| FinalEvangelion said: Not much to discuss. Third parties are returning to PS3 these days (Valve is a huge one here). PS3 is receiving more third party support, especially because of Japan (Rorona, Yakuza, MGS, Tales, Valkyria, etc.). Those games do count. You are probably right about America. Playstation doesn't play Halo or Gears. However, America =/= World. |
Japan is not a market to bank on for winning a console war much less any video game war:
Japan Hardware
| Console | Yearly (change) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS | 1,497,543 | (-63%) | 30,997,085 |
| PSP | 1,318,288 | (-42%) | 15,008,733 |
| Wii | 927,432 | (-54%) | 10,602,854 |
| PS3 | 913,575 | (-50%) | 5,500,384 |
| X360 | 142,485 | (-58%) | 1,373,964 |
| PS2 | 58,026 | (-74%) | 23,082,669 |
| Total | 4,857,349 | (-55%) |
Japan Software Totals
| Console | Yearly (change) | Total (tie ratio) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS | 11,110,887 | (-58%) | 154,556,489 | (4.99) |
| PSP | 7,371,786 | (-19%) | 39,917,970 | (2.66) |
| Wii | 6,464,370 | (-51%) | 47,933,132 | (4.52) |
| PS3 | 5,630,532 | (-29%) | 22,595,529 | (4.11) |
| X360 | 1,112,460 | (-51%) | 7,560,157 | (5.50) |
| PS2 | 533,522 | (-80%) | n/a | |
| Total | 32,223,557 | (-48%) |
Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/yearly.php?reg=Japan
Compare Japan to the Americas market:
Americas Hardware
| Console | Yearly (change) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS | 4,297,113 | (-66%) | 48,495,922 |
| Wii | 3,679,510 | (-66%) | 34,456,919 |
| X360 | 3,019,987 | (-46%) | 24,422,483 |
| PS3 | 2,397,299 | (-50%) | 14,740,432 |
| PSP | 820,085 | (-71%) | 19,622,272 |
| PS2 | 502,658 | (-75%) | 52,229,414 |
| Total | 14,716,652 | (-62%) |
Americas Software Totals
| Console | Yearly (change) | Total (tie ratio) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii | 44,786,392 | (-58%) | 296,547,536 | (8.61) |
| X360 | 36,537,427 | (-52%) | 264,432,915 | (10.83) |
| PS3 | 31,863,679 | (-32%) | 135,301,968 | (9.18) |
| DS | 28,517,405 | (-65%) | 271,155,519 | (5.59) |
| PSP | 7,002,306 | (-65%) | 93,324,360 | (4.76) |
| PS2 | 4,467,513 | (-73%) | n/a | |
| PC | 1,248,505 | (-) | n/a | |
| Total | 154,423,227 | (-56%) |
Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/yearly.php?reg=America
Lets do some analysis:
Japan sells a third in Hardware compared to the Americas market. 4,857,349 vs. 14,716,652. Simple arithmetic, via dividing 4857349/14716652=33 percent.
Japan sells a little more than a fifth in Software compared to the Americas market. 32,223,557 vs. 154,423,227. Again, simple arithmetic of dividing 32223557/154423227=20.1 percent.
Discussion:
Japan is not a market where any of console or game developer will sell 1 million plus copies if it is not made by a Japanese game developer or Nintendo or Sony. The Japanese support their game developers as evidenced in VGChartz Japan Weekly SW Totals and Japan Weekly Preorder Charts. Furthermore, with Microsoft doing dead last in Japan, one can conclude that much of the blame is Japanese preferring Japanese made consoles, while the rest of the blame is Microsoft's business decisions which place priority in the Americas market and EMEAA market over Japan.
The Americas market is the single largest market today. It is the market where games can sell in the millions between the USA and Canada. Henceforth, the Americas market is the market that defines who wins and who loses in Hardware and Software.
The Americas market is the most tolerant and open-minded market concerning video games. Video games from Europe, Japan, and others have a chance to sell just as well, if not better than any game from a domestic video game developer or console maker.
