Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero 3 PS3 exclusive in Japan?

More nightmare scenarios in Japan for Microsoft?

According to the latest Famitsu to just hit the shelves in Japan, Guitar Hero 3 and Call of Duty 4 are listed as PS3 only for 2007 in the PS3 lineup section of the magazine. Devil May Cry 4 is listed as coming to both the 360 and PS3 in the same section. No sign of COD4 or GH3 for the 360 anywhere in 2007 or 2008.

[SmokeyMcBear]

did the publishers just give up on releasing games in japan for the 360? Interesting

[nasim]

good decision since the x360 sells just 1000 units in JAPAN so why support a dead console. the publishers should also scrape x360 versions in EU where it is doing even worse and make profit from the ps3 versions.

good decision publishers

[gunnerforlife]

r u sure that dmc4 is exclusive to ps3 i wish u were rite but somehow i dont think capcom would do that there all about money.

[Witty Comment]

Nasim, we all know you're notorious for general idiocy... but it says, right there in the subtext "Devil May Cry 4 is listed as coming to both the 360 and PS3 in the same section". Are you really that far gone, or is this a charade? You can't be that staunch a supporter that you're lying to yourself, can you? Although, from reading your posts, that seems to be the case.

I know I won't see a reply to this (at least nothing coherent), so I'm proabbly just as much an idiot as you are for even wasting effort.

[BloodySinner]

He only has one bubble left, why would any sane person consider what nasim has to say?

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

people relate BUBBLES to INTELLEGENCE.

thats the least INTELLEGENT thing you can say.

IMO.

[Mr PS3]

Sinner has a hard on for bubbles?? whats it all that about sinner

[SubZero]

I have my issues with 360(now on my fith console) but they and any other American company relly don't stand a chance in Japan. For some reason We can adapt to JP style of gaming and concepts.. They are a bit more reserved, XBOX would need to release several A+ titles within a short spand of time to get the JP audience to bite.

[Bilzac]

IMO japanese prefer ps3 cross platform titles so i dun think these games would have given the 360 sales that big of a boost.

[felidae]

that would be stupid.

why should they do that?

[kss]

xbox 360 offically dead in japan

[gunnerforlife]

xbox has been dead there since there original came out back in the days. wat made u think 360 was gone do any good

[goodganja]

This will ensure console dominance for PS3 in Japan. In turn since most of the AAA games are made from Japanese developers, you'll see more exclusives being developed for PS3. Reason being is because they will be impressed on what they can do on developing for it. In tune you will see people neglecting 360 which will lead for those Jap. exclusives to trinkle down to america and europe for PS3 only in the coming years.

[Staircase]

Wow, that is not good for Microsoft. And are DMC4 and Soul Calibur 4nreally PS3 exclusive in japan?? If so, that is really bad for Microsoft.

[Goshyujin_Sama]

is $hit in Japan, none of my Japanese friends own one....

[Kleptic]

as a market they prefer well-built reliable stuff...be it electronics, cars, etc.....

it isn't that bad of news for MS...because they are doing fine (outselling the PS3) without Japan...and this may not be just because of the 360...its not like many Japanese people are going to play COD4...if there is one thing to rival MS's lack of penetration in that market, its the FPS genre...

But PS3 fan, 360 fan, game fan, whatever...If the PS3 and 360 were cars...reliability wise the PS3 is a Honda...and the 360 is a Chevy Cavalier...there is no denying that...

[Fan Tastic]

.

[PS360PCROCKS]

lmao this is so not true...if any of you actually think Microsoft isn't going to release two or perhaps three of the biggest titles in Japan your smoking some good stuff...who cares how many systems they have sold to date, their alienating that user base by not releasing these titles...if you believe this your a complete idiot. Plus you think Microsoft is sitting at a table saying "How can we do better in japan" "Oh oh I got it let's NOT release DMC4,COD4 AND GH3, that'll surely move consoles!!" Please...

[Staircase]

It's the developers choice, not Microsoft's.

[Kleptic]

haha yeah?...none of these are 1st party games...what are you talking about?

MS's XBOX department knows enough that it doesn't matter...they have been trying for about a decade to break into that market...to no avail...Some MS peeps will say "they should just pay whoever to make them release it"...why?...it will make no difference...anyone that would buy these games in Japan in the first place, would most definitely buy them for the PS3...and if MS stays out of it, they are not waisting more money on Japan...

[uxo22]

Hmmm, I would think the PUBLISHER would have a lot of pull as to where a game that they are publishing is going to be released. These kinds of deals are made with the developers long before the game is ready to be released.

If the developers of COD4 and GH3 allow this, there will be some business reprecussions to be handed out. And if they are big enough to absorb that, then so be it.

Me personally if I was a Japanese 360 owner and they did that, I would never buy anything else that developer made ever again.

[mandrake]

It makes economic sense. Publishers may not find the tiny 360 market niche in Japan worth the cost of localizing multi-plat games for that country. Unless MS plans on giving up Japan they ought to sweeten deals with publishers to keep the Japanese 360 versions of multi-plat games from drying up. Japan is truly proving to be the 360's weak point for major damage.

[cheatmaster28]

This is bill gates and i am here to say that soon the 360 will be dead in america as well and i can get back to vista 2 and hopefully it will be good.

[Rockstar]

Vista will never be good Bill, sorry.

[xaphanze]

stupid? No i dont think so. Why spend money for game that is gonna sell 10k or 20k max for 360 in japan?
anyway good news for ps3.

[BloodySinner]

You mean, good news to boost your ego (PS3 fanboy inside).

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

i can tell by your comments your EGO has been HURT.

get use to it TOMMORROW and the next 3days won`t make it any better.

SONY.TGS.FTW.

[Mr PS3]

Sinner

[BloodySinner]

Awww... Did I strike a nerve again? Well, I guess you too fanboys will just have to suck it up.

[uxo22]

It does seem to be a boost to your egos. I mean think about it, why would any of you want a game to not be released on another console as long as your console is getting it. Seems like selfish jealousy to me. I can understand 1 party titles, but 3rd party games are for everyone not just the PS3. Get over yourselves.

The 360 dying in Japan may make you feel better, but it'll bit you in the A$$ in the long run. Look at past history with any company or person gains too much power, who benefits, not you, not me!

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

is a huge win for SONY japan.

COD4 wouldn`t do that well over there on any SYSTEM.

but GH3, that`ll move some units.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

It won't stay that way for long.

Microsoft will pay WHATEVER they have to...

They always do...

Besides...it's not like they MAKE games for the 360...

haha...so true.

[DeZimatoR]

If this was happening the other way around, with the PS3 not egtting this titles this year (in Japan) there would be a revolution going on right now.

As its about 360 not getting the games this year, 'no problem'.

I mean, come on. This is a serious warning about the 360's condition over in Japan...

[Nameless]

The 360 has been doing fine without Japan. Let the Japanese be company suck ups & have the Playstation Versions.

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

your funny.

comments like the one you just made about "how you DON`T care"
show "how much you DO care"

yeah, who cares about a COUNTRY that loves gaming? wow.

MS does. Sony does. Nintendo does.

but you don`t.

funny, funny stuff.

[thrillhouseuk]

A few things to say here. The listings of games in a magazine really isn't definitive information of any kind really, what soley matters is what the publishers say. Much of the information on future releases is surmised or this could simply be oversight. The actual journalists don't do the listings sections of games mags.

Secondly I suppose it's possible that a cost-benefit analysis of localising japanese versions of these games might come out against the idea but it's pretty unlikely. The biggest market for COD4 is the 360, no question about it. The figures can't lie on that, the PS3 is frankly a secondary market as far as the publishers are concerned. The money is there to be made on the huge install base of the 360. Much the same applies to GH3, though arguably the Wii might be the primary seller as it has an even bigger base, leaving the PS3 in a distant 3rd. Also one must consider that GH3 will require next to no localization. I'd call BS on this story.

[THUNDERMARE]

If you are talking about install base then, yes publisher will always want to sell games on the larger install base console, which is why this is particularly bad for 360 in japan because MS managed to sell only 800k of 360 over there, while PS3 sells about 1.2-1.3 million so far. Now if you are Japanese publisher, who will you publish for PS3 or Xbox360?
Moreover, PS1 and PS2 manage to sell in the 110 million figure, that's means that either wii, 360, or PS3 will be able to reach that number, but its not the number that can be make in 2-3 years, that's about 5-7 years of console life span.

Right now 360 might have larger install base, but then within 1-2 years that might not be the case. Japanese market is one right now.

[Frances-the-Mute]

then whats the point of making DMC4 for 360/PS3, when they could have made the PS3 version better imo

[Meus Renaissance]

I dont even think 360 famboys care about this or Japan. I personally dont from an 360 owners point of view.

[Douchebaggery]

silent hill 5 is another that won't be released on x360 in japan

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

Make any difference?

I mean, most of Famitsu reports in most wanted you see Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 listed as PS3 titles. It's not like they don't know this titles are coming for 360, is just that they don't care.

I don't know where COD4 and GH3 will really appear in japanese's X360 or not, but I'm pretty sure they will, this is more just like Famitsu don't care about 360... You know, print 360 there would be loss of paint.

[nice_cuppa]

The 360 has been doing fine without Japan.

[Doppy]

I mean Xbox 360 doesn't sell bad in Japan, it sells horrendously. I'm guessing that no more than 200,000 360's have been sold in Japan after it's 1 year head start. Therefore, these games will never sell well unless everyone with a 360 in Japan buys them. I think Microsoft should pull out of Japan and focus on America and Europe, and do what they can to get as many of them to buy their system.

[soccerluv]

Thats what I was trying to say. It will not hurt early adopters of the 360 because they can always buy the region free version of the games. The publishers know this and at the rate the 360 is selling in Japan, this strategy would make sense.

It really hurts MS in the long run when gamers who are interested in the 360 see the lack of titles on store shelves when thinking about a purchase. Even if there are games like Lost Odyssey and Infinite Undiscovery, they just won't go for it after seeing the rest of the lineup. The 360 section in most stores are in a sad state. It just keeps getting worse. If hardcore gamers decide to play LO or IU, they will probably buy the 360 for those games and sell it on Yahoo auction when they're done. There were alot of those Blue Dragon bundles being auctioned off on Yahoo a month or two after its release.

I love my 360 and my PS3. I play my 360 a lot more right now. But, MS has really dropped the ball AGAIN in Japan.

By the way, try not to stereotype the Japanese too much. Some of what people are saying is right in a sense, but a lot of foreign goods do very well here. Apple seems to have learned how to market their products in Japan. The MS Japan staff needs to go back to school.

Anyways, thank you to everybody who visited the site and for not making this post too much of a flame war. I was trying to be as diplomatic as possible in that post. I hope that came through.

[nekon]

This could start to become a trend.. Interesting turn of events IMO.

[IRONMAN_X57]

360 is dead meat, we should of known by now

[Shaka2K6]

Sony wins again.
its time for microsoft to start planning the x720 now.
the x360 is just another of microsofts epic failtures.

[MikeGdaGod]

i don't care what none of you say. if this stands true, MS will feel a sting

[WilliamRLBaker]

Microsoft otta make a deal with these companies that they will publish the games in japan for 360, that way the companies have no reason when it comes to money to publish it in japan on 360, cause 360 has such a small user base.

Of which mind you in japan compared to ps3, the attach rate for 360 games is higher then ps3 games.

[Dick_Mitchell]

Major Nelson,

Where are you on this one???

What do you have to say about this???

You stupid fool, Major Nelson, how about running your mouth about this!

[Dick_Mitchell]

The Xbox 360 recieves more Japanese third-party support than any other console...and those games are released in North America and Europe, where the Xbox 360 has a sales lead of nearly EIGHT-MILLION systems.

But it is PATHETIC that an American company like Activision would be willing to release games exclusively for the PS3 in Japan.

What is more PATHETIC is that Microsoft would allow this to happen.

Microsoft, if you had decent management, we can only imagine how far the Xbox 360 would be ahead of the Playstation 3 right now...the price of the Xbox 360 would have dropped by $100 after the first year, and there would be 20 million owners right now, rather than 13 million.