PS4 Japan launch/sales
- Thread starter Andy
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Surprisingly there are a lot of Western games in the games lineup. Either Japanese game developers have diminished a lot, or Western games have started to grow on them.
Right, and that's reflected in the early reports that plenty of PS4s are sitting on shelves. Those are just anecdotal reports, so we need to wait until next week for real numbers, but the early indications are the PS4 is not a sellout in Japan. I don't know what sort of sales numbers were expected or what a bad vs. good result might be.
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I said a while a go that I thought the PS4 would fail in Japan ( by Fail I just mean not a big hit ) as Japan, it seems, are going mobile.
The Japanese market is a bit dire now days.
If Sony can't sell out MS might not even want to bother.
If Sony can't sell out MS might not even want to bother.
Damn. So my prediction was wrong. I thought it will sell well, then drop like an Anvil from a helicopter.
But them when you look at the games to be available, there are so many Western games, & the Japanese probably not that interested, but Sony have to put them in probably to make the games lineup feel beefy.
Fact is Japanese console game development have fall drastically, & big studios like Konami & Capcom are design games more to Western tastes, or more specifically American taste. That apply to many European studio as well.
Else why Dice, a Swedish Studio, make games about American soldiers, instead of Vikings! Why is GTA are mostly base on imaginary America cites, instead of U.K (there is once in London I think), where the developers are from. Maybe to be fair, Swedish army do not participate in war, & Guns are illegal (& very hard to get freely) in much of Europe.
Personally, I prefer games that feel 'local', (e.g Swedish developers make a game that take place in Sweden, Japanese in Japan, like the Onimusha series, & Yakusa, unless of course fantasy ) like in films, but I think its not happening, but its not a big deal for me, but would be nice.
But them when you look at the games to be available, there are so many Western games, & the Japanese probably not that interested, but Sony have to put them in probably to make the games lineup feel beefy.
Fact is Japanese console game development have fall drastically, & big studios like Konami & Capcom are design games more to Western tastes, or more specifically American taste. That apply to many European studio as well.
Else why Dice, a Swedish Studio, make games about American soldiers, instead of Vikings! Why is GTA are mostly base on imaginary America cites, instead of U.K (there is once in London I think), where the developers are from. Maybe to be fair, Swedish army do not participate in war, & Guns are illegal (& very hard to get freely) in much of Europe.
Personally, I prefer games that feel 'local', (e.g Swedish developers make a game that take place in Sweden, Japanese in Japan, like the Onimusha series, & Yakusa, unless of course fantasy ) like in films, but I think its not happening, but its not a big deal for me, but would be nice.
Doesn't need to be that way, exactly, but I do agree with the idea that we need more diverse settings instead of America all the damn time, and we need a bit more culture from around the globe in our games too.
They make games based on America because this is where a huge portion of sales come from. I agree though, even though I live in the states I'd love to see more games take place in other parts of the world, that was one of the things I liked about Sleeping dogs, it took place in Hong Kong but was in a modern setting. It seems a lot of games that take place in other parts of the world have to be set in some historical time period or are full of fantasy elements.
When it comes to PS4 sales in Japan, it'll probably sell decently over time once more games come out that are more appealing to the Japanese market, the issue is Japanese companies are making games that appeal to western markets because that's where the money is made. That being said Japan is also a shrinking market and I don't think any console is going to sell through the roof there, any sales sony gets there will just be enough to pad their global numbers but aren't likely to sell in the millions anytime soon. They'll still do better there than MS that's a given but it'll probably take a little while to hit their first million in Japan.
When it comes to PS4 sales in Japan, it'll probably sell decently over time once more games come out that are more appealing to the Japanese market, the issue is Japanese companies are making games that appeal to western markets because that's where the money is made. That being said Japan is also a shrinking market and I don't think any console is going to sell through the roof there, any sales sony gets there will just be enough to pad their global numbers but aren't likely to sell in the millions anytime soon. They'll still do better there than MS that's a given but it'll probably take a little while to hit their first million in Japan.
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Yeah, that was one of the reasons why I liked Sleeping Dogs because it was in a different setting. Metro: Last Light as well was unique for me because of its European connections. It felt so refreshing to be playing someone who had a thick accent, lol.
I agree. One of the things I like about playing games is that you get to vicariously experience other parts of the world, other cultures, and other lifestyles -- real or fictional. I've had enough experiences of my real life in America. I don't really need more of those. I'd rather have experiences of strange or foreign worlds. That's part of why I like RPGs, because they almost always deliver that, although the worlds are fictional. But even then, a game like Fallout repeatedly sticks to American soil. Washington, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Boston, etc. GTA has grown stale for me, because I don't need to see yet another Houser parody of American civilization. The new Infamous has a beautiful re-creation of Seattle, but at a certain level, all American cities are kind of the same.
Anyhow, I'd like to see games take place in other parts of the world, too.
Only in Japan, a game developer that have not produce anything for like so long (8-10 years?) can still be around. Talk about job security.
PS4 finally selling out at Japanese retailers...
(quoting)
"The PS4 launched in Japan on Saturday, and it didnāt immediately sell out at the biggest local retail chains. This caused a wave of somewhat alarmist articles and comments, some of which called the consoleās Japanese launch āmutedā or even a flop. Looks like they were a bit premarture, as the stock has been gradually but steadily running out over the weekend."
"Amazon Japan was the first to run out on Sunday morning, followed by Edion and Rakuten, where allocations have died up yesterday night. At last even the major retailer Yodobashi Camera has now run out of stock online, with only the Niigata store between the 21 of the chain still showing availability over the counter."
"Weāll have a more precise idea on overall sales on Wednesday with the Media Create hardware chart, but the situation doesnāt seem nearly as bad as some would like us to believe."
http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02...lers-second-shipment-already-coming-tomorrow/
(quoting)
"The PS4 launched in Japan on Saturday, and it didnāt immediately sell out at the biggest local retail chains. This caused a wave of somewhat alarmist articles and comments, some of which called the consoleās Japanese launch āmutedā or even a flop. Looks like they were a bit premarture, as the stock has been gradually but steadily running out over the weekend."
"Amazon Japan was the first to run out on Sunday morning, followed by Edion and Rakuten, where allocations have died up yesterday night. At last even the major retailer Yodobashi Camera has now run out of stock online, with only the Niigata store between the 21 of the chain still showing availability over the counter."
"Weāll have a more precise idea on overall sales on Wednesday with the Media Create hardware chart, but the situation doesnāt seem nearly as bad as some would like us to believe."
http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02...lers-second-shipment-already-coming-tomorrow/
Yeah in Japan thy're pretty led back people. even at sporting events they won't yell and clap much.
Ok, doe eventually sold out, but I can expect the sales to sharply soon, after the initial launch if there are no games to their liking.
