Inafune, Microsoft on the Potential of Xbox One in Japan

Xbox One isn't launching in Japan until 2014, which Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune says "makes sense," and isn't necessarily a sign of inevitable failure for the platform.

"I’m not a first-party person, I’m not part of a first-party company, so this can only be what I’m assuming, but if you look at how big the share of the Japanese market is when it comes to consoles now, it’s continually shrinking, to the point where it’s not even over 10 percent," Inafune tells IGN. "So having Japan be an afterthought – after Europe and North America – as much as I may not like that as a Japanese creator, it makes sense to prioritize the markets that are naturally going to have a larger installed base and larger sales."

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Just because it’s Microsoft...I wouldn’t want to count a company out.

Inafune continues, "Just because it’s Microsoft...I wouldn’t want to count a company out, even if they haven’t had a great track record. It doesn’t mean they automatically fail the next time." Success, Inafune suspects, will come down to "how they’re able to market it and how they’re able to convince gamers that they have the content they want."

On Major Nelson Radio this week, Microsoft Game Studios' Phil Spencer said of Japan, "I think it's just a very kind of soulful place for video games and something that's important for us to always stay in touch with."

Microsoft will bring Xbox One to this year's Tokyo Game Show to debut the console to prospective Japanese consumers. In response to the question as to why Microsoft is attending TGS, Spencer responded, "When I think about Japan and the history in video games, whether it's just games that I grew up playing or even looking today games that are so important to our industry, I think going to Tokyo, going to TGS, meeting with the developers there, seeing what the gamers are playing, seeing what the creators are making."

For more from Tokyo Game Show this week, check out IGN's TGS hub.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He recently wrapped up the superb City of Thieves by David Benioff. Read his ramblings on Twitter, follow him on IGN, and listen to him on Podcast Unlocked .

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