Microsoft Discusses Japanese 360 Launch Issues

[score]

From Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com):

In a report from the current issue of Japanese game magazine Weekly Famitsu, translated by consumer site GameSpot, Microsoft of Japan officials reflected on the Xbox 360's faltering launch in that territory. To date, the system has sold less in its first month on shelves than the original Xbox did in its first three days, with only 107,800 units as yet moved.

"It was a lot more difficult than we had imagined. We couldn't prepare the launch titles that we had promised, and it made an impact," said Microsoft of Japan Xbox chief of operations Yoshihiro Maruyama about the difficult launch. Two games in particular were planned as launch, only to see delays: Dead or Alive 4, the new entry in the most popular Xbox series in Japan, missed the system launch by several weeks, and the game's first RPG, [em] -eNCHANT aRM, was pushed back by a month.
Read More (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7956)

[fushi]

Just for reference:
Dead Or Alive 4 sales to date: 65,250 (4 weeks out)
[em] -eNCHANT aRM sales to date: 18,000 (2 weeks out)

Both games made more than 80% of their current sales during the first week.

[jBusy]

The best quote of the article?

"We also received some criticisms toward our promotions, saying that people don't understand what high definition is. The Xbox 360's main appeal is high definition, but we couldn't successfully convey it."

So much for the HD Generation - In Japan at least.

[Roman]

So much for the HD Generation - In Japan at least.
Are living spaces in Japan even large enough to accomodate the big-screen HDTVS?

[drakkarim]

i wonder if the idiots did any market studies before shoving the crap off the boats. oh yeah, its microsoft, forget i asked.

[Kelegacy]

The best quote of the article?

"We also received some criticisms toward our promotions, saying that people don't understand what high definition is. The Xbox 360's main appeal is high definition, but we couldn't successfully convey it."

So much for the HD Generation - In Japan at least.
Its main appeal is high def? It's great to see where the priorities are in this upcoming gen...at least for two console companies.

[bapenguin]

Its main appeal is high def? It's great to see where the priorities are in this upcoming gen...at least for two console companies.

If you don't own an HDTV, then you just don't get it. K?

[Hellstorm]

In Japan, "High Definition" is called "High Vision". MS basically confused the target audience by using the wrong term.

Poor MS. At this rate, they will never topple Sony.

[Kelegacy]

If you don't own an HDTV, then you just don't get it. K?

But--but...I do! And I still don't get it! I caved and bought a Philips 32" HDTV in late fall of 2004.

Gaming is getting bigger and more graphical than ever, and I find myself losing more interest than ever. It's frigging weird, to tell the truth. I should be getting more and more excited, shouldn't I? Maybe I'm just getting too old.

[Jazzercide]

If you don't own an HDTV, then you just don't get it. K?

and so alot of people aren't.

OT- Microsoft means to sell as many consoles as possible.

[Dr Quincy]

Poor MS. At this rate, they will never topple Sony.

Here's hoping!

[EGO]

i wonder if the idiots did any market studies before shoving the crap off the boats. oh yeah, its microsoft, forget i asked.

Does this statement mean you understand that Microsoft is a multi-BILLION dollar company, looking to dominate a new consumer market and as such would spend tens-of-thousands of dollars in market research?

Or is this your silly attempt at sarcasm, thinking that a multi-BILLION dollar company is too stupid to do market research?

And before you answer, think about the last time you made a billion dollars in a year, worked for a billion-dollar company, graduated from business school, was awake during an economics class, or even made a decent decision about balancing your checkbook. :rolleyes:

[notcivx]

Why do these japs have to be so anal about american products


VVVV Thanks dude VVVV

[Montgomery_Python]

Ooh racial slur. Prepare for the admins....

PS the correct slur is japs.

[jacktion]

This doesn't look good for MS. Since Japan is such a huge percentage of the world gaming market, this puts MS at a big disadvantage. If you compare it to America it is like if MS could only sell Xbox's east of Iowa, but Sony and Nintendo could sell to the entire country. It limits their market they can sell to. There is big buzz for the Revolution and PS3 in Japan so I would expect them to make some big sales.

This basically assures that the 360 will be in 3rd place again behind Sony and Nintendo. Just like this generation. What do you guys think? Can MS sell enough in the rest of the world to beat the other two guys who are selling to the entire world?

I like the 360 but this is a huge nail in its coffin. If it loses money like the Xbox did it might be the last system we see from Microsoft. I am not a hater but this seems like a serious problem. Will MS stockholders tolerate losses in the hundreds of millions from its Xbox division for 10 straight years?

I guess the answer to this would be that maybe the 360 will be profitable even though it sells to a limited market. They can probably still make money in 3rd place if they can make their system cheap enough to produce.



(and there's always got to be one of you guys doesn't there? I can't take you anywhere!)
Why do these japs have to be so anal about american products

[Jazzercide]

notcivx, why the hell aren't you out solving the world's problems!? Finally there's an AMERICAN hero in notcivx!!

[Zanzibar]

This doesn't look good for MS. Since Japan is such a huge percentage of the world gaming market, this puts MS at a big disadvantage. If you compare it to America it is like if MS could only sell Xbox's east of Iowa, but Sony and Nintendo could sell to the entire country. It limits their market they can sell to. There is big buzz for the Revolution and PS3 in Japan so I would expect them to make some big sales.

This basically assures that the 360 will be in 3rd place again behind Sony and Nintendo. Just like this generation. What do you guys think? Can MS sell enough in the rest of the world to beat the other two guys who are selling to the entire world?

I like the 360 but this is a huge nail in its coffin. If it loses money like the Xbox did it might be the last system we see from Microsoft. I am not a hater but this seems like a serious problem. Will MS stockholders tolerate losses in the hundreds of millions from its Xbox division for 10 straight years?

I guess the answer to this would be that maybe the 360 will be profitable even though it sells to a limited market. They can probably still make money in 3rd place if they can make their system cheap enough to produce.


So many things wrong with this post. Where to start.

Eh, forget it, enjoy Fantasyland while you can.

[Roman]

Why do these japs have to be so anal about american products
Yes, I am sure that launching with games that didn't cater to Japanese tastes, delaying the few games that did, and having a backward compatbility list even smaller that the American one had nothing to do with it. They're just racist

[Roman]

This basically assures that the 360 will be in 3rd place again behind Sony and Nintendo. Just like this generation. What do you guys think? Can MS sell enough in the rest of the world to beat the other two guys who are selling to the entire world? The gamecube only outsold MS in Japan, the XBOX outsold them everywhere else.

[fushi]

I know a thing or two about MONEY and BUSINESS :rolleyes:
But have you seen the Japanese advertisements for the Xbox 360? Because dude, they sucked ass. Bad.

It's precisely this MULTI-BILLION MONIES image that makes Microsoft and the Xbox as a brand relatively unapproachable. You can't make interesting commercials because there's always the risk of diluting the image of MS itself. The result is the overproduced, yet emotionless campaign that MS has, lead by buzzwords such as "hi-def" and "convergence" that outline the machine's capabilities, but don't make it really desirable or interesting to the japanese public who like silly things like Segata Sanshiro and overly tall Nigerian men. Or smoot, futuristic and mystical machines like the PS2.

That's also why the original Xbox sold more at first -- it had this "big bad black gaijin machine" aura to it, it looked cool. Of course, the line-up continued to be utterly worthless and MS soon shifted to the 360 and more or less gave up on the original machine.

[notcivx]

Yes, I am sure that launching with games that didn't cater to Japanese tastes, delaying the few games that did, and having a backward compatbility list even smaller that the American one had nothing to do with it. They're just racist

Yeah man, it's all Microsoft's fault. The japanese aren't xenophobic what so ever and open american products into their country with open arms!

Oh wait.

[Kelegacy]

Yeah man, it's all Microsoft's fault. The japanese aren't xenophobic what so ever and open american products into their country with open arms!

Oh wait.
I don't think they're xenophobic; the games we make just dont appeal to them. If they were xenophobic, they'd be playing tons of their own FPSs. They don't LIKE FPSs, it's that simple. And much of the Xbox library is full of stuff that wouldn't appeal to an Asian gamer. Hell, most of it doesn't appeal to me, and I'm American. Am I a self-hating American because I don't overly love the Xbox?

[notcivx]

No, I agree with you. Some of the shit released here is terrible, and the markets are pretty different. But you can't put all the blame on Microsoft. Did Microsoft fuck up? Hell yes. But to not call Japan out on their bullshit is kind of stupid.

[KamaItachi]

Xbox 360 launch in Japan=poo.
Xbox 360 lounge in Japan=great.

How about you put as much effort into getting games out for the 360 as you put into the food industry MS.


P.S. the 360 is awesome.

[bboy]

Xbox 360 launch in Japan=poo.
Xbox 360 lounge in Japan=great.

Xbox 360 lounge in Omotesando = great? It really seems like a sad attempt to make the 360 look chic. Why on earth they decided to put the cafe in Omotesando instead of Akihabara is beyond me (well, once again they are going for the chich image). It was really a wasted effort.

Also, touting the "HD era" in Japan shows how clueless their marketing guys are as HD is not the term used here.....they should have been touting the "Hi Vision era". /meh

Hopefully they can pickup steam along the away but I'm not holding my breath.

[KamaItachi]

Xbox 360 lounge in Omotesando = great? It really seems like a sad attempt to make the 360 look chic. Why on earth they decided to put the cafe in Omotesando instead of Akihabara is beyond me (well, once again they are going for the chich image). It was really a wasted effort.

Also, touting the "HD era" in Japan shows how clueless their marketing guys are as HD is not the term used here.....they should have been touting the "Hi Vision era". /meh

Hopefully they can pickup steam along the away but I'm not holding my breath.

Bad location, yes, but a good cafe. It gave me a place to go when the wife was getting her hair done or quing up to get a look at the new Chloe lounge which had opened up just down the street. When I was there though there were always more women in it than men.

Besides, the people who hang out in Akihabara are creepy.

Strangely, I only found out about "High Vision" recently. I hadn't been paying too much attention, but now it makes sense that folks were complaining that MS managed to fuck up even the simplest elements of their marketing.

[bboy]

Yeah man, it's all Microsoft's fault. The japanese aren't xenophobic what so ever and open american products into their country with open arms!

Oh wait.



Yeah, ipods don't outsell every other mp3 player here. The foolish j@ps must think they are Japanese products right? What about...Starbucks, McD's, GAP, Nike, etc etc etc......?

Simply put, Japanese consumers are far more demanding than their American counterparts. They will not plop down wads of cash on a product that is not effectively marketed to them. Many other American companies have been able to successfully jump into the Japan market.
MS, however, has thoroughly failed to captivate this market. Why? They do not know how to market to them and they do not have any killer software to bring to the table.

Does this mean it's the end of the road for the 360 in Japan? No, but they need to get off their keesters and get smart. It's hard to fathom that such a big company with so much $$ in the bank could be so foolish but alas there are humans running the show.

Your racist trolling isn't winning you any awards.....sigh.

/note, I'm 1/2 Japanese living in Japan.

[notcivx]

I'm not winning any awards oh no

[drakkarim]

And before you answer, think about the last time you made a billion dollars in a year, worked for a billion-dollar company, graduated from business school, was awake during an economics class, or even made a decent decision about balancing your checkbook. :rolleyes:

the statement was to say that either they didn't pay attention to their research, or they didn't do a very good job of DOING the research.

nope, haven't made a billion yet.
nope, haven't worked for a billion dollar company
graduated with an engineering degree (i.e. i couldn't sleep through my classes and still get the degree (cough, business, cough).
and all my accounts always balance.

[Coolnut]

The Japanese will never accept the XBox 360 - short of exclusively having the next Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy on it, that is. It's mostly there to woo developers for the games in hopes it dominates the west.

The long and short of it, the Japanese have controlled - no, dominated - the video game market for almost 25 years. They are so absorbed in their win streak that they will not even consider the outside except as export. You can name dozens of the more venerable Japanese companies that created arcade games - or games for consoles.

American or Western? All I can think of is Bally, Midway, and Atari (Games). All merged today.

Let's take it a step further. Can you name any American game that succeeded in Japan? I mean, how can Microsoft succeed in Japan when even American games on the Japanese Playstation or Nintendo systems fail?

In addition, Japanese companies tend to "respect" video games. Big example: I recall that Japan had a game, allowing you to fully simulate an entire political candidacy, created by a Diet member. Japanese politicians like video games, people! On the other hand, all we get are Senators Lieberman and Clinton trying to destroy the gaming market. And while Japan has a lot of anime based on games, we get... Uwe Boll.

Western gaming companies aren't fully innocent, either. They just think of how to creatively kill someone - to be fair, it is cheap to do and sells pretty well here. The few American and European companies that even tried anything outside of FPSes, gorefests, or media tie-ins are all gone. And American and European mainstream culture as a whole still thinks of videogames as entertainment for recluses or kids.

And after hearing a lot of your comments, it will only be worse if both sides of the Pacific throw racial or ethnocentric comments that made more sense during WWII.

[KamaItachi]

Let's take it a step further. Can you name any American game that succeeded in Japan? I mean, how can Microsoft succeed in Japan when even American games on the Japanese Playstation or Nintendo systems fail?


GTA 3. After Sony stated that they would never let the game be released in Japan, they backed down after people complained and allowed Capcom to distribute it.

Most of the games for the 360 were Japanese. They were also, for the most part, rubbish.

[bapenguin]

But--but...I do! And I still don't get it! I caved and bought a Philips 32" HDTV in late fall of 2004.

Gaming is getting bigger and more graphical than ever, and I find myself losing more interest than ever. It's frigging weird, to tell the truth. I should be getting more and more excited, shouldn't I? Maybe I'm just getting too old.

I didn't know that. Sorry.

And have you played any games on it yet in HD resolutions?

If you head over to a place like Avs forum, you'll find people last generation that bought games for the XBox ONLY because it supported an HD resolution. They didn't care anything about the game, only that it supported an HD resolution and it was something to justify owning their HD set for.

[boratika]

Let's take it a step further. Can you name any American game that succeeded in Japan? I mean, how can Microsoft succeed in Japan when even American games on the Japanese Playstation or Nintendo systems fail?

Star Wars: Episode III was in the top ten for quite a few weeks. That then reminds me of the sub-par Enter the Matrix. I think they both topped a million (across platforms), but I can't remember.

Not living in Japan, it's a bit harder to play this game, those two just came to mind straight away.

Also, maybe I'm just being slow...but was GTA 3 developed in America?

[boratika]

I don't think they're xenophobic; the games we make just dont appeal to them. If they were xenophobic, they'd be playing tons of their own FPSs. They don't LIKE FPSs, it's that simple. And much of the Xbox library is full of stuff that wouldn't appeal to an Asian gamer. Hell, most of it doesn't appeal to me, and I'm American. Am I a self-hating American because I don't overly love the Xbox?
Not only are you a self-hating american, but america hates you too, you namby pamby pussy spending all day out protesting with your boyfriend about short people that live in jungles or how cars for men who actually have a pair make the planet sad. Well maybe if you stopped crying about the whales for 10 minutes and did something american like watching football you'd relise the only true way is to love being american! Being american means that god loves you more than other people, and if you don't love what god loves you can fuck of back to Iraq. Guns are what make america great and not loving guns is what makes those japs pussies! So get out there and shoot something, or better yet, someone!

God bless America!

[Coolnut]

Star Wars: Episode III was in the top ten for quite a few weeks. That then reminds me of the sub-par Enter the Matrix. I think they both topped a million (across platforms), but I can't remember.

Not living in Japan, it's a bit harder to play this game, those two just came to mind straight away.

Also, maybe I'm just being slow...but was GTA 3 developed in America?

According to the Magic Box Platinum Game Chart (http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten2.htm#ListMillions) neither SW:E3 nor Enter the Matrix hit a million copies in Japan.

(But on the same list, I DID find two American-origin games: two of the "Crash Bandicoot" series for the PS1. But my point remains - it is a rare, rare bird for a western game to sell in Japan.)

GTA3 is American, duh. :D How well did GTA3 do in Japan, anyway? I can't find anything related to sales. It could be like a like a typical JRPG - lots of steam but few sales outside the country of origin. I could be wrong.