Xbox One launching September 4 in Japan - 48 Japanese companies registered to make games

It is official, Microsoft will be launching the Xbox One in Japan on September 4th, They have also announced that 48 Japanese Companies are registered to develop for the system

[christocolus]

Nice..the list includes all the key japanese devs, wasnt expecting this much japanese support tbh. Good going MS. Phil must be spreading the good word.

Tecmo koei is in there too?.. i guess the rumors of them going ps exclusive this gen was false then. Fromsoftware needs to make an otogi and chrome hounds sequel and i hope the good games are all localized for the west at some point...it also seems the japanese will be enjoying sunset overdrive at launch which also confirms a 2014 release date for the game.

Xbx fans definitly have a lot to look forward to.

[Eonjay]

Absolutely they have a lot to look forward to but not in Japan. What in the actual world is going to make the Xbox a smash hit in Japan of all places on Earth?

[christocolus]

Console sales in japan have been declining generally but that hasnt stopped sony or nintendo from giving it a go or are you suggesting MS skips japan?

Most of the ips my friends and i have enjoyed on the original xbx and 360 all come from japan i.e .blinx, otogi,phantum dust, lost odysee, blu dragon, tales,tekken,sf, vf,ff,doa ,ninja gaiden,bayonetta, vanquish, mgs etc.

The console may not sell millions but its good to see MS making the effort..i think only good can come out of this i.e Ms/xbox are under new leadership, one which i think will sieze this opportunity to work hard to build better relationships with these japanese devs and then the result is that xbox fans in the west also get to enjoy these games.

Sept is just 5months away. We will know MS plans for the region soon enough..Phil has been talking about this for a while..MS definitly has something unique planned for the region this time around(i dont think they will make the same mistake twice) they will announce these plans before it launches there.

I support their deceision to launch in japan and china and i wish them all the best.

@jb227

All signs have been pointing to a late 2014 release for sunset overdrive.

Quantum break ,d4,project spark and Sunset overdrive have always been scheduled for a 2014 release and i havent seen any article claiming otherwise infact Edge is covering the game in their next months issue and Ive been following Phils comments on twitter regarfing the title and he hasnt said otherwise. The game will be shown at e3 and is definitly launching this year.

[TomShoe]

I'm not trying to troll, but I can already tell this thing is going to bomb in Japan. I'm expecting 1.5M units lifetime, tops.

[mkis007]

@Tomshoe

Considering 360 has yet to break 2 million in Japan, I would put my money on that.

[4Sh0w]

X1 is not going to sell well in Japan but like the 360 it doesn't need to= as I've said before micro's committment to still compete in Japan is largely symbolic. Truth is lower sales than nintendo and sony in Japan is a given but Japanese dev support is more important worldwide to the xbox brand.

Of course they know X1 isnt going to have high sales #'s in Japan, hell Japans console market importance and presence has dwindled significantly anyway, , its still revelant but lets be honest Japan is nowhere near the gaming mecca it used to be, western devs for the most part are driving the market. Yeah ps4 had a good good launch but sales have slowed dramatically, same as wii u, and although X1 will do even worst its right message regardless to compete in Japan out of committment (worldwide also) and it keeps Japanese devs open to X1 as a platform.

[Giul_Xainx]

Good luck. But I just don't see it going so well unless they get some new RPG that will actually interest them.

[amiga-man]

http://www.google.co.uk/img...

http://www.google.co.uk/img...

[RiPPn]

It's just another retail channel to stuff to inflate those "shipped to retailer" numbers.

And let's be real, there is no way there is this much Japanese support for this console, these companies know Japanese games don't sell on the Xbox and that the Xbox isn't going to sell in Japan. They are likely registering just in case a reason pops up to put a game on there.

[frankdrebin72]

as said previously by myself...
the fact that the xbox one according to many has a weakness,..its a " media" box/ games console
Factor that the "weakness" you perceive may i fact be its greatest strength in selling in other countries like japan etc...

[DanielGearSolid]

It's a good list,

but are these just developers registered, and not necessarily working on Games?

[jb227]

It doesn't say that Sunset will be available at Japanese launch, only that it is indeed an upcoming title...the list also features Halo for Xbox One and it seems very doubtful that any Halo title will launch at that date when they have typically dropped in the busier holiday season of November

[Muffins1223]

Honestly you and I both know the sales for this thing are gonna be worse than a wiiu over there...

[Automatic79]

I agree Chris good to see them jumping in more territories with more developers. Exciting times ahead for Xbox One.

[imt558]

They have registered 48 companies to make games. But if they want to make games for Xbone?

[Magicite]

Xbox becoming Jrpg console? One can only wish.

[corvusmd]

Nice, but gaming in Japan seems to have dropped off. Even the PS4 didnt do exceptionally well and MS hasn't really every been extremely successful there. For MS's sake, hopefully they can turn it around.

[cyguration]

They'll probably sell more consoles in China than in Japan.

[HeWhoWalks]

Um, the PS4 just released. Not sure how you can make a judgment call on a two-month-old machine.

OT: Best of luck to them.

[n4rc]

Why not? We compared and judged 6 months before launch.. And 2min after Lol, and ever since.

I personally don't care what they do in Japan as I don't live there.. But I would hope they can do decent numbers.. As always, more options for Japanese gamers isn't a bad thing..

There was a long time people here in NA essentially boycotted anything made in Japan.. That all changed in time.. I feel the same could happen again and their future there isn't sealed because of the past

[HeWhoWalks]

@ n4rc: So, we should say the PS4 did nothing in Japan, even though it's been on sale for just two months, with HARDLY ANY attractive Japanese software? "lol" Seems legit.

[Volkama]

We can't possibly pass any kind of judgement on a console that has only been out for 2 months. That console doesn't come out until September though, that's doomed!

Don't get your panties in a twist :)

[HeWhoWalks]

@ Volkama: Try to add something of relevance next time. ;)

[Volkama]

Oh smiley face insult. I guess my original reply was of a similar tone, so I will accept that graciously!

My point was relevant. You are in a thread that is filled to the brim with comments stating that the XBox is going to fail in Japan, but you try and counter the one single comment that says something similar about the Playstation by saying it's too soon to declare that.

I don't peg you as a fanboy, so I think you can see how your comment sticks out in this context?

[HeWhoWalks]

@ Volkama: My comment actually made a lot of sense - that based on historical trends, from a PlayStation, judging what it will do, with just 2 months of performance, makes no sense at all (and the poster who commented isn't known for his positive PlayStation attitude).
In regards to Xbox, I gave no response to it because I don't have a comment on something that has yet to launch, but going by THAT historical trend (which many have done in here), it's unlikely to set that region on fire.

Now as to what you "peg me", I couldn't care less (that goes back to irrelevance, anyway). If you want to have reasonable discussions, though, responses with: "don't get your panties in a twist" make it appear that you lack that capability (whether you do/don't won't matter at that point).

[Volkama]

Uh huh, uh huh. They're twisted particularly tightly I'd say. Carry on.

[n4rc]

Haha.. So now "didn't do exceptional well" translates to "did nothing"

People judge everything ms does before they do it.. But we need to give sony a few more months before we can judge?

Nice double standard we have going here lol

[HeWhoWalks]

@ n4rc: If you actually read my comment (which evidence shows you either didn't or have a lack of understanding), I made it clear that I had nothing to say regarding MS.

Thus, your double standard outlandish talk must be meant for someone else.

[n4rc]

Just because I replied to your comment doesn't mean everything I say is directed at you..

You took a comment and twisted it around.. That's all I directed to you..

The double standard applies to your comment but no, you didn't mention Xbox.. But that doesn't mean it doesn't apply..

People love to bash Xbox around here.. Well before plans become reality.. So you wanting to reserve judgment on Sony goes against the norm.. Unless said double standard exists

[Pinkdolphinyfg]

It will be interesting to see how ms tackles japan this time around to say the least.....

[lifeisgamesok]

Lost Odyssey 2 using Unreal Engine 4 please

[Kiwi66]

At least ms are going to give it a go in japan who knows it might work .
OFT : you can pretty much be certain that this article will attract anti ms/xbox comments .

[ats1992]

Pretty much all articles with good news about Microsoft/Xbox will get trolled and down played.

[Ben Dover]

There's an amount of trolling, I give you that. But the downplaying isn't for no reason.. let's not forget the 360 completely bombed in Japan and with Microsoft's former DRM policy that eventually got reverted, they kinda shot themselves in the foot.

[AndrewLB]

Ben Dover- Why do you continue to ignore the fact that Sony had the EXACT SAME DRM for PS4 that Microsoft originally was going to put on the Xbone. When Microsoft went public with the details and they got torn apart by media and consumer alike, Sony quietly removed the DRM, then sat back and enjoyed show as M$ took it on the chin from everyone.

Proof? Shuhei Yoshida admitted to it himself in an interview with the Japanese publication Famitsu

http://ps4daily.com/2013/06...

At least Microsoft was upfront about the DRM and changed it when people objected. Sony acted like they never had DRM and even attacked M$ for "not being for the gamers".

Speaking of lies and "being for the gamers"... it's funny how little attention Sony's BIG lie regarding KZSF's native resolution being 1080p when the console uses a special type of processing that blends 960 x 1080 images together, which is nowhere near 1080p/60

[Lucreto]

@AndrewLB

You have the timeline all mixed up. It was rumoured that Sony had the DRM as well before E3. This time last year there was a massive twitter campaign saying no to DRM. Sony listened and removed it. Microsoft ignored it and announced the drm.

The article you linked sounds like a conspiracy theories to me, light on evidence and proof.

[Ben Dover]

@ Andrew

Did you really just compare an in-game resolution difference with a DRM policy that affects the entire console?

Wow.. desperate and grasping at straws aren't we?

[ShwankyShpanky]

@Andrew:

Yoshida's actual quote to Famitsu (which your link conveniently failed to include):
"It's not that our hardware policies are decided strictly based on user reaction like this, but when we were thinking about what we had to bring across and how to bring it across, it was a very useful source."

I shudder to think of what kind of incongruous fanboy mental gymnastics allow this to be translated as "Sony had the EXACT SAME DRM for PS4 that Microsoft originally was going to put on the Xbone ... Shuhei Yoshida admitted to it himself."

[GameDev1]

@AndrewLB

Stop being bitter, the singleplayer mode of Killzone does run 1080p no matter how they optimized it

[hulk_bash1987]

Well Japan is definitely some untapped potential for MS. Well see if Japanese gamers will embrace them this generation.

[Julion0715]

Ms is doing a great job the xbox one is so much better than it was a couple months ago keep up the good work ms, hopefully japan embrace the 1

[KillerByte23]

Already Confirmed Games

Call of Duty: Ghosts (Infinity Ward)
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Crystal Dynamics)
Thief (Eidos Montreal)
Murdered: Soul Suspect (Airtight Games)

[colonel179]

I don't see COD nor Thief being any success at all in Japan. I just don't see how these two games could sell.

[dddooozzz9]

Well, too late to import Japan. Hope MS will not abandon Asia market again.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Awesome. Hopefully Microsoft tease some of their Japanese exclusives at e3.

[Goku781]

They are trying but I doubt they will get far there.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

They gotta at least try.

[Cueil]

This will likely coincide with a price drop as well

[LouisianaShark]

Level-5 might be working on True Fantasy Live online.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[xXDerickXx]

I think after e3 Japan will get to see all these Japanese games and will start to consider the Xbox one

[Darkfist]

one way to succeed in japan, titanfall anime(aka boob) edition.

[BG11579]

Kawaii Titan Furu!!!

[crunkgirlYT711]

the Japanese crowd will be hard to please lets hope they do better there then the 360 did

[Lucreto]

Some people above fail to see signing up to make games for a console does not equal making games for the console.

The Tales of developer said the first current generation game has already been ruled out for the Xbox One.

[04STIBluByU]

Unless MS redesign's the console aka smaller, and has a huge price drop and has exclusive launch JRPG's then this will be just a fart in the wind. They need all of those things I mentioned because History does repeat itself.

[izumo_lee]

Gotta hand it to Microsoft for trying again in a region that if history serves is a very poor market for them. They will again try to 'lock' exclusive Japanese content onto their system with enticing Japanese developers with their vast amount of cash. It didn't work with the original Xbox, it failed again on the 360, so what makes them believe it will work this time around.

Also the list of developers is impressive but it should be noted that even though this looks like a lot of support many of these devs were also on the list for 360 support but never made serious efforts in making games for it. Nippon Icchi for example made one game 'Cross Edge' i believe and that was it for the rest of the gen.

[D3ATH_DRIV3R_777]

They keep trying, and they'll keep failing.

[choujij]

They just need to do the Titanfall bundle over there. Only this time, the copy of Titanfall comes bundled with a free Xbox One.

That might work. XD