170°

Forza 5 "A Flagship Title" In Japan - Microsoft Japan Interview 1 of 2

Microsoft Japan is picking Forza Motorsport 5 as a title to really heighten the appeal of Xbox One in Japan. Along with Titanfall and the OS, MS Japan is full of confidence heading into the next console generation.

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gamerevolution.com
jhoward5853864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Seems like the x1 is going to do much better than the 360 in japan.

majiebeast3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Yeah much better...

http://i.minus.com/iMpfC7fT...

If an onslaught of jrpgs cant do anything for the 360 it doesnt stand a chance against a ps4 thats getting Yakuza,Suda game,FF14RR and Deep Down.Xbone is launching later then PS4 and with no games that appeal to the audience there.

If it even does a million in its lifetime i would be shocked.

jhoward5853864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

I don't think the x1 is going to do well either. But by the looks of things it seems like the x1 is going to do much better than the 360 in japan.

Edit:

Yeah jrpgs are definitely needed if MS wants to win the heart of gamers in japan.

Personally I think every jrpgs games released for the Japanese market sucks, accept for phantasy star.
So hopefully MS make better jrpgs title for the x1 or it will fail like the 360.

Mario183864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Lol Xbox One will fail in Japan just like the 360. They tried the jrpgs and it barely sold. Look at Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey when it was released in Japan

Forza 4 sales in Japan 0.06m < lmao
BEST selling Xbox 360 game in Japan
Blue Dragon 0.2 million LMFAO

badz1493864d ago

LOL @Forza

I'm not implying that Forza is bad game but racing fans over there will be too busy playing GT6 released this fall for them to even care about Forza 5!

mcstorm3864d ago

Lol I love hope people go off last gen numbers to say what will and wont sell. No one knows if the xbox one will sell well in Japan or not. It was said the beginning of last gen that the PS3 was going to walk all over the Wii and the 360 and it got off to a very slow start.
Then people were saying Sony were pulling out the market and they managed to get the sales up.
Then it came out the 3DS was going to be walked all over by the PSV yet that did not happen too.

No one knows what is going to happen with any of the consoles and the xbox one maybe a flop but it may not be. The WiiU may become the best selling console of the new gen but then again it may not and the same with the PS4.

At the end of the day Japan is a market that is full of gamers and Microsoft might as well try and get into the market because if they do there is money to be made there.

Golden_Mud3864d ago

Actually we don't know the release date of the Xbox One in Japan.....

mikeslemonade3864d ago

The X1 will be lucky to sell better than what the 360 did in its life time in Japan.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3864d ago
BitbyDeath3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Probably do worse actually since -

1. No year long head start
2. Sony has the cheaper console this time around
3. No RROD sales boost
4. Kinect

ape0073864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

great points but let's extent the argument

1- X360 needed 1 year head start to go against the massively dominating ps2, MS had to make a name for themselves, they needed a strong 1 year head start plan and they succeeded, X1 doesn't need a year head start, "XBOX" is already established as a strong/serious player in the market

2- MS can drop mandatory kinect at any time

3- saying that RROD boosting sales is half the truth, the reality is that the RROD could've ENDED the xbox 360 but the system stayed strong because it's great

4- MS may have the potential to capture the casual with kinec 2.0s features, u know Japanese people are bit crazy, they can TOTALLY fall for something like kinect 2.0

yes ps4 might seems to have a bit upper arm at launch but it's far from over

BitbyDeath3864d ago

1. PS2 -> PS3 transition shows just how much things can change in a generation. Sony had a series of unfortunate events leading up to PS3 and it looks like the Xbone is going above and beyond those.

2. They should, it is not for everyone.

3. It also received little media attention so most did not know what they were buying into.

4. Kinect requires a large family space which Japan is generally not privy too.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3864d ago
knifefight3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Some real lack of answering the question in the middle.

Q "Forza 4 didn't sell in Japan. Why do you think Forza 5 will be a system seller?"

A "Because you can drive a Ferrari!"

Q "Right, so that's what will sell it to Japanese people?"

A "Look! You can see the stitches on the steering wheel!"

This is seriously sad.

jhoward5853864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

@knifefight

Q "Forza 4 didn't sell in Japan. Why do you think Forza 5 will be a system seller?"
----------------------------- -------------------

The reason why I think Forza 5 will do better than foza 4 in japn is because I notice japan gamers like a challenge.I also notice japan players like lots of characters/objects on screen at the same time. So being that FoZA has a 24 players slot(not 2-16 player slot like foza 4) it might be more changeling to them. Drive clubs only have up to 2-16.

knifefight3864d ago

If only the interview could have been with YOU. See, YOU actually provided a real answer to the question, heh. ^^; MS Japan, meanwhile, seemed like they were avoiding a real answer.

Mario183864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

@jhoward

"The reason why I think Forza 5 will do better than foza 4 in japn is because I notice japan gamers like a challenge."

So Forza 5 will sell better because Japan like challenges... dude, take your head out of wonderland

Hicken3864d ago

This is another case of someone taking false information and running with it.

http://www.examiner.com/art...

"That info came from a Forza Motorsport 5 product description that was on an online retailer site. It was inaccurate and was pulled once we became aware of it. We plan to reveal more details on our car list and multiplayer car count in the coming weeks."

As for Japanese gamers liking a challenge, what are you basing that on, and what makes you think Forza 5 will offer that? That it has a number of players it doesn't actually have?

AznGaara3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Man by that logic I guess Japanese gamers absolutely hate fighting games then. I mean only 2 characters on the screen.... oh wait -_-

paul-p19883864d ago

If Japanese gamers want a challenge they would get Gran Turismo or any simulator game, not an arcade racer.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3864d ago
rainslacker3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

LOL. I tend not to read interview articles until I read a few comments to see if they're worth the time, but this comment made me have to see if that's what he actually said.

Seriously, do they think Japanese people are so stupid to think that the impulse triggers will truly give a representation of what it's like to drive a Ferrari...or even a Prius for that matter. Rumble has been around for years, and they do make these things called racing wheels which offer much better feedback. Using my racing wheel though doesn't make my chair vibrate, nor do I feel the force of acceleration or tight cornering, nor that feeling you get when your car begins to slide out. I've had the luxury of driving a Ferrari, and a Lamborghini, and I can say, that no controller or super fancy seat/wheel setup on the market can offer the feeling that those kinds of cars can provide. They don't even come close, and an extra couple rumble motors isn't going to change that.

I love how much they tout Titanfall as an XBox game always saying how many awards it's won, and in this article he goes on to say, "I don't know, it's EA's title. It's not our title". I'm sure this guy knows full well if Titanfall is releasing on PC in Japan.

Mario183864d ago

Xbox One will be a fail in Japan. Microsoft stated the same thing with the 360 and NO ONE bought it

AznGaara3864d ago (Edited 3864d ago )

Can't see this over taking GT6 in Japan.

Riderz13373864d ago

Yeah it won't happen...

Forza series (1-4 + Horizon) sales in Japan = 220K

Gran Turismo 5 sales in Japan - 800K

fsfsxii3864d ago

LOL, yea, nice thing to wake up on

Show all comments (38)
150°

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.

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theverge.com
darthv7213h 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.

solideagle36m ago

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

Cacabunga2m 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.

purple1012h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos2h ago

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

XBManiac1h ago

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

SimpleDad1h ago(Edited 1h 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.

purple1011h ago

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

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos35m ago(Edited 33m 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

Show all comments (10)
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

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insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 10h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 7h ago

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

Barlos1d 4h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN22h ago

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

peppeaccardo23h ago

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

ChasterMies19h 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 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h 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 7h ago

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

Mr Logic17h ago

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

Crows9017h ago

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

Profchaos1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h 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 9h ago

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

Profchaos1d 8h ago

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

Yi-Long1d 5h ago

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

XiNatsuDragnel1d 8h ago

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

Profchaos1d 6h ago (Edited 1d 6h ago )

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

TheColbertinator1d 7h 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 ☝️

Zeref11d 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.

DarXyde11d 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.

PhillyDonJawn11d ago (Edited 11d 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.

Einhander197211d 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.

MrBaskerville11d 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?

Zeref11d 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.

MrNinosan11d 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
Zeref11d 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.

DarXyde11d 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.

Einhander197211d 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.

Einhander197211d 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.

BehindTheRows11d ago (Edited 11d 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.

Zeref11d ago (Edited 11d 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.

Chevalier11d 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.

Tacoboto11d 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
Hofstaderman11d 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?

crazyCoconuts11d 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.

crazyCoconuts10d 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)