Kojima agrees - Western devs are king

[Zapp$ter]

Yes that is exactly the game i was thinking of as an "exception" while writing my post. Still haven't seen it in the UK though...

I think it wa confirmed by Namco that they wouldn't be releasing it in the UK. The sequel though is apparently well on it's way to getting a european release. I'm not sure if I'll be able to track down a link though, so I could be talking out of my arse

 

[Johnny Awesome]

I think some of you don't understand my point: That the rise of cultural relevance in gaming is really hurting Japanese developers.

Halo 2 and GTA are the biggest new IPs this generation. Followed by things like SOCOM and Splinter Cell. Zelda:WW has sold less than half of what Ocarina of Time did. Metal Gear Solid 3 is lagging MGS2, which lagged behind MGS. Final Fantasy is slowing down.

Japanese IPs are suffering right now. I'm not claiming whether or not this is good or bad, but merely pointing out that Japanese IPs just don't have the pull they used to in the marketplace.

Last generation they accounted for 39% of sales and they are now down to around 23%, as reported earlier this year. That's a serious decline.

 

[rabidrabbit]

Are you saying every western seguel (ip) is selling more than the previous in the series? GTA:SA and Halo2 may be selling more than GTA:VC and Halo, but they too can be seen as "lagging", at leas in areas of innovation compared to earlier iterations.

For example Final Fantasy is already coming to it's 12th game, I wonder would Halo 12 still sell well, if it featured much the same ideas as previous games with little real progress made other than in graphics.

Final Fantasy, MGS and GT have been able to sell, even though there really has been little to differentiate a previous game from the latest in the series.
What does that tell? That the japanese "ip" is indeed strong and well accepted by the western gamer, otherwise these games would not have been able to reach their respective sequels.

It's true there is not many as strong "ip"s in horizon from Japan today, but there are many "individual" titles that have the possibility to become a new "ip". It's just that if a title has no pre-recogniced "ip" behind it, it' sharder to market.

 

[Phil]

I really couldn't give a damn about this crap about western and japanese devs...

...perhaps because my favorite games are all by Square-Enix, Polyphony Digital, Namco, Capcom and Konami...

 

[Johnny Awesome]

That's precisely WHY you should give a crap.

Again, please don't misconstrue my remarks: I speak only of the marketplace and the tastes of the average consumer. My personal collection is filled with Japanese games. Even for Xbox I have a ton of Japanese games ... JSRF, GUNVALKYRIE, Sega GT 2002, Shenmue 2, BLiNX, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Phantasy Star Online, Ninja Gaiden, and Dead or Alive 3. I'll probably pick up DoA:U, BLiNX 2, Iron Storm 7, and Phantom Dust when I get the chance.

 

[Sonic]

Hey Johnny, you should really give Japanese developers a break. There is a complete difference inc culture and work style and that can even trickle through to the very game designs. Once Japanese devs/pubs figure out what America/Europe wants then you can bet your ass they will become a major player again. The only question is when will they figure otu what gamers want! SEGA hasn't gotten the picture and neither have many other Japanese devs. But if they do then I'm sure they will regain back at least a third of the total marketshare if not more.

With the return of Japanese companies to selling game sthat people want it may even mean that companies like EA will lose marketshare in the long run. Just give them some time.

The reason Zelda sold so badly, compared to past titles, is because Nintendo doesn't want to make the games that gamers want. Nintendo wants to make games that it wants and feels are good for the gaming industry.

 

[passerby]

Once Japanese devs/pubs figure out what America/Europe wants then you can bet your ass they will become a major player again. The only question is when will they figure otu what gamers want!

I don't completely disagree with that that, but I disagree somewhat. (OXYMORON!)

Devs should create things that consumers will buy - true. However where creativity is concerned, over-patronizing the audience is not healthy. Besides, we all appreciate experiences that are different.

Think about food. There's chinese, indian, italian, etc. The variety is wonderful, and life will be very boring if one day, the chefs of the world decide that they should alter their recipes to try to "appeal to everyone". Can you imagine how *^%$#!@&^$ boring will that be! Don't need them, don't want them to change anything! It's all the differences and variety that make our meals interesting.

Appreciate "western" and "eastern" games for the different experiences they offer. It is unremarkable that gamers will usually prefer a product that has greater cultural affinity.

 

[ChryZ]

I gotta second passerby, even though it's maybe only true for a small faction of gamers. Mainstream is different animal and that's not just a one way road east-to-west, same issue the other way around west-to-east. Western games are not doing well on asian/japanese markets as well.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

I agree with you guys, but unfornately the US/EU masses generally want hamburgers and fries, with the occasional pizza here and there. They aren't generally looking for dim sum and calamari, though some can appreciate it from time to time. My own tastes are usually esoteric, having originally been a big Sega fan, but I've come to enjoy the meat and potatoes of western gaming as well lately.