message more than the poster you are criticising. As long as your are happy .

Dude is def on microsoft's payroll.

 

[CAB_Life]

Gib Lost Odyssey 2 please, that is all.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Dude is def on microsoft's payroll. If not that's fucking pathetic lmao. Imagine being a console cheerleader in your 30s

Imagine taking a forum so seriously you pay to get rid of ads, and then have a go at people having a laugh who aren’t causing harm. That’s fucking pathetic, man

 

[Inviusx]

Well he's not going to say "nah fuck Japan" so why is this even news?

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Also as a member who constantly talks tech and gives his knowledge when I don’t have to, as well as both sticks up for all three consoles while discussing all threes flaws, I find it laughable you would call me an MS shill when i literary just posted a joke about how bad they do in Japan.

But I’m guessing that doesn’t fit your narrative of your plastic box of choice so please, continue insulting other members, again, and having nothing done about it.

 

[Shantae]

Maybe they should call it the Obox in Japan.

 

[Panajev2001a]

You’re absolutely right, and I apologise to all reading.

I forgot the soft little anime tiddies on top. Sorry Phil, nearly had a problem on our hands.

Oh, so after making a puerile worn out joke, you get on the passive aggressive / “yah just banter mate, banter, yah!” reply. Will just make the inevitable time you go raging for something upsetting your sensibility that much sweeer.

 

[CyberPanda]

Nice!! Best of luck!

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Oh, so after making a puerile worn out joke, you get on the passive aggressive / “yah just banter mate, banter, yah!” reply. Will just make the inevitable time you go raging for something upsetting your sensibility that much sweeer.

That time of the month, mate? Stay in, keep warm and get some coco.

 

[CyberPanda]

If I were MS, I would team up with Nintendo and brand the Xbox with the Nintendo name.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Also as a member who constantly talks tech and gives his knowledge when I don’t have to, as well as both sticks up for all three consoles while discussing all threes flaws, I find it laughable you would call me an MS shill when i literary just posted a joke about how bad they do in Japan.

But I’m guessing that doesn’t fit your narrative of your plastic box of choice so please, continue insulting other members, again, and having nothing done about it.

Ah there is the proper “just banter mate, banter yah” reply. Sure, you dig deep at MS with the equivalent of “those pervy fucks will never get you, not even if you gave them their tentacle loli porn they are obsessed with they will reward you with any sales at all there, the battle is lost before you start in Japan land of waifu pillows”.

Oh yeah, that surely was a harsh dig at MS .

 

[Panajev2001a]

That time of the month, mate? Stay in, keep warm and get some coco.

Well, you found the quote button. Good on you! Still nothing to do with what you were saying earlier.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Ah there is the proper “just banter mate, banter yah” reply. Sure, you dig deep at MS with the equivalent of “those pervy fucks will never get you, not even if you gave them their tentacle loli porn they are obsessed with they will reward you with any sales at all there, the battle is lost before you start in Japan land of waifu pillows”.

Oh yeah, that surely was a harsh dig at MS .

I’ve got... Christ knows, hundreds of posts, in the next gen OT. Did you really think I was on about this thread? I’ve spent a lot of time answering questions on game design and pointing out pros and cons of each hardware, for both companies.

this is a forum, it’s got lots of threads, you should check some out. Clearly you don’t understand how things work.

 

[Sussoloc]

Stationary consoles won't work in Japan, xCloud probably will. Huge mobile gaming market.

 

[CyberPanda]

With XCloud doing good in South Korea, with mobile gaming and all. It could do good in Japan as well. If they get Square Enix on board, I think that could help!

 

[Sakura]

If it had games people wanted then people would buy it. My Japanese friends like games like Bloodborne, Tales, Atelier, Ys, Dragon Quest, etc. Think the game they are playing right now is that Granblue fighting game (?). None of those games are on the Xbox.
You're never going to sell as much as a portable in Japan, but there is still a big difference between the 9 million PS4 sales and the what, 100,000~ Xbox One sales.

 

[JAMMA]

.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I’ve got... Christ knows, hundreds of posts, in the next gen OT. Did you really think I was on about this thread? I’ve spent a lot of time answering questions on game design and pointing out pros and cons of each hardware, for both companies.

this is a forum, it’s got lots of threads, you should check some out. Clearly you don’t understand how things work.

Look, I appreciate some of your other contributions. I do not always agree with them, but they are worth reading. Some of the cons you quote about some HW were a bit as “strong digs” as the ones in this thread about their sales, but that is beside the point.

Here you made a worn out puerile and frankly stupid joke while trying to put down someone’s comments on good guy Phil and that is what I have been addressing.

Not sure why trying to confuse things by calling your post history into question has anything to do with it beyond trying to confuse things.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

My post history was bought up because I take offence to being called a console warrior, like I have to step in to protect Phil and the Xbox brand and I must be on their pay or I’m “pathetic”. You think that’s better or worse than a tired worn out joke that isn’t personal and can be ignored? My post history clearly shows that while I do favour Xbox, I give valid criticism of BOTH machines and credit where it’s due. I appreciate that certain people however can’t see the good in products they don’t like, but that doesn’t concern me.

What concerns me is I fail to see how I can make a joke essentially saying Ms is dead in Japan, and be called an MS shill. It’s a bit arse backwards, is it not.

Fair enough, you don’t like the joke, that’s your call. Call me out on my sense of humour as much as you like, I’m a grown man, i love a challenge. I have a pretty hit or miss sarcastic sense of humour at the best of times. But i don’t take kindly to being called a fanboy console warrior, and I certainly won’t sit quietly when some nobody with a gold name on an Internet forum calls me “pathetic”. That’s not exactly what I come to expect from here.

 

[cireza]

If I were MS, I would team up with Nintendo and brand the Xbox with the Nintendo name.

In my opinion, there is room on the Japanese Market for a proper handheld console. However I don't really see Microsoft being able to make this handheld. The Switch is quite big, and really oriented towards Nintendo games.

PSP/Vita space has not been replaced. If they really wanted to get some market share there, it would be a good approach. With the backup of Japanese Third Parties of course...

 

[Urprobablyright]

They've got different tastes here. One look at shelves in game stores says aaa Western titles are a few rungs down their priority ladders

 

[mejin]

 

[Captain Hero]

This guy

 

[GHG]

So making racist jokes/comments is the response these days when certain Xbox fanatics feel aggrieved regarding anything to do with Japan?

Shouldn't be surprised, it's only been happening since forever.

 

[hunthunt]

Even the Ps5 will flop badly there, the xbox x will sell zero, especially with that ridiculous monster design.

Phill should really focus everything in America and UK and stop this kind of BS.

 

[SleepDoctor]

Don't waste any resources on japan. They wont support anything not Japanese.

Focus on gamesand those will sell to whoever has interested. No point in chasing an anti American market.

 

[bitbydeath]

Even the Ps5 will flop badly there, the xbox x will sell zero, especially with that ridiculous monster design.

Phill should really focus everything in America and UK and stop this kind of BS.

Sony sells more in Japan than Xbox and PlayStation does in UK.

 

[The Cartographer]

Don't waste any resources on japan. They wont support anything not Japanese.

Focus on gamesand those will sell to whoever has interested. No point in chasing an anti American market.

Anti-American?
You need to be aware of something's existence to be against it and you know damn well that Xbox is a ghost console in the Japanese market.
Not many people are against because they don't even know it's available for purchase (like the Stadia).

Xbox can try again for a fourth time but we already know that at best the console will do XBone numbers.

 

[Sussoloc]

Don't waste any resources on japan. They wont support anything not Japanese.

Focus on gamesand those will sell to whoever has interested. No point in chasing an anti American market.

Pushing xCloud shouldn't be too expensive. Maybe one or two cheap games with tentacles + schoolgirls and done.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

What good is Ms marketing to the Japanese, when they already fuck up marketing in places they are popular? For every one Xbox advert I see, either to YouTube, the tv, or when out... I see no less than 30 PlayStation ones.

And that’s the UK, where they are still quite popular.

So before they even think of doing anything they need a kick up the arse marketing wise, because it’s bloody terrible.

 

[GHG]

Even the Ps5 will flop badly there, the xbox x will sell zero, especially with that ridiculous monster design.

Phill should really focus everything in America and UK and stop this kind of BS.

Those two markets alone are not enough to sustain a brand. If there is a dip in either of those two markets they will really suffer. As an example, about 70% of Sony's Playstation revenue comes from outside the US.

As a brand Xbox simply need to be more culturally aware and build local marketing teams in every country they wish to sell to. They need to have separate TV/Radio adverts and youtube channels for various regions and keep up a steady flow of content to all of them.

Basically on the whole they do a poor job of appealing to non-English speaking regions and countries. It's something that I didn't realise until I moved from the UK to the Middle East. You can really feel the presence of Nintendo and Sony here but not Xbox.

 

[Three]

Even the Ps5 will flop badly there, the xbox x will sell zero, especially with that ridiculous monster design.

Phill should really focus everything in America and UK and stop this kind of BS.

He is concentrating on those two but he likes to also blow a lot of hot air nonsense PR when he speaks.