Should Microsoft give up on the Japanese market?

[Tokyo Trash Baby]

My opinion is yes. Just saw over on the gaming news forum that Microsoft have announced yet another price drop/bundle. Microsoft now offer for ?105:

Console
PGR2
Halo
DVD Kit
2 controllers
2 months subscription to Live

And it will probably still wont sell. I don’t know if its Microsoft's arrogance or if they still believe they can succeed in the Japanese market. Recent hardware sales (for the first week of November) would suggest that it’s game over for Microsoft:

PlayStation 2 - 25,400
GameBoy Advance SP - 19,300
GameCube - 13,700
GameBoy Advance - 6,200
PSone - 510
Xbox - 470
WonderSwan Crystal – 450

The fact that PSone still out sells Xbox would be causing concern over at Microsoft. The amount of money they invest in the Japanese market mind-boggling. At Aso Bit City in Akihabra Microsoft have set up these huge game pods where gamers can sit in these capsules with plasma screens and surround sound systems to trial new games. While Sony and Nintendo have these small setups but still sell very well.

The bottom line is that Microsoft don’t realise that the Japanese don’t take to western made products as quickly as ideals and concepts from the west, and why would they when they have Sony & Nintendo. I can only think Microsoft is just staying in the Japanese market to keep their name on Japanese minds until Xbox 2. Microsoft has fallen because they think its all their way or the highway without doing proper market research. Any gamer would tell you Japanese only really take to Japanese games and not American ports. Microsoft only has themselves to blame

[Stroker Ace]

The thing is, if they can't break Japan, they may as well give up altogether. They'll need Japanese developers for XBox 2, and those developers will certainly be reluctant if MS don't even plan upon launching it in that territory.

They need to keep plugging away. They didn't sell over here until MS were practically paying people to take them, after all. Massive price cuts resulted in a dramatic increase in sales, whether the same tactic will work in Japan, I don't know - although it seems increasingly unlikely.

[JRMacumber]

The thing is, if they can't break Japan, they may as well give up altogether. They'll need Japanese developers for XBox 2, and those developers will certainly be reluctant if MS don't even plan upon launching it in that territory.

Well that's pretty much crap. MS has so far failed in Japan, but that hasn't stopped it from still being the #2 console in the world. Software and hardware both are selling quite robustly, and even if it never shifts another unit in Japan it will still be a success.

They need to keep plugging away. They didn't sell over here until MS were practically paying people to take them, after all. Massive price cuts resulted in a dramatic increase in sales, whether the same tactic will work in Japan, I don't know - although it seems increasingly unlikely.

Yes, they do need to keep plugging away at Japan. I don't feel they need it from a monetary standpoint, but I see it more as a point of pride. MS will never, and should never, quit on it.

[Prine]

nahhhh

They'll be in a deeper hole if they did. Its better having some Jap developers than none, plus, i want my Otogi 2 and True Fantasy Live Online 8)

[Manta Ray vs Guitar]

But I thought Gamecube was still the number two console in the world.

When did that change?

[Crispin]

Well, smart Japanese developers know they can produce stuff that appeals to both Japanese and Western audiences. The DOA series for example.

One of my all time fave games is an Xbox exclusive Japanese developed game. I love it. I wish more Japanese developers would realise, that it is possible to make a really good game and have it sell in the rest of the world well and **** back home.

Western companies such as Ubisoft probably aren't too bothered if their software doesn't sell too well over there, since it sells so well over here. Maybe Japanese developers can realise this too. Whilst sales in Japan is a good thing, you can think of it as a trade off sometimes. If you try to make the game appeal to both Western and Japanese gamers, you run the risk of neither liking it. If you tailor a game to a region's tastes, you should be able to garner appreciable sales in one territory that offset poor ones in another.

Think Unlimited Sage - only the Japs love it en masse. I believe America doesn't care and Europe doesn't exist in SquareEnix's atlas they use when deciding where to release games.

Now take it in reverse - a Japanese developed game that only the non-Japanese enjoy. Non-japanese developers could also try this.

The Xbox doesn't need to and indeed shouldn't have to perform well in Japan for developers to develop on the thing. Keep the Japanese quirkyness intact, but add some western sensibilities. Let us face it - a quiz show kareoke game featuring Polar bears will never sell to the West. But a quiz show Kareoke game might...

[Manta Ray vs Guitar]

There are a few games that sell only respectably in Japan but comparitively well in the west. Metroid is the obvious historical example, but Metal Gear Solid does better overseas (though still doing massive numbers in Japan).

I really don't give a **** who the target audience of a game is, though. And I wish developers wouldn't so much either.

[Crispin]

There are a few games that sell only respectably in Japan but really well in the west. Metroid is the obvious historical example, but Metal Gear Solid does better overseas (though still doing massive numbers in Japan).

I really don't give a **** who the target audience of a game is, though. And I wish developers wouldn't so much either.

Agrees. I don't care who the game was made for, if I like it, then I like it.
Good point. Everybody, 'specially Moodmon, ignore me long winded rambling ****. Manta summed it up.

[Max M]

I don't know, the Xbox is a weird console when it comes to Japanese games. Even in the West most Xbox owners wont touch Japanese software unless it's overly violent.

Xbox has an inverted GameCube image problem, people see it as a console with nothing but first person shooters and racers, while all the more quirky/different games tend to flop. The GameCube is the opposite, games like Monkey Ball and Viewtiful Joe can sell well on it, but the majority of Sega and EA's sports games bomb hard on it.

[spinpug666]

The Xbox scene is abit like the PC game scene in away.
Nether sell big units in the east, but bother do very well in the west.
I don't think that Xbox2 will need Jap soft support to succed.

[womblingfree]

[quote="JRMacumber"]

Well that's pretty much crap. MS has so far failed in Japan, but that hasn't stopped it from still being the #2 console in the world.

Microsoft may or may not be in the number 2 position, I would think the jury is still out. Also i thought that Nintendo, regardless of whether they are 2 or 3 in the global marketplace, are in fact turning a profit whereas Microsoft are haemorraghing money.

Most importantly after the number 1 spot there is a HUGE gap.

Microsoft do not want to become the second most popular videogame console makers in the world. They want to install a multi-media machine into as many living rooms as possible to deliver movies, games, online connectivity and all that comes with it.

Stand alone home PC's will become more and more scarce in the years to come as TV's and PC's slowly combine functionality. Therefore in the long run it could actually be a matter of survival for Microsoft to enter this market or else they will be left with only the global business PC market and even that cannot be 100% assured.

[innovator]

I think the 'Japanese market' have already made that decision for Microsoft, namely the consumers and the developers.

[YOUWIN]

The thing is, if they can't break Japan, they may as well give up altogether. They'll need Japanese developers for XBox 2, and those developers will certainly be reluctant if MS don't even plan upon launching it in that territory.

Well that's pretty much crap. MS has so far failed in Japan, but that hasn't stopped it from still being the #2 console in the world. Software and hardware both are selling quite robustly, and even if it never shifts another unit in Japan it will still be a success.

They need to keep plugging away. They didn't sell over here until MS were practically paying people to take them, after all. Massive price cuts resulted in a dramatic increase in sales, whether the same tactic will work in Japan, I don't know - although it seems increasingly unlikely.

Yes, they do need to keep plugging away at Japan. I don't feel they need it from a monetary standpoint, but I see it more as a point of pride. MS will never, and should never, quit on it.

gotta agree with Justin 'ere, thats bollox, xbox doesn't need Japan, they should just pack up shop and move out, ...........the amount of money they must be loosing there =
Knock it on the head, and instead use the money saved and really promote and invest into US and Europe, ready for the next xbox release.

As for xbox 2 microsoft shouldn't even bother with Japan at all, it's plainly obvious that they simply aren't interested - so **** em - and those that are, well they can import then, can't they

Xbox 2 should just concentrate on US and Europe, perhaps Japenese developers won't like it, but what with such horrendous xbox units sold in Japan, i would imagine that the devs have got most of their sales from US + Europe anyway.

[Kron]

Is everyone expecting the Xbox2 to not even be released in Japan then?

[Molloy]

The Xbox marketing in Japan is all wrong. I'd expect they'll get things right next time. The bottom line is Japanese developers are going to continue to be interested in the format because the world market is alot bigger than the Japanese market.