OXMUK

Microsoft is determined not to repeat Xbox 360's lacklustre performance in Japan with Xbox One, but key regional executives are conscious that the machine is better suited to North America and Europe as things stand, and must be carefully re-tailored for Japanese audiences.

That's according to a 4Gamer interview picked up by Edge. "(Xbox One) is geared towards a Western lifestyle, and we're looking at whether or not to launch it 'as is' in Japan," observed Yasuyuki Higuchi, president and CEO of Microsoft Japan. "We're still figuring out how to deal with things like music and video services in each country. To be honest,[releasing it in Japan] as is would be difficult."

The console will launch in Japan after releasing in North America, "but it will not be delayed very much behind the US," he went on. Microsoft Japan has yet to decide on the specifics of its movie and TV strategy, with final decisions likely to be made in the US. According to Haruaki Kayama, head of Microsoft Japan's Consumer & Partner Group, "it's a matter of how much we can do before the timing of Xbox One's [release].

"We have to prepare content that is relevant to Japan," he said. "'What is the best, what will today's consumers in Japan respond to? What content is in demand?' We're considering these questions now. There's no point in a solution that does not match the market. Even if we bring NFL [on board for Japan], haha... Japan is difficult. I'm almost tempted to ask for ideas."

Higuchi is keen on the new Kinect, but is aware that his countrymen take a different approach to living rooms than their overseas counterparts - the 4Gamer article suggests that many Japanese people live at home till they get married, and thus don't have living rooms of their own till comparatively late in their lives.

There's that well-documented drift towards tablets and smartphones to account for, too. "More than that, in Japan it is the case that gamers are stepping away from their consoles and using tablets and smartphones to play games instead," said Higuchi. "It will be difficult to expand the volume of consoles in the living room. I'm also looking at Sony's movements, but Nintendo and so on must be finding things rather difficult."

Microsoft will host a booth at the Tokyo Game Show this year, having missed the event last year. According to interactive entertainment business general manager Takashi Izumi, the booth will have "something for everyone". "As a platform holder, we should be there every year," he added.

Free-to-play is as important a business model in Japan as in North America, apparently. "With developments in things like mobile systems and free-to-play, there have been a lot of changes over the last two or three years. Our users have responded to these changes, and so have the game makers. So this period of transition has had a deep impact on the market."

Aoife offered a few thoughts about Xbox One's Japan strategy the other week. Grasshopper CEO Goichi Suda has suggested that "it's only a matter of time before Xbox explodes in Japan", cue over-heating joke. Anything to add?

http://www.oxm.co.uk/57836/xbox-one-games-for-japan-microsoft-promises-something-for-everyone-at-tokyo-game-show/

Good they should leave the Japan market up to Japanese people. I hope they show off some great games as well.

"Except the Japanese."

Sounds like the CEO of Microsoft Japan has a tough job.

Interesting read, They say that kinect may not appeal because of living space...Didn't wii also need living space?

so only a booth, no conference? MS, how come you are so stupid? You need to announce what Microsoft Studio Osaka is doing and bring back Lost Odyssey 2, Blue Dragon 2 and build other Japanese style IP.

Yes, it is difficult, but if you want to stay relevant in Japan, then you need to do those things.

and forget those TV stuffs, just focus on games, especially those JRPG (old or new IP).

Yeah, because it really helped them before.

The X360, for the first 3-4 years, had much more Japanese and niche games than the PS3 and Wii combined. It didn't help it one bit. It won't change now.

He has his job cut out for him, to say the least.

Xen has a point. Given the library it had during the first half of the generation, the 360 should have done far better in Japan. I doubt MS gives Japan a similar effort this time around given the poor return on their investment thus far.

All i can say is good luck

It did help them more than you think. Not with the japanese, but with the westerners who like JRPG's. Also those "3-4" are more like the first 2-3 years.

There is nothing microsoft can do in Japan. They just dont accept them no matter what. The 360 even had its own monster hunter and it still got ignored.