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Microsoft Japan in 2004
Topic Started: Mar 30 2004, 01:21 PM (98 Views)
Ayane
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Tsugi wa omae no ban da!
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Microsoft Japan In 2004
By David Smith
3/29/2004

Microsoft's Japanese arm has had a rough go of it this generation, with poor sales performance from Xbox hardware and software and numerous shakeups in its leadership ranks. A less-than-receptive market may turn a bit in 2004, however, as Microsoft continues to plug away and a new round of software arrives. Recently, Microsoft's Munetatsu Matsui spoke to Famitsu Xbox, explaining the company's software strategy for the coming year.

Building third-party support in Japan is one of his key goals, Matsui explained, both dealing with third parties already developing software for Xbox and working to build relationships with companies that either haven't chosen to support the platform yet or who may have dropped support after early experiments failed. Dead or Alive Online and Sega's SpikeOut are Microsoft's core third-party games for the Japanese market this summer, he said, but they'll be accompanied by other Japanese third-party games that may be announced at E3.

As for new first-party games, Matsui explained that he does hope to be able to announce some new first-party projects from Microsoft's Japanese studios shortly after E3, as well as localized titles from outside Japan. Halo 2, he said, will arrive in Japan shortly after its American release, and serve as the "trunk" of the Xbox software tree, as it were, but it won't be released simultaneously worldwide like Project Gotham Racing 2.

In relation to SpikeOut, Matsui also briefly addressed the subject of arcade ports for Xbox. He said that Microsoft is definitely interested in bringing arcade games to its console -- OutRun 2 is a game that's loomed large in fans' minds recently -- but he wants to make sure that arcade conversions "give the impression of being Xbox games."

Finally, he also noted that Microsoft is considering expanding the limited-edition run of Dead or Alive Online "Kasumi-chan Blue" Xbox consoles, suggesting that pre-orders of Team Ninja's next fighting game have been brisk despite its recent delay into the summer season.

We'll be seeing that game at E3 alongside the rest of the worldwide Xbox lineup, so look forward to more news when the show rolls around, and afterwards as well if Microsoft chooses to hold a few announcements back.

http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1556405,00.asp
"Some found Ninja Gaiden too hard. Any comments to those gamers?"

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Shadow Raider II
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Hmm it sounds liike MS is trying really hard to keep Xbox Japan from sinking.
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