510°

Microsoft: No Xbox One in Japan this Year: “Tier 2 Country” Asks Journalist Not to Report Negatively

Microsoft Japan held a press briefing on the the management policies of fiscal year 2014 today, and the journalists in attendance immediately noticed that things didn’t bode too well for the release of Xbox One in the country when the console almost wasn’t mentioned during the briefing itself. After the briefing the local honcho confirmed that Xbox will miss a 2013 launch in the country.

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dualshockers.com
zeal0us3951d ago (Edited 3951d ago )

Something tell me MS at TGS this year will be awkward.

Well the 360 in Japan launch less than month after the NA release. So hopefully Japan will get it early next year. Hopefully by then MS would have talk to some Japanese cable providers and sport networks because I'm pretty sure Japan could care less about the NFL.

abzdine3951d ago (Edited 3951d ago )

if PS4 makes it to Japan before X1 then i'm afraid the worst will happen to them (more than 360 and first xbox).

i keep thinking that PS4 and Wii U is the best combo this year

Bob Dole3951d ago

PS4/PC is Bob Dole's best combo. He'll get a Wii U when they release Mario/Metriod/Zelda/something awesome.

WitWolfy3951d ago

You serious?!?!? Whats with this "if" garbage.. ITS MORE LIKE WHEN!!!

Sony = Japanese company so obviously the PS4 will launch there before X1!!

Campy da Camper3951d ago

Agreed. I bit the bullet and got a Wii u. Its actually a great secondary console. I do my hard ore stuff in living room on my ps3 then lay in bed and play Wii u. What's great is being able to play on the controller itself and have TV on cable. If I want to switch to big screen I can. Awesome.

xxLuckyStrike3951d ago

Wouldnt even bother shipping Japan. Waste of time and resources. Even if the ONE proves to be the better console. If their so biased F them..is the approach needed here

Polysix3950d ago

PS4+PC - lets not excuse the wii-u just because the XB1 is even worse.

mikeslemonade3950d ago

PS4 only for me. There's only one must-buy system just like how it was in generation 6 when you needed a PS2 to play the majority of all games.

PeaSFor3950d ago

Combo PC-Ps3/Ps4-WiiU-PsVita/3DS is the way to go.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3950d ago
Retroman3951d ago (Edited 3951d ago )

wooooo-hoooo japan not blinded by MS lies.

i smell something fishy and its not games......

omi25p3951d ago Show
clrlite3950d ago

Yeah and MS PR team doesn't really know when to shut up apparently.

3951d ago Replies(2)
fermcr3951d ago

I'm surprised Microsoft is going to TGS this year. Do they have exclusive JRPG's to show ? As for No Xbox One in Japan this Year, that's what i pretty much expected.

Geezus3951d ago

MS Osaka is reportedly working on a new project maybe a reveal or something at tgs?

hollabox3951d ago

If I was Microsoft I wouldn't waste my time releasing a system that's not going to sell, no matter the software lineup. The first Xbox I get it not a whole lot going for it regarding Japanese gamers. Xbox 360 they came out swinging with RPGs, smaller controller, fighting and racing games. With over 10 years of selling their consoles in Japan, total sales for both Xboxes combined is 2.17 Million units sold.

When SNK NEO GEO didn't sell they pulled their system off shelves in the US while still selling in Japan. Sega did the same thing with Saturn selling consoles over a year after they stop manufacturing for the American market.

d3nworth13951d ago

I dont think the Japanese even care. They dont really like xbox over there anyway. I read that some japanese retailers even stopped selling 360s cuz people werent buying them.

greenlantern28143950d ago

With both previous systems doing so poorly this just makes sense why send something that you have limited quantities of somewhere it won't sell, when you could send more to places it will.

RedHawkX3950d ago

Ms is racist and are pigs dont see why anyone will support them buying there over priced console. its pretty simple solution just get the ps4 and watch ms become a tier failure. this would be best for gaming and xbox lovers this is just the begginng. if you get the xbox one you wont be able to discuss it on the internet at all because we gamers are gonna rip you all a new one. also no ones gonna have a xbox one to begin with. ps4 is the new big thing

Nocando3950d ago

I am buying the Xbox One day 1.

pixelsword3950d ago (Edited 3950d ago )

How are they racist? Because of the tier-2 thing? That's probably executive talk more than racism; just like AAA games.

lukeb4dunk3950d ago

@pixelsword - I think he was being sarcastic.

braydox213950d ago

im guessing you really don't like microsoft. i just wanted to point out their console isn't exactly overpriced compared to ps4 it is but 500$ is a decent price not for Xbox one but i would pay for a console say ps4 at 500$ but problem is that i would be paying that price because when the us dollers transfers to Australian dollars it becomes 100 dollars more expensive somehow. perhaps you are in a similer situation. don mattrick has been removed also it policies have also been removed.

im not defending microsft those idiots really fucked up, you could say im being sympathetic to their plight in the same way its sad to see whats happening to the Wii U sony got lots media damage in 2006 and look at them now. but i think Xbox is just suffering the curse of the 3rd console. im going to buy a ps4 first like most people but now people see xbox as a secondary console so i imagine that the start will not be good for microsoft but think that this will only make them try harder.

Consoldtobots3950d ago

I guess I'm the only one that see's MS parroting the crap their employees errr I mean fans have been saying on here this whole last generation.

"Japan is not a major market"
"US is the biggest market"
blah blah blah

talk about branding butthurt and trying to sell it.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3950d ago
showtimefolks3950d ago

why bother MS its sony/nintendo that will dominate, spend your resources else where

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney3950d ago (Edited 3950d ago )

Like it matters lol.

3950d ago
TheXgamerLive3950d ago

You little kids are funny. Soon as things become more known and demo'd your going to see the Xbox One take first place. If you cant see that then my first statement rings true. Happy Gaming.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 3950d ago
ajames3473951d ago

Something tells me you might be right, but they'll be there, so maybe they have something up their sleeve?

Knushwood Butt3951d ago

All 3 potential buyers are now officially pissed.

Roper3163951d ago

you really think there was that many interested buyers? number looks kind of high to me.

bass4g3951d ago

not in japan where they traditionally don't tend to buy xbox's.

RedHawkX3950d ago

ii agree no one wants that crap xbox one console except retards whose brain isnt functioning properly. why get a crap xbox one when the ps4 does everything better. id rather be on the better winnning side then be on the xbox one side getting ripped to pieces on the internet everyday.

3950d ago
fsfsxii3950d ago

The 3 potential buyers disliked your comment xD

calis3950d ago

If Microsoft releases the Xbox 1 in Japan and no body buys it, did they really release it?

Ezz20133950d ago

you lie to me

looking at your disagrees
they are 4 .....not 3
you pissed the entire Xbox buyers in japan by doing that

shame on you :P

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3950d ago
sly-Famous3951d ago

Because you know all about negative press, right MS? Covering the bases.

kratoz12093951d ago

They have most likely Purchased Some Japanes RPG games,
with there Money

DonFreezer3951d ago

They have most likely Purchased Some Japanes RPG games.Who are you talking about Sony?

RedHawkX3950d ago

nope they done purchasing japanese games and japanese developer arent gonna be putting there games on a console ms dont wanna release to them. gettng a ps4 is the only choice unless you want to be a dumb fanboy who gets ripped on the internet everyday and get stress and health problens from fighting everybody off. why spend 500 on a crap xbox one when you can spend 399 on the superior ps4?

Fakdafakinfakerz3950d ago

Actually they are enjoying some an*l s*x with Kojima.

Show all comments (118)
240°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7220h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle7h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18814h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio4h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Cacabunga6h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21835h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga4h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan39m ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

purple1019h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos9h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

XBManiac8h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1017h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic5h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

Show all comments (25)
300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 16h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 14h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 11h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 4h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 6h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies1d 2h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 14h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic1d ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows9023h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 16h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 15h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 12h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 15h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 14h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

Show all comments (21)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10112d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref12d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde12d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197212d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville12d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218311d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos11d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
isarai12d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref12d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan12d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00711d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197212d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

12d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

12d ago
12d ago
Zeref12d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde12d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197212d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier12d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto12d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218311d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto11d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
Hofstaderman12d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts12d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts11d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic11d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)