Sign on Options
Theme:
To Dark

Microsoft targets one million 360s in Japan by summer

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:22 pm PT

Japanese Xbox exec expects new system to double original Xbox Japanese user base by summer.

In almost four years of availability in Japan, the original Xbox has sold an estimated 450,000 units in the country. Microsoft has made clear its ambitions to blow that number out of the water with the Xbox 360, a goal reiterated in a recently published Dengeki Xbox 360 interview with Microsoft Japan's Xbox division general manager and executive officer Yoshihiro Maruyama. Worldwide, Microsoft plans to ship 3 million Xbox 360 units worldwide by March, and 4.5 million units by the end of June.

"It's only a target, but we want to reach 1 million units by the summer of next year," Maruyama said of the company's plans for Japan. "And during the year-end shopping period, we hope to reach 1.5 to 2 million units. We believe that 1 million unit is an important figure. It makes things easier for [game] makers to do business, so we want to achieve it early."

23 Comments

  • Lanik

    Posted Dec 5, 2005 6:03 am GMT

    They will never reach these targets they keep mentioning...

  • muertebringer

    Posted Dec 5, 2005 12:57 am GMT

    yeah because i dont feel like waiting til january for my 360 i got games and no system. games and no system = bad business

  • Axxeman

    Posted Dec 4, 2005 12:20 pm GMT

    What a joke... MS should make sure that they can meet the demand here first, before worrying about the other regions.

  • RLJSlick

    Posted Dec 3, 2005 10:51 pm GMT

    Microsoft need to make sure their fan base in this country is met, or they will lose their base even here.

  • TaintedTimmy

    Posted Dec 3, 2005 7:40 pm GMT

    All I can think about is... Where is my 360, I can't eat I can't sleep, al I can do is wait, and wait and wait. When Lord Whens Gonna Be My Time When Am I Gonna See The Sailboat.

  • MitigatedFever

    Posted Dec 3, 2005 12:56 pm GMT

    Maybe they should get their primary fan base taken care of first. I guess Microsoft figures that they can get new market share over there and that people here will just sit around and wait for the scraps to trickle in.

    Can you tell I'm annoyed?

  • KodiakGTS

    Posted Dec 3, 2005 11:29 am GMT

    Even if Microsoft doesn't reach the one million mark in Japan, they did make the right move by enticing Japanese developers in their attempt. Not only will games like Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Enchant Arms, and Ninety Nine Knights do well over there, they will drive massive sales over here (well, that is if Ninety Nine Knights is ever released over here). After all, isn't that one of the "advantages" of the PS2/PS3 that is always being thrown about, more Japanese development support?

  • mythrol

    Posted Dec 3, 2005 12:40 am GMT

    I don't farsee the lauch being as crazy in Japan as over here or in the UK, but I do think the Xbox will sell out over there for lauch. if they can get Dead or Alive 4, Enchant Arms, and Ninty Nine Nights released within the first month or two of launch AND those games turn out to be really good titles, I think Microsoft has a chance of hitting the 1 million unit mark. Oh, plus a Blue Dragon early summer release would REALLY help.

  • MASTERCHIEFUSMA

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 8:25 pm GMT

    Well if Japan wants true next gen they buy an Xbox 360, if they want a $700+ machine that plays real pretty prerendered movies, they should get the PS3

  • ajac

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 7:49 pm GMT

    THis proves microsoft dont carea bot america . Heck instead of releasing it world wide they could have saved all the units and sold them here in 5 secounds.

  • gtafreak621

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 4:52 pm GMT

    Wow... bdub20791
    Im amazed that you can actually say something like that.
    Can you predict the future... ive heard its hard to just know something with (obviously) putting no reserch into it at all...
    If you were me i would just be turning to my fanboyism.... its a lot easier...
    End Sarcasm.

    And yeah, with a launch liek that over in Japan, im sure that they will just jump all over the system..... literally

  • bananaboy32

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 3:07 pm GMT

    This is laughable. You can't win over the west overnight because you promise them content. As of now your launch looks almost identical to your first japan launch.

  • drakanguard

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 2:38 pm GMT

    The big problem I see, is that they sold 450k xbox's in 4 years, and now they are trying to double that in 1/4 that time, thats some pretty tall orders.

    His last phrase is interesting. "It makes things easier for [game] makers to do business"

    I wonder if he really meant, "it will make game makers want to do business"
    Seeing how if the 360 does just as bad as the xbox, we could see the list of Japan developers dwindle.

  • davahsa

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 2:38 pm GMT

    According to a great artical in Play, the Japanese will buy things from any other country and that lots of American items are stylized in Japan....the catch is they like what they like. Made by whoever...they want RPG's, tocohoochoowhat-cha-call-its and sims about horse racing. If EA made the best Iron Chef RPG with some fluffy critters on horses then they would buy it even if it comes from the U.S. The assumption that the Japanese like Japaneese products because they are from Japan is dead wrong.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 2:32 pm GMT

    i am thinking in japan they might be able to get a million in four years.

  • Exaspenite

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 2:17 pm GMT

    Best of luck to Microsoft trying to reach that figure. They must be expecting DOA4 and Blue Dragon to sell 500,000 units of 360s each. At least they'll also get RE5 earlier than any other console, presumably.

  • TommyD100

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 2:06 pm GMT

    I million in Japan!? First see if you can SHIP 1 million to the US. I'm still waiting on mine.

  • BURTONTAYLOR

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:59 pm GMT

    This seems very unlikely. The japan lauch list is paltry, and from what i've heard, the japanese aren't keen to things made elsewhere

  • dollarbill438

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:53 pm GMT

    a Million by summer? In Japan? Hey they picked the number! If they don't hit it, it will probably be close. Lets say 850,000. Which they can still claim victory...sort of

  • B_ond

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:44 pm GMT

    Microsoft must have mistook 10% of gamers interested as 10% of the population purchasing the system definitely.

  • rizvidx86

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:39 pm GMT

    yup dun forget mgs4

  • bdub20791

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:32 pm GMT

    eh. itll still be better than the original xbox. oh yeah elie, have fun with your ps3. youll have killzone 2 and wait...

  • elie05

    Posted Dec 2, 2005 1:29 pm GMT

    HAHAHAHAHA lol. this will be very entertaining if Microsoft doesnt reach its target.

Subscribe to GameSpot's YouTube Channel

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!