Xbox shakeup in Japan signals uncertainty

[jaysun]

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-965058.html?tag=fd_top

The head of Microsoft's Xbox business in Japan will step down and move to the U.S. headquarters, marking uncertainty over the fate of the company's already-weak Japanese game operations.

Hirohisa Ohura, Microsoft Japan's managing director in charge of Xbox operations, will join a team led by Microsoft's chief Xbox officer, Robbie Bach, to work on corporate planning, Microsoft Japan said Friday. The move will be effective Jan. 1.

"There have been some gaps between the U.S. headquarters and the Japan side in understanding about the Japanese market, but we will have a pipeline to link both sides," a company representative said.

Ohura's successor has not been appointed and the search for one will include candidates outside of the company and abroad, the representative said. In Japan, the world's second-largest video-game market, demand for Microsoft's Xbox game console has badly lagged Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube.

Analysts say the failure of Xbox reflects a lack of software geared toward Japanese consumers who enjoy, for example, role-playing games.

By the end of September, Microsoft had sold just 278,860 Xbox consoles since its Japanese launch on Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, 1.59 million GameCubes have been sold since they debuted in September 2001, according to Enterbrain, publisher of a popular Japanese game magazine.

Market leader Sony has sold 10.25 million PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan since they debuted in 2000.

Story Copyright_ © 2002 Reuters Limited._ All rights reserved.

[MrKasualUltra2000]

so does that..like..mean the Xbox sucks or something??? whats up dude?

[Kidnemo]

Xbox sux!







tee-hee!

[Ex Ranza]

Well, I would be happy for them to have success in Japan, but I'll say this.. they gotta do better than Nezumix. The online fantasy game should help, but how many Japanese consumers have broadband?

[Jeremy]

Well... that sure as hell ain't good news.

[GameFreak]

I don't understand why they need the Japanese market.

If they won't purchase your system there, just market your system here, Microsoft.

Do we care if they like NFL Football? Of course not.

Why do we care if they like XBox?


F 'em.

[bbobb]

Originally posted by GameFreak
I don't understand why they need the Japanese market.

If they won't purchase your system there, just market your system here, Microsoft.

Do we care if they like NFL Football? Of course not.

Why do we care if they like XBox?


F 'em.

Ummm maybe because of the fact that the majority of great games comes from Japan... and it you don't have the system selling in that country (as noted in the article the second largest market for games) then most Japanese developers will focus on the other consoles instead. Lack of strong Japanese support = dead system. Look at the Jaguar and the 3do if you would like examples.

[kedawa]

Without a large installed base in japan, XBOX will never get serious support from the majority of japanese developers. I could easily imagine a situation where the only games that get released on XBOX are PC ports, late ports of hit PS2 titles, and sports games. Oh, wait..

Financially, XBOX is more or less doomed to begin with, both domestically and abroad. Having sold more units than GC is nothing to brag about, either, especially considering the huge loss MS takes on every unit sold. XBOX Live won't help much either, because a year from now you'll be able to pick up an equivalent PC for about $250 that will be much better (and cheaper) for online gaming.
I actually like a lot of things about my XBOX, though, and I'm sure MS will continue to support it no matter what happens. Afterall, they're not Sega.

[sphere79]

Originally posted by kedawa
Financially, XBOX is more or less doomed to begin with, both domestically and abroad. Having sold more units than GC is nothing to brag about, either, especially considering the huge loss MS takes on every unit sold.

Why then did I read that Microsoft's Xbox division has posted a profit for this quarter? I know for a fact that even though the Xbox "has no good games" it has a very high ratio of games sold vs. each unit sold, which certainly helps it's prospects.

XBOX Live won't help much either, because a year from now you'll be able to pick up an equivalent PC for about $250 that will be much better (and cheaper) for online gaming.

But will you have a single identity across all titles? Are you acountable for your actions online, or can you hide behind any old name you want? Is voice chat standard on all titles? Will there be only broadband users playing? You wait until Xbox Live starts to take off, MS is finally doing online console gaming the right way.

I actually like a lot of things about my XBOX, though, and I'm sure MS will continue to support it no matter what happens. Afterall, they're not Sega.

No they A: Have money and regularly turn a profit and B: have made it so you cannot simply play a copied game in ANY off the shelf console without modifying it. Those things will certainly help them.

The head of Microsoft's Xbox business in Japan will step down and move to the U.S. headquarters, marking uncertainty over the fate of the company's already-weak Japanese game operations.

This sounds like spin to me. Someone posted awhile back how alot of Japanese developers didn't like the way Xbox of Japan were running things, I'd be willing to bet this is in fact the reason for that person stepping down. Whoever they replace him with will likely be someone who is better equipped to negotiate with Japanese business men and / or will be a heavy drinker for sure! I.E. this person stepping down can also be spun as "good" news too.

[Yoshi]

Originally posted by sphere79
Why then did I read that Microsoft's Xbox division has posted a profit for this quarter?

Because any large company can shift costs and/or revenues anywhere they like to make specific divisions look better or worse than they really are. The reasons to do so vary from tax evasion to stockholder PR.