alfredofroylan on 05 February 2009
Something is really bad.
"Perhaps, the Japanese market is the least robust market in the world today with regard to home console systems," said Iwata, who gave a Q & A briefing following Nintendo's third quarter financial results.
"If the U.S. sold two or three times as much as Japan, it would be tolerable," Iwata added. "Yet, I feel that something is wrong when the U.S. is selling ten times as much as Japan on a weekly basis."
"So, I do not believe Nintendo should be content with the current situation in the Japanese market and believe that we have other methods to confront this."
He noted that the release of Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Music during the previous quarter failed to "revitalize the Wii market in Japan," despite healthy sales for both titles.
"While Wii had very strong momentum in the overseas markets, the Wii market in Japan (during the year-end sales season) showed a slow start, did not show sharp trajectory in sales, and ended up moving back to the sales level of non-sales-season level quickly," said Iwata.
Iwata blamed Japan's diminished home console sales partly on Japanese consumers having busier lifestyles and moving towards portable forms of entertainment. "In these times, we need to provide the Japanese market with entertainment that only a home console can realize," he said.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22187
Well I guess everybody is waiting for the game that'll rise the console market from the bottom on Japan. Final Fantasy XII and Dragon Quest X are no brainers but I guess even big fishes like Street Fighter IV or Resident Evil 5'll do little to increase console sales on japan.
