1m Japanese X360s by summer!

By Games Industry.biz Published 5 December, 2005

Says, oh, Japanese 360 boss.

Xbox Japan's business manager, Yoshihiro Maruyama, has announced that Microsoft is aiming to sell 1 million Xbox 360 units in the region by summer 2006.

In an editorial published in Dengeki Xbox 360 magazine, Maruyama wrote: "It's only a target, but the one million mark is a figure we'd like to reach by next summer."

"And then we'd like to go to 1.5 million, then 2 million in next year's end of year sales rush," Maruyama continued.

"We believe the one million mark to be an important figure. If we cross one million, it will be easier for developers to do business, so we'd of course like to reach it quickly."

Microsoft is clearly hoping that its next-generation console will perform much better in Japan than the original Xbox - sales of which have yet to reach the 500,000 mark in the region. The Xbox 360 is set to launch in Japan on December 10th, priced at YEN 39,800 (GBP 190) for the hard drive-bundled premium system.

Launch day software titles will include Need for Speed: Most Wanted, FIFA 06 and Perfect Dark Zero. However, Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4 - a key title for the Japanese market - has been delayed and will not hit the shelves until December 17th.

Picture of Games.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Zuiyo #1 6 years ago

    I think the console is too big in size for Japan.

  • brainbird #2 6 years ago

    I wouldn't mind if it does well, but I think it'll bomb there (again).

    But they might beat wonderswan sales this time.

  • attep #3 6 years ago

    @ m$ - you have to make that many first

  • Talha #4 6 years ago

    Well at least we can say that Yoshihiro Maruyama-san would have spoken objectively!

  • Mike69_2004 #5 6 years ago

    " I think the console is too big in size for Japan."

    isnt it smaller than the ps3??

  • Talha #6 6 years ago

    Oh there it starts again. Pleeease spare us.

    I think Zuiyo meant that handhelds seem to be more popular there at the moment.

  • Baldanders #7 6 years ago

    Lucky gits £190 for the premium 360. Thats the price ms offer them because the original xbox never did any good over there. In that case I hope the 360 does shit over here then and maybe we get a big chunk off their next console.

  • attep #8 6 years ago

    m$ - why not reward us here, where it did well by giving us Japans stock - god damn it

  • Huntcjna #9 6 years ago

    9 posts it took for a PS3 fanboy to get the first dig in about the big white box.

  • tengu #10 6 years ago

    "isnt it smaller than the ps3??"

    No final working design of the PS3 has been shown yet, so no one knows.

  • Talha #11 6 years ago

    Don't know about PS3, but PSThree (2009) will surely be smaller.

    And @Huntcjna: No, it took just 3!
    @LeDil: Welcome. Thought you'd be playing PDZ for the ninth time,though!
    Edited by 1 at 05/12/05 @ 12:13

  • Talha #12 6 years ago

    @tengu: I sure hope it looks better than the current monstrosity, though. And can't we have plain old DualShock 2, please?

  • Stickman #13 6 years ago

    "Couldn't care less, where's mine?"

    Says, oh, Europe.

  • jozz #14 6 years ago

    Well if Microsoft got rid of regional locking I'm sure they would see a significant boost in japan sales :)

    may not be the japanese buying all the stock, but atleast it looks good on paper.
    Edited by 1 at 05/12/05 @ 12:26

  • drumbaby #15 6 years ago

    At least half of the current Xbox user base in Japan may be interested enough to possibly think about maybe getting around to considering a 360.

    So you never know!

  • morriss #16 6 years ago

    DOA4 on the 17th?

    Over here as well?

  • tengu #17 6 years ago

    lol@LeDilletante's posts.

    Not because they're funny mind, but 'lol' because mere days ago he wrote this:

    "Those who call me MS fanboi will realise soon that at least I have the decency to not comment on games and a machine I've got no interest in."

  • Perry #18 6 years ago

    LeDill - you are talking out of your @rse

  • yorkiebar #19 6 years ago

    So instead of paying £600 on ebay, all you really need to get an Xbox 360 for Chrimbo is £190 and an air ticket to Tokyo!

  • Talha #20 6 years ago

    See, LeDil - I am not the only one who is a complete moron despite his superficial sophistication.

    'cos thats what he said to me a few weeks ago.

  • chronom4n #21 6 years ago

    i personally feel that however hard microsoft will attempt to gain a prominent market share in the japanese territory, by default, the fact that the machine is AMERICAN, the japanese will not take it to heart. Adding to that is the fact that the type of games that the japanese prefer, which i believe are more stat based games, the 360 does not have near enough of these type of games in which to appeal to the japanese gamer. I think that there are a lot of factors in the reasons as to why the xbox has not really prevailed in japan. I hope someone out there can fill me in as to why that is. I hope my comments are vaild though.

  • Fubdub #22 6 years ago

    I think what MS has to realise is that the Japanese are simply not that interested in shooters. They might make the console look good, but it all depends on whether or not they they can deliver the kind of games that are popular over there. At least in last generation, all they did was dumping all these FPS games on them and then they couldn't understand why they didn't sell. Heck, even Metroid Prime blew in Japans because it was a shooter.
    Anyway, at least that's my pet theory. No matter how you look at it though, MS is facing an uphill battle, and they have to prove that they have games worth playing, rather than Sony who can pretty much rely on their reputation.

  • rogermellie #23 6 years ago

    Maybe if they rebadged it to Sega 360 they might hit their target.

  • BillGaitas #24 6 years ago

    Japanese people dont like games, japanese people like japanese games. The japanese market is very very based on a few type of games that usually dont even reach Europe. So the real question is: Will the 360 have enough japanese games?

  • Furbs #25 6 years ago

    /borrows blackdogs time machine

  • Dizzy #26 6 years ago

    >/borrows blackdogs time machine

    Hehe... I am sooo glad blackdog is on my ignore list. I can only wonder what amazing time travel stories he would have (about PS3 no doubt?). Well maybe he *has* a PS3... I am sure some SOny guy said the thing could time travel.

  • Mr_Brown #27 6 years ago

    LoL un belivable. Microsoft hardily sold any Xbox's in Japan compared to the millions in Uk...yet they get a Million and we get less than 50,000 Xbox 360's. Looks like Sony's won the console war already! lol.

  • Mr_Brown #28 6 years ago

    "Hehe... I am sooo glad blackdog is on my ignore list. I can only wonder what amazing time travel stories he would have (about PS3 no doubt?). Well maybe he *has* a PS3... I am sure some SOny guy said the thing could time travel. "

    He's comparing GT4 with PGR 3 lol...

  • jozz #29 6 years ago

    Just put him on ignore too.

    Christ, if I had to put up with one more of those cringe inducing smiley faces, I'd have climded through my monitor and stabbed him in the eye with the nearest sharp object :x
    Edited by 1 at 05/12/05 @ 18:01

  • tengu #30 6 years ago

    "I am sure some SOny guy said the thing could time travel."

    No, they didn't.

  • Fozzie_bear #31 6 years ago

    "It's only a target, but the one million mark is a figure we'd like to reach by next summer."

    It's my target to have shagged all of Girls Aloud by next summer.

    Apart from the ginge, obviously.

  • Xerx3s #32 6 years ago

    Yeah right. And jesus land will become a peaceluvin country that respects democracy. errr..wait...;p

  • Aegus #33 6 years ago

    You know I was browsing Akihabara at the weekend and there were various Xbox 360 demo pods scattered around. And not a single person was playing on it.

    That can't be good for Microsoft If the console can't attract the geekiest of geeks to play.

  • Darkedge #34 6 years ago

    "The white car shown during the intro to GT4 (Playstation2) simply pisses over anything this Xbox 360 car racer was offering."

    Shame Blackdog also can't tell when something is a video and something is realtime. Moron.