Xbox 360 Bombs in Early Days in Japan

Microsoft did its best to court the Japanese but the apathy remains. Abysmal sales figures inside.

It could have been the cold weather, or it could have been the launch line-up of just six games - whatever the reason, the Xbox 360 has failed to make an impression on the Japanese public.

After much media wrangling by Microsoft over the past few days, the first batch of numbers for the new console have arrived and they're not pretty. Less than half of the first shipment of Xbox 360s was heaved off the shelves in Japan, with nearly 90,000 of the initial batch of 150,000 consoles still sitting forlorn, according to a report at Next Generation.

Contrast this with Europe and North America where demand has fuelled online auctions, allowing them to reach frankly silly levels.

It may not be too much of a surprise to many observers, but it will still be a blow to Microsoft.

Getting Japanese people into the Xbox 360 does more than just solidify the company's presence in the country; it also gives Japanese developers confidence to support the platform, there by making the sort of games enjoyed by many Western gamers, Microsoft's real target.

All is not lost yet. Microsoft will be putting a lot of its hopes into Dead Or Alive 4 - the online-enabled, highly sought after fighting game from Tecmo. It's predecessor was one of the most popular Xbox games in Japan, and Microsoft will be hoping for a similar turnout when Dead or Alive 4 hits in the closing week of the year.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games