"Japanese publishers need Xbox", says former Sony executive

Mena Sato Kato, a former Sony vice president who has joined Xbox as director of partnerships in Japan, has made a startling announcement - Japanese game publishers "definitely need" Xbox to succeed in expanding their business.

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This is important because Japan is one of the largest video game markets in the world, but Xbox has traditionally had a weak presence in the country compared to PlayStation, which is its home market. However, Xbox has recently seen growth in Japan, not least due to the popularity of Game Pass for PC. This service offers access to a large library of games at an affordable price.

Kato argues that Xbox can help Japanese game publishers in several ways. First, it can give them access to a larger audience. Secondly, it can help them develop games for new platforms such as PC and cloud gaming.

"Microsoft offers huge scalability to Japanese publishers as there’s virtually no country without Windows PCs. When it comes to access to game fans in emerging countries, Sony and Nintendo just can’t compete with Xbox."

Of course, Microsoft and Xbox in particular still have a very long way to go to become a full-fledged competitor to the PlayStation in its home market, but Kato's statement is a sign that the company is taking this market seriously.

Source: insider-gaming