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[cvxfreak]

1. (Tecmo) Ninja Gaiden - 56,356
2. (Microsoft) Project Gotham Racing 2 - 10,880 / 30,263
3. (Xbox Platinum Collection - Tecmo) Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball - 8,454 / 10,699
4. (From Software) OToGI 2 - 7,248 / 17,206
5. (Namco) Breakdown - 5,724
6. (Tom Clancy Series - Microsoft) - Ghost Recon: Island Thunder - 5,646
7. (Capcom) Tekki Taisen / Steel Battalion: Line of Contact - 5,378
8. (Sammy) Guilty Gear XX# Reload - 5,265
9. (Microsoft) Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge - 4,975
10. (Sega) Sega GT Online - 4,229 / 5,623
11. (Microsoft) Tenku 2 - 3,876
12. (Namco) R: Racing Evolution - 3,655 / 10,655
13. (Microsoft) Rallisport Challenge 2 - 3,540
14. (From Software) Tenchu: Return from Darkness - 3,537
15. (Xbox World Collection - Microsoft) Counterstrike - 3,341
16. (Sega) Sonic Heroes - 3,120
17. (Media Factory) Shikigami no Shiro II - 3,063
18. (Microsoft) Magatama - 2,510 / 10,341
19. (Xbox World Collection - Microsoft) Unreal Championship - 2,377
20. (Xbox World Collection - Microsoft) Hunter the Reckoning - 2,346

Courtesy of Famitsu Xbox

 

[clipunderground]

damn thats sad.

 

[CrimsonSkies]

I would personally pull out of that market. It's becoming less and less important. With all the money they are losing there they could buy Tecmo and From Software. Then they wouldn't lose anything in regards to support. Perhaps they should try to shift the Asian focus to Korea or China. They have no hope in Japan unless they simply buy up all the talent.

 

[Deg]

I would personally pull out of that market. It's becoming less and less important.

Really?

With all the money they are losing there they could buy Tecmo and From Software. Then they wouldn't lose anything in regards to support. Perhaps they should try to shift the Asian focus to Korea or China. They have no hope in Japan unless they simply buy up all the talent.

Lets first see them do something right first

 

[jdforge]

CVX - I'm loving your sales updates - Keep em coming.

BTW - Do you have similar data for NGC / PS2 ?

 

[Solid]

Now that's what I call d00med.

 

[NotMSRP]

MS has been focusing on other Asian markets but is still being outdone by Sony.

 

[Wario64]

DOAU will save Xbox in Japan.

 

[Chittagong]

Localizing the code, manuals and sleeves and manufacturing must cost like 10.000 yen per sold game at those quantities.

 

[open_mouth_]

wAIT TILL TGS!

 

[Blimblim]

wAIT TILL TGS!

I don't know if you're joking or not, but I sincerely doubt we'll see even one new Xbox game at TGS. MS is concentrating on Xbox 2 and won't show anything until at least the beginning of 2005, same with the 3rd party devs in Japan. I'd like to be wrong though

 

[MassiveAttack]

Unfortunately, the approach MS is using to convince JPN companies to develop for Xenon is identical to their tactics with XBOX. Hand out bags of cash, talk about how much easier and less expensive it will be to develop for X vs. PS3 and then hope and pray somebody, somewhere, produces something that can sell hardware. Different management, same approach.

 

[Blimblim]

If what I heard is true (usually good source) you are in for at least ONE big surprise

 

[novery]

If what I heard is true (usually good source) you are in for at least ONE big surprise

I've heard similar things.

-rp

 

[novery]

I would personally pull out of that market.

This kind of talk is totally ridiculous. If you believe Microsoft is committed to the video game business - as I assume you do - then they must get competitive in Japan.

If this were 3DO, Atari, or any other company with limited resources, then you might have a point. But this is Microsoft, and it'd be foolish to bet against a company as powerful as it.

-rp

 

[Blinky]

They were able to sell some copies of more than 20 games? I'm impressed.

 

[DarienA]

But this is Microsoft, and it'd be foolish to bet against a company as powerful as it.

-rp

Yes because MS is successful at EVERYTHING they do.

 

[rastex]

I've heard similar things.

-rp

As have I... But it's just too crazy to be believed.

 

[novery]

Yes because MS is successful at EVERYTHING they do.

Yes, there have been failures like WebTV, but this is different. Microsoft is committed to the Japanese market, and if you ask them questions like whether they have thought of pulling out, they just laugh.

Like I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't bet against MS.

DarienA, don't tell me you agree with CrimsonSkies that Microsoft should pull out..

-rp

 

[SKluck]

Japan isn't really that big of a market for game sales anymore. Yeah you can cushion a million or two (maybe 3) console sales on top of your total, but what good is it if they only buy the big games from japanese developers? The $$$ is in the games, not the console sales.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

Japan isn't really that big of a market for game sales anymore. Yeah you can cushion a million or two (maybe 3) console sales on top of your total, but what good is it if they only buy the big games from japanese developers? The $$$ is in the games, not the console sales.

$$$ is in the games. You're right. That logic.. infers

that Japan is STILL massive for gaming dev. Without Japan on their side, MS will have a lot of difficulty making XENON look attractive. Especially when PS3 and N5 gets the shitload of the RPGS and all them Namco/Square/Capcom/Konami titles. And these aren't limited to driving or FPS titles.

 

[FitzOfRage]

If what I heard is true (usually good source) you are in for at least ONE big surprise

I've heard similar things.

As have I... But it's just too crazy to be believed.

I have a big penis.

 

[Troidal]

The fact that DOAU is 8800yen isn't really helping anything either.
Why do they still price them so expensive is beyond me...

 

[jarrod]

Japan is still the second largest national market for both hardware and software behind the US. The UK, Canada and Germany or France fall in line behind it, way behind it...

 

[bloke]

The fact that DOAU is 8800yen isn't really helping anything either.
Why do they still price them so expensive is beyond me...

Cause DOA fans will buy it anyway, besides it's Tecmo that's pricing them that high not MS.

But yeah those sales are joke, for the rest of year, I predict
DOAU 100k>
Halo2 >40k
GunGriffon and MetalWolf Chaos 10k>
and everything else >10k

Guess Spikeout won't be out this year, and Outrun2/WE8 seems not to be coming out in Japan.

 

[Ghost]

It would have been interesting to see WE8 on Xbox in Japan, shame thats not happening.

MS cant afford to pull out of the market because they need a presence there even if they do sell next to nothing. I dont expect Xenon to do miraculous things but im sure it will do better than Xbox has done because the (pretty lame in my opinion) concerns of the Japanese public about it being too big and the controller being to large will be taken into account in design, and with another team ninja game at launch, be it DOA4, NG2 or Cronus (i think the Japs will go crazy for cronus), i think team ninja has earned a fair bit of extra credibility through this generation (more to come if DOAU turns out as it should).

That said its still gonna bomb by normal standards.

 

[Stryder]

But yeah those sales are joke, for the rest of year, I predict
DOAU 100k>
Halo2 >40k
GunGriffon and MetalWolf Chaos 10k>
and everything else >10k

I think this is a generous estimation given the sales figures in the initial post.

100k for DOA:U? Are there even that many Xbox's in Japan?

 

[bloke]

I think this is a generous estimation given the sales figures in the initial post.

100k for DOA:U? Are there even that many Xbox's in Japan?

DOA3 sold 220k DOAX 130k (140k if we count platinum), well I dunno...in any case number of DOAU copies sold will show us how many remaining DOA fans are still in Japan.

 

[novery]

I think this is a generous estimation given the sales figures in the initial post.

100k for DOA:U? Are there even that many Xbox's in Japan?

If any game is going to break 100k this year, it'll be DOA Ultimate. It's been getting a lot of press over here (mainly because magazines have been putting bikini-clad DOA girls on the front cover of summertime issues).

Oh, and the Xbox userbase in Japan is just under 500,000.

-rp

 

[Solid]

Damn, Kasumi is so hot!

 

[bloke]

Heh, almost every Famitsu Xbox cover is DOA....and I think DOAU is #1 in Dorimaga's most wanted list.

 

[Kon Tiki]

Localizing the code, manuals and sleeves and manufacturing must cost like 10.000 yen per sold game at those quantities.

I thought World Collection were not localized.

 

[novery]

I thought World Collection were not localized.

You're right. Microsoft doesn't localize World Collection software.

What I think Chittagong meant is that they give the discs Japan regional coding.

-rp

 

[novery]

Heh, almost every Famitsu Xbox cover is DOA....

This is true. It's kind of sad really:

Enterbrain is partially to blame for Xbox's image as a Team Ninja-only console. Look at this month.. GTA: Double Pack - a Western game series that has made inroads in Japan - was just released yet Enterbrain gives the cover to DOA.

Of course Microsoft is also heavily to blame.

-rp

 

[CrimsonSkies]

Hitomi in that Santa Outfit = Greatness.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

damn. it must look really ridiculous to the japanese gaming public to see those iterations of DOA chicks on the famitsu xbox mags. Imagine if you saw Edge or EGm with the same character every month. You wouldn't want to touch it,