| Onimusha12 said: People will say Japan doesn't matter any time they don't support the individuals perceived view of gaming. If a certain game flops in Japan, Japan suddenly doesn't matter. If a certain genre is struggling in Japan, Japan suddenly is out of touch with things. |
For a long time, Japan reflected the world as a whole. What did well in Japan, did well outside of Japan (plenty of exceptions but 80% true IMO).
This is no longer true. We're seeing a market divergence between Japan and the US in particular. Game companies are starting to recognize this as we see more Japanese companies looking for Western/American partners. They recognize the size and value of the western markets and the divergence so they're turning to other groups to seek solutions to these problems.
In a way this is good, we won't just get Japanese hand-me-down games anymore. In a way this is bad, we won't just get Japanese hand-me-down games anymore. There are people who love JRPGs and people who passionately hate JRPGs for example. If the market turns its back on JRPGs or they suddenly need to become more "Westernized," there are groups of people which will be enthused and groups which will be saddened.
I'm firmly in the disliking of this camp. I like most all kinds of games and losing out on a genre or style of gaming is a terrible loss to me. I like the fact that Western tastes are becoming more important, but some of the more mainstream trends (towards FPS for example) do not interest me.
Thoughts?
