Japan hates X-Box

Land of the Rising Sun..and anime..and vending machines where you can buy used girls panties...

We never got this until the DS remake.

Japan is the great equalizer when it comes to the console race.  When I was younger, Japan dominated the console market, both with games and consoles.  In fact, NES owners probably don't realize this, but well 3 out of every 4 games or so was developed in Japan.  That being said, we didn't get anywhere near the amount of games that Japan got.  This was especially prevalent in the 16-bit era where companies like Enix and Squaresoft were releasing Triple A stuff in Japan, but we wouldn't get them here.  This was increasingly frustrating to North American gamers, who grew up enjoying Japanese games, only to find out that they were missing some really big titles from their favorite series.  

So like I discussed in the 3D0 post, after the 16-bit era,  we had several companies jumping in the pool attempting to compete with Nintendo and Sega.  Both were Japanese companies, and it was often wondered what the reception would be if a western company developed a console, how would it be adopted?  Well, the really funny thing is that the company that actually ended up compete with the two Japanese companies was, *drum roll* another Japanese company (Sony).  However, in the generation following, an American company would jump into the pool because Sega, I guess had prune fingers, and was climbing out.

It was printed on the system.

The Sega Dreamcast was first to market in that generation, but saw the absolute slaughter it was about to endure from the upcoming Playstation 2 release.  However, the Dreamcast was an important gateway for another reason.  It  was compatable with the Windows based operating system.  That's right, Bill Gates actually did interviews promoting the Dreamcast because it used a version of Windows CE.  This was a big step, because it was widely believed that Microsoft could not produce a stable enough OS for a console, and the Dreamcast proved those reports to be wrong.  Of course, Sega pulled the plug on the Dreamcast pretty fast, and Microsoft was left with two things. a.) proof they could produce a stable console OS and b.) a very rosy relationship with Sega.  

So in 2001, Microsoft decided to enter the console race with the X-Box.  They came in at a good time in North America, because Sony's relationship with developers and publishers are starting to deteriorate, and Nintendo was marching to the beat of their own drum, and didn't seem to have much of a direction.  Furthermore, it opened the door  for PC developers to make their content for consoles as well.  So western developers and gamers a like celebrated the fact that they would have their own console, and make Japan wait for our games, just like they had made us wait for theirs for years.  

However, what Microsoft was not prepared for, was how the Japanese would completely ignore the console.  While it sold very well in North America, and decently in Europe, the Japanese only managed to have a penetration of about 2 million units.  Fast forward to the X-Box 360, and that console has been out longer than the X-Box was, and it's not even at the 2 million mark yet.  Considering how Japan seems to love technology, one has to wonder exactly why the Japanese have ignored the unit.  There are two real reasons as to why this is, in my opinion.

First and foremost, and this should surprise no one, the Japanese kinda like buying Japanese.  They support their country's goods.  Every one of us has at least one buddy who only buys American made cars, right?  He refuses to buy an import.  Well, Japan does it too.  There's nothing wrong with it, everyone wants to take pride in the goods their country produces (although, all units are actually made in China now..but I'm talking more about the home country of the console).  

From Japan, look there's Capcom's logo.

The second reason is probably going to rub a few people the wrong way, but I believe it's really the truth.  Sony and Microsoft have two different ways of marketing their games to the mass market.  Both 1st party development houses, and both produce some of the best product on their units (I always say when you're choosing a system, you should look at the exclusive titles on each console..since most games come out for both).  During the time of the Playstation 2, however, Sony marketed their console as more of an open unit.  They had a plethora of different games.  Sony also realized the difference between the North American and Japanese markets.  Proof, you want?  Let's look at God of War.  Here in the States, God of War is a massive release.  The next God of War will have seen a year of hype before it finally launches here in the Spring of 2013.  Sony actually makes this game, it's a 1st party game.  In Japan though, Sony doesn't automatically publish it. God of War Trilogy, for instance, was published by Capcom.  Microsoft's X-Box, both in North America and Japan, were about one thing, Halo.  Microsoft put all their eggs in the Halo basket.  Here in North America, it worked.  We like shooting games here.  In Japan, however, that country is more about role playing games and the like.  When viewing Halo, the Japanese didn't see the point, and then turned around and ignored the console.

This was also shown by the Japanese developers and publishers.  While Sega backed the console with some really good content, like Panzer Dragoon Orta, other Japanese iconic games, like Metal Gear Solid, made appearances on the X-Box in the west, but never were released in their home country (Konami claimed they "wouldn't be worth the discs they were printed on.")  Early on, some Japanese companies did attempt supporting the console, and as the system gained steam in the west, we did see publishers do the triple release of the same game.  However, most Japanese publishers supported the PS2 and Gamecube instead.

I purposefully didn't mention Tecmo's Team Ninja above, so I could get to it now, because they are a different animal.  Tecmo's Dead or Alive is probably more well known for..ahem..other reasons (winkwinknudgenuge) than what it should be know for.  When 3D fighters were more based off of combos and special moves, Dead or Alive was the first fighter I remember having reversals.  That's right, you could block an attack and turn it into an attack of your own.  The fighting system was deep, and it's quite unfortunate that the series is more well known for it's risque' females than it's contributions to the genre.  At that time, Team Ninja was headed by Tomonobu Itagaki, and he's the greatest game developer to ever walk the Earth.  If you don't believe me, just ask him, he'll be the first to tell you how awesome he is.  (That's sarcasm)  Itagaki had attempted Dead or Alive on both Sega and Sony consoles, only to be overshadowed by games he felt were inferior (Sega's Virtua Fighter, and Namco's Tekken series).  Tired of not being a "featured" game, he was one of the first to back Microsoft's X-Box by producing Dead or Alive 3 as a launch title.  He would go onto release several titles for the unit, including the reboot of Ninja Gaiden.  Personally, I don't blame Itagaki, because to be honest Dead or Alive is superior to most 3D fighters out there (including the two I menioned), but on the flip side of the coin, if you're really series about being a contender, spend a little less time with your breast physics engine.  I do find the "T" rating to be hilarious though, considering how sexualized these games have become.

Overall, I think the big thing came down to Sony managed to amass a huge library of titles for the PS2, and stood back, letting the gamers choose what they wanted.  The Japanese could have anything they wanted or needed on the PS2.  Well, outside of Mario and Zelda, which were on the far cheaper Gamecube (plus one system).  All Microsoft had and marketed to the Japanese audience was Halo, and that's just not the kind of game that's going to move consoles there.  With the 360, Microsoft has taken great steps in order to attempt to rope in the Japanese gamer, and the developers and publishers have taken them far more seriously this time around (which could be chalked up to Sony's arrogance, or Microsoft's business acumen..take your pick).  They managed to get Square Enix on board, making Final Fantasy XIII the first number to go multiplatform (at launch, not counting remakes), and also managed to sign Hironobu Sakaguchi to produce two top notch Japanese role playing games exclusively for X-Box (the under appreciated Blue Dragon, and the very epic Lost Odyssey).   These days, Japan's handheld market is much more lucrative than it's home console market though, so we have to factor that in as a possible reason. 

If I were running Microsoft, I would have purchased Sega years ago.  After the Dreamcast fell out, and Sega became a 3rd party publisher, they were on sale for pretty much anyone to buy.  Given the library of back titles and overall name recognition, I don't see why Billy Gates just didn't open his wallet and buy Sega.  You already had a rosy relationship with them.  Instead of calling your console the Microsoft X-Box, you call it the Sega X-Box (powered by Micorosoft).  From there you have a huge library of IPs that will appeal around the world, the Sega name will keep the Japanese loyalty, and guess what?  You can still freaking release Halo.  Seriously, think how much more appealing the 360 would be to the Japanese (or anyone) if X-Box Live were the only place you could download and play Sega Genesis games?  Hindsight is 20/20..but I made this point a long time ago, and I still think it would have been a huge move into the console market for Microsoft, and profitable.