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In an announcement that might be surprising to some, Microsoft will not be showcasing any Xbox One titles or hardware at the Tokyo Game Show in September. The event, which takes place from the 17th to the 20th at Makuhari Messe, showcases games from companies and developers the world around. With the theme of this years TGS “Play Your Way: Games Unleashed”, show attendees can look forward to a broad sphere of games and tech on display.
Why wouldn’t Xbox One be at one of the largest conventions of the year, especially the largest in Asia? It all comes down to what sells in the oversees market and in Japan and the Xbox One doesn’t sell.
Xbox One in Japan
According to Eurogamer.net, the Xbox One has had the worst console sales of all time in Japan, “Microsoft managed to sell just 100 Xbox One consoles in Japan between 8th and 14th June”.
Okay, so those numbers are pretty atrocious but the Xbox 360 sold better in Japan as did the original Xbox. Eurogamer went on “Home console sales are down across the board in Japan this generation, but Xbox has suffered far, far worse than its competitors”.
It’s been a question that’s seriously plagued Microsoft since 2001 with the release of the original Xbox in Japan. In those halcyon days of Sega’s strong presence in the gaming industry, Bill Gates went onto the TGS stage not to speak about the industry as a whole but as a means for selling his new console. Consequently this didn’t sit well with Japanese audiences, industry insiders, and developers, essentially putting Microsoft one step behind in Japan from the beginning — for a full detailed inspection about the failure of Xbox, check out Eurogamer’s excellent report.
Let us know in the comments below what you think about Microsoft’s decision at TGS. Is it time for the Xbox One to call it quits in Asia?
