mckmas8808
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I know that its just a poll, but does anybody else thinks that this matters like me? Should MS actually care about this?
Link http://ps3.ign.com/articles/633/633092p1.html
Japan loves the PS3
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I know that its just a poll, but does anybody else thinks that this matters like me? Should MS actually care about this?
Link http://ps3.ign.com/articles/633/633092p1.html
I think MS cares because they already knew this. Xbox sales were atrocious in Japan, and MS has been pretty open that they expect Sony to win Japan again.
No one would argue that. (Well, some B3D members might, but no one with half a coconut would!)
On the other hand, with no final games out (and nothing showcasing the system) there is no reason for Japanese gamers to change their position either. Japan is Sony's roost, and MS has done abosulately nothing to convince Japanese gamers, to this point, that they should switch allegiances.
I think MS's goals are pretty straight forward though. They are aiming to make more software that appeals to Japanese consumers Part of this is through strategic deals with 3rd parties, and part of it is through funding new developers. Of course another element is their continued elements to downplay Nintendo and portray them as a niche player and to move clearly intop the #2 position in Japan. Having established themselves this generation they may be taken more seriously in Japan this time around... but without more Japanese-gamer friendly software it is an uphill battle.
That said, I am not sure MS will ever win Japan. Gaming tastes are very different, and I am not sure Japanese gamers look too fondly toward what is appeared to be an outsider. Ditto some developers.
Halo, Madden, and other traditionally Western games do not seem to be popular with Japanese gamers. And seeing as that is MS's bread and butter so far I don't see this changing much.
And niether does MS.
But I think they are trying to put themselves in a better position to carve out at least some significant marketshare in Japan this time around. Even if they only get 10% of the market, that is 10% they did not have this time!
No one would argue that. (Well, some B3D members might, but no one with half a coconut would!)
On the other hand, with no final games out (and nothing showcasing the system) there is no reason for Japanese gamers to change their position either. Japan is Sony's roost, and MS has done abosulately nothing to convince Japanese gamers, to this point, that they should switch allegiances.
I think MS's goals are pretty straight forward though. They are aiming to make more software that appeals to Japanese consumers Part of this is through strategic deals with 3rd parties, and part of it is through funding new developers. Of course another element is their continued elements to downplay Nintendo and portray them as a niche player and to move clearly intop the #2 position in Japan. Having established themselves this generation they may be taken more seriously in Japan this time around... but without more Japanese-gamer friendly software it is an uphill battle.
That said, I am not sure MS will ever win Japan. Gaming tastes are very different, and I am not sure Japanese gamers look too fondly toward what is appeared to be an outsider. Ditto some developers.
Halo, Madden, and other traditionally Western games do not seem to be popular with Japanese gamers. And seeing as that is MS's bread and butter so far I don't see this changing much.
And niether does MS.
But I think they are trying to put themselves in a better position to carve out at least some significant marketshare in Japan this time around. Even if they only get 10% of the market, that is 10% they did not have this time!
> "Halo, Madden, and other traditionally Western games do not seem to be popular with Japanese gamers."
And why should American football be popular with the Japanese? I guess Japanese league only Soccer games are popular with Americans?
Now Halo makes sense, as the Japanese don't seem to have a taste for FPS.
And why should American football be popular with the Japanese? I guess Japanese league only Soccer games are popular with Americans?
Now Halo makes sense, as the Japanese don't seem to have a taste for FPS.
jvd said:
5 * 0 = 0
Seriously though, I would not be shocked if MS took 10% of the market. That would be a tough battle, but I think it is possible considering some of their moves. The problem is that 10% almost assuredly will own PS3s as well. Profits come from software sales, so MS has to find some way of getting content Japanese gamers want on their platform--exclusvely.
So MS will focus on the US and Europe this round, make a token effort in Japan, and look forward to Xbox 3.0 as the, "Ok, 3rd version, we got it right this time" party
Well, like I've said before the difference will be seen within the first gen of games or it won't be seen at all. Microsoft is lending big financial assistance to certain Japanese devs this first round, but if the system doesn't sell, who in their right mind is going to continue to produce games for a market in which there is essentially no installed base?
We'll be able to make better predictions though after the XBox Sumit, where certainly there will be some reaction from the Japanese press/gamers one way or the other.
We'll be able to make better predictions though after the XBox Sumit, where certainly there will be some reaction from the Japanese press/gamers one way or the other.
Edge said:
Madden (and not just American Football) was specifically mentioned because it is a massively selling cross platform title, year in and year out, and has 0 market presence in Japan. It is an important market for MS (they had their own series, Fever, which they dropped to get EA on Live) where they have invested effort in the past which does nothing for them in Japan.
It was just an example though. A lot of important titles for MS are very "American" in taste. Look at the announced 360 lineup of FPS for example.
-Perfect Dark Zero
-Call of Duty 2
-Ghost Recon 3
-Prey
-Quake 4
-Halo 3
-Unreal 2007
-Condemned (horror FPS perspective)
-BF2:MC
And then there is a slew of Racing, Sports, and 3rd person stealth games and 3rd person action games like the Outfit and GOW.
Western gamers dream... obviously less so for our friends in the East.
RPGs? They are coming, but obviously Sony has an edge with tight Square ties and the 360 (and Xbox before it) is not looking to be great "fighter" platform, at least not at launch (although fighers are not as popular in the US... seems wrestling filled that void). There is other interesting stuff in the works (Kameo for example) but on the whole I don't see a lot that would convince a Japanese gamer to dump Sony.
Basically where MS has been making inroads is titles that appeal to US gamers. With the momentum MS has gained in the US (which is a lot considering where they came from) I expect it to be a close race in the US.
... And for MS to get spanked in Japan.
Edge said:
I'm surprised, aren't quite a few animes based on lots and lots of shooting? Certainly moreso than American cartoons are.
BTW, what happens if the market polarizes, America becomes X360 dominated and Japan becomes PS3 dominated? How do companies decide what to dev for then? Will they go among regional lines or what? I'd assume European developers would align with X360, as most European games are similar to American games.
Fox5 said:
I don't think the American market would get polarized to the extreme the Japanese market would/is though. To note, I'm an American, but it's the Japanese style of games I prefer. (and I'm certainly not alone)
And I wouldn't really say anime has much to do with 'shooting,' though I understand what you mean.
The North American market is still much larger than the Japanese market. So is the European market for that matter. Also, NA and European tastes are usually similar in games. I don't see why MS should waste resources on trying to win Japan. It would be a wiser strategy to let Sony spread themselves thin. Trust me if MS would win the western markets the Japanese devs would still make games for the 360 even if the 360 wasn't sold in Japan at all.
I also think the MS funded Japanese RPG projects are more intended to add variety to their western market more so than to "win japan". Still it was a Japanese company that IMO made the best game this generation and it also happened to require the most skill.
I also think the MS funded Japanese RPG projects are more intended to add variety to their western market more so than to "win japan". Still it was a Japanese company that IMO made the best game this generation and it also happened to require the most skill.
I don't think the results of this survey are surprising. MS's biggest coup in Japan, MistWalker deal, are having the game developed by the guys responsible for Blinx. Toriyama and Sakuguchi are very famous but in no way will there game(s) appeal as much as FF/DQ.
Alot of people have been saying that Europe will decide who 'wins' next-gen, but realistically Sony is likely to win Japan by far (Xbox has sold ~500k so far, X360 will probably sell a couple of million), win NA by at least a slim margin, and well, Europe is Sony country. PS2 outsells Xbox by a ratio of 6:1 or some such ridiculous number.
Sony doesn't have to spread themselves thin capturing all markets. The publishers know the PS3 will be a hit and will cater for all tastes...all Sony has to do is get as much hardware as possible produced, because it will sell out everywhere and anywhere.Pozer said:
Alot of people have been saying that Europe will decide who 'wins' next-gen, but realistically Sony is likely to win Japan by far (Xbox has sold ~500k so far, X360 will probably sell a couple of million), win NA by at least a slim margin, and well, Europe is Sony country. PS2 outsells Xbox by a ratio of 6:1 or some such ridiculous number.
3roxor said:
You must be really bad at FPS if you consider them a mashing game because they are much more complex than that. They definately more than buttonbashing games and hitting your buttons fast or hard gives you no advantage.
e.g. The Halo series required adjusting to the AI and knowing when you could assault and when you needed to recharge. This on top of strafing and aiming skills. Ghost Recon is a slower paced tactical shooter. etc...
Yes, there are some twitch shooters, but even those require some skill.
Fighting games, Wrestling Games, some sport games (e.g. baseball), and even to a degree many racers can be described as above "mashers" and definately not sophisticated on the average. FPS tend to be more "sophisticated" than those genres and many others for that matter. And when you take into consideration that most FPS have a story of some sort (not many racers or fighters have much of a story!) I am not sure you could classify them as unsophisticated.
FPS are widely popular with PC gamers, who tend to be adults. The genre is quite vast as well with some twitch shooters (like Serious Same) and others that require more thinking (like Far Cry) and everything inbetween.
I would be curious what genre, outside of RPGs (which, mind you, are not universally popular among gamers) you would classify as "sophisticated" in comparison.
Overall I can think of varying degrees of sophistication in every genre. For ever Serious Sam there is a Far Cry, for every GT3 there are dozens of Burnout 2s, for every Madden 2005 there is an NFL Fever, etc...
I am not sure it is as easy to call any genre "sophisticated" or "unsophisticated". As it is 5 of the 9 listed FPS are known to be (or presumed, based on previous versions) to be sophisticated. You add in GOW and some of the other tactical/stealth games it seems to me that MS is hitting a fairly large "mature" market of gamers with games that appeal to them.
Their HDD standard and appearant moves toward more MMOs wont hurt either.
Pozer said:
If you look at any US election, you know 'smaller' can go a long way in determing the outcome.
Essentially all of Japan must count for something in sales figures, even if you end up stuck at 'only' 50% or so in the US. And as was mentioned, Europe is essentially Sony country, and Sony's begun to realize how important that market is for them as well... Phil Harrison (president SCEE) was recently promoted to the guy in charge globally of overseeing first party title production.
Nicked said:
By that barometer the Sega Genesis should have been a flop since the MAster System sold so poorly. Or the Atari 7800 should have had almost 90% market share, or the Sega Saturn should have been huge, or the Sony Playstation1 had no chance. Past performance counts but doesn't guarantee anything. Timing and the G-factor matter the most. The G-factor is Super MArio Bros. It's also Grand Theft Auto and Sonic the Hedge Hog. It's the phenomenon games that make people go out and buy a system. Because its a game thats wasn't possible on previous hardware. Example, Sega Dreamcast was a good system but it didn't have that one game that announced a new generation.
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