100°

Japanese Retail Employee: 360 Having Rough Time

Xbox Japan has never had an easy time in The Land of the Rising Sun. Last year, with titles like Tales of Vesperia, the company saw some bright spots. This year has been somewhat grim.

Even with the recent Xbox 360 price, Microsoft only moved a little over 4,000 consoles in the most recent sales tally.

According to a Japanese game shop employee, the individual thought that Microsoft had some big titles to show at this year's Tokyo Game Show. "But all in all, there was nothing," the retail blogger writes. Sure, there is Forza 3, but that game has already been announced.

WildArmed5309d ago (Edited 5309d ago )

OMG! Im so surprized =/ Its been established that MS's market is more towards the west.

Kinda getting redundant with these articles lol

ThanatosDMC5308d ago

I actually thought that if they release a Monster Hunter game on the 360 they'd sell like pancakes... but apparently not. The MH3 on Wii crapped out compared to the PSP games.

erathaol5308d ago (Edited 5308d ago )

Kotaku keeping up with the inner workings of Japan, they really know how to find the voice of the industry, from the big guy to the little guy.

Chubear5308d ago (Edited 5308d ago )

This is the most definitive gaming console this gen with remarkable reliability and top notch quality. Any fool could see that. Your loss JPN, your loss.

Knghtz5308d ago

Your sarcasm is so awkward it's almost uncomfortable.

At least you're trying though!

On topic: not really news. Everyone and their mother knows that despite a hard push there, Nintendo and Playstation are well on top in the land of the rising sun.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5308d ago
Tony P5309d ago

I feel like since 360 is doing so much better everywhere else, they've gradually lost the motivation to try harder in Japan.

WildArmed5308d ago (Edited 5308d ago )

I dont think they lost motivation per se.
I mean getting all those JRPGs out wasnt really for the west.
Its just that Japan has too big of a loyalty to its home consoles; Wii n ps3 =/

Or maybe Jap's just like realible hardware o_O

Tony P5308d ago

But where are those JRPG deals now though? I haven't heard of anything new. The only new exclusive JRPG (KRPG) I can recall is Magna Carta 2 and maybe something from Mistwalker. Everything else is multiplat or PS3 exclusive.

Granted you don't improve with JRPGs alone, but do they have anything with which to tantalize the Japanese gamer these days?

silvacrest5308d ago

maybe they gave up because they realized that the JRPG push in japan was not working for them

just cut your losses and focus on your strengths

Knghtz5308d ago

Couldn't agree more Silva.

The 360 excels when it comes to online gaming and is doing great in the states. Maybe now they will capitalize on this success by enhancing that experience. The efforts they've went to to try and emulate Sony and Nintendo's strengths have thus far failed.

Microsoft: Quit trying to be another company and do what you've been doing, it seems to be doing pretty well (PS. Also try and make your hardware a little more reliable next time around :P)

Nathan Drake25308d ago (Edited 5308d ago )

tony p
i think that x360 is in last place in europe too.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5308d ago
Chubear5308d ago

The Beta-box-please-fix-me: Gimp in, Pay beyond.

Gameland5308d ago

hope the x360 has better sales in japan because competition is always good and brings innovation.

Doc Sony5308d ago

Die a thousand deaths 360.

Show all comments (35)
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.

Read Full Story >>
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.

solideagle54m ago

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

Cacabunga21m 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.

purple1013h 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'

Profchaos54m ago(Edited 52m 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)
130°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein12h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno8h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k47h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson6h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu7h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson6h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies14h ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken9h ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing691d 1h ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker1d 1h ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo1d 1h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing691d ago (Edited 1d ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos21h ago(Edited 21h ago)

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt12h ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken9h ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.