Japanese Xbox 360 launch subdued
Dec 12, 2005 @ 2:00 am
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The Japanese public gave the Xbox 360 console a lukewarm reception when it launched in the territory on Saturday December 10. The official launch event in Shibuya, featuring Microsoft heavyweights Peter Moore and Yoshihiro Maruyama, attracted only 250 customers, and other locations around Tokyo fared similarly.
Even in Akihabara, Tokyo’s high-tech gaming and electronics district, the crowds were less than overwhelming: only 21 people lined up outside the popular Yodobashi Akiba superstore, and 5 waited in line at nearby Asobit City.
Japanese gamers who purchased an Xbox 360 acknowledged that their choice of console was unlikely to become popular among the Japanese public at large. One of first Xbox 360 purchasers remarked to the assembled press,
“It’s not going to be a big hit in Japan. I buy every new game console… but normally Japanese customers only buy a machine when it’s made by Sony or Nintendo.”
Despite selling out at the Shibuya launch event, sales of the Xbox 360 console elsewhere were slow, with one senior store official noting that they had sold less than 50 consoles in the first two hours.
Major Asian online retailers Lik-Sang and Play Asia still appear to have the Japanese Xbox 360 console in stock, indicating that demand for the system in Japan is far less than in the US and Europe, where the Xbox 360 console sold out within hours of its launch.
Microsoft, however, remains optimistic about the Xbox 360’s prospects in Japan. Microsoft Japan’s Xbox operations chief Yoshihiro Maruyama outlined the company’s strategy for success, saying,
“Our [Microsoft’s] approach this time is to consistently provide good titles to the Japanese users, and make everyone acknowledge that the Xbox 360 is different. We believe that doing so will make our business flourish.”
Given the original Xbox’s resounding failure in Japan, it’s little wonder that Microsoft is making a concerted effort to capture the hearts (and wallets!) of Japanese gamers this time round.
The Xbox 360’s recent Japanese launch could perhaps most politely be described as subdued, especially compared to the launch of the Sony PSP, where eager Japanese gamers lined up from noon the preceding day to get their hands on the much-coveted system.
Despite its low-key launch, however, the New Year could well bring an increase in Xbox 360 sales in Japan for two major reasons.
First, the Xbox 360’s games lineup is in line for a boost towards the end of December, with Tecmo’s popular fighting game Dead or Alive 4 scheduled for release on December 22, and From Software’s RPG Enchant Arm set to hit retailer’s shelves on 1 January 2006.
The absence of an RPG and the next installment in the popular Dead or Alive franchise significantly weakened the Xbox 360’s Japanese launch lineup, and the release of DoA 4 and Enchant Arm could well spark Japanese interest in Microsoft’s next-gen console.
Secondly, thanks to a Japanese New Year tradition, a horde of cashed-up kids and teens will be looking for something to spend their money on after receiving “otoshidama” from relatives.
As part of Japanese New Year celebrations, children up to high school age are given gifts of money (known as otoshidama) by relatives, and the total amount received can be quite significant - somewhere in the vicinity of US $400 - $500.
Provided that DoA 4 and Enchant Arm don’t suffer any further delays, Microsoft could foreseeably capture a sizeable slice of this lucrative Japanese youth market - without having to convince their parents first.
Overall, the future of the Xbox 360 in Japan rests largely on its games: if Japanese games publishers, such as Square Enix, Namco and Capcom, follow through with their pledges of support for the Xbox 360, the console should achieve respectable, though not spectacular, sales figures in the territory.
By Nicole Stiles, Xb360info.com writer
Dec 12, 2005 @ 12:58 pm
Rob Said,
So, fifty units in one store? Why is it that I’ve only heard of stores carrying about five here in the United States? Did the Japanese suffer th […] more
Dec 30, 2005 @ 9:16 pm
kaysserkay Said,
i think that microsoft should have taken a deep look into their launch lineup and even ask some japs if they even liked theor launch games. that may h […] more