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GRID driving Codies to Japan

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UKPosted Jun 6, 2008 6:30 am PT

UK publisher announces its ambitions for the land of the rising sun, first game to be published there later this year.

Codemasters wants to be big in Japan. The British company, which was founded in 1985, has set its sights on conquering the market as a publisher. The first game to be shipped east will be the multiplatform Race Driver: Grid (titled just GRID in the US).

The Japanese edition of the game, which is due for release in the winter, will be "fully localised" for the country, and will include Japanese speech and text. The game will be bundled with fellow racer Colin McRae: DiRT, a decision made based on the success former Colin McRae games under licence have enjoyed in the country.

GRID already features content set in Japan, including Drift and Touge events set in locations including Tokyo Shibuya, Yokohama, and Haruna.

Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens commented, "We have pursued options in the market for some time and this announcement is but a first indication of our ambitions in that market... The recent success of key western titles in Japan is indicative of the current trend where Japanese gamers are not only more aware of popular western gaming brands but actively seeking them out."

Codemasters has also recently netted an exclusive deal to develop Formula One-licensed games, and snapped up the Sega Racing Studio in Solihull.

32 Comments

  • The_InJimid8tor

    Posted Aug 29, 2008 10:08 am PT

    Well Hope it works out for them and that there will be some Japanese interested in it,Two for one is a great deal if that's how they sell it.

    But they should have never taken out the V8 Supercars or DTM Touring cars series in Grid or taken Colin McRaes name off of DiRT (in the U.S. version) He had fans here as well.

    They can keep there F1 game next year! I want a V8 Supercars full season or true WRC game!

    C'Mon Codies!

  • Lord_Alan

    Posted Aug 17, 2008 3:58 pm PT

    Bring back TOCA Touring Cars!

  • truenextgen

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 11:48 am PT

    Smart move.

  • coold_steam

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 6:13 am PT

    ok i love grid

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 1:29 am PT

    The Japanese are simply Nationalist, this simply makes it difficult for any 'Western' influences to have any real impact over there. Its really that simple.

  • CVM_123

    Posted Jun 7, 2008 4:32 pm PT

    well its better 2 than 1

  • howardorr

    Posted Jun 7, 2008 2:05 pm PT

    There was a poll not so long ago by some magazine in Japan and all top twenty fave games as voted for by the Japanese public were Japanese games. It'll be very very hard to break into the market for Codies, but the success of Gran(ny) Turismo will pave the way for them.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jun 7, 2008 9:42 am PT

    I found Grid to be one of the better racing games

  • pigsybum

    Posted Jun 7, 2008 7:41 am PT

    what makes a racing game aracde is the handling, for GRID's case, it's considered simulation. It's arcade to some ppl because it has some add-on features like flashback and crash derby

  • atrimus

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 2:24 pm PT

    "It's both for Ps3 and 360... and this bares ill for GT5."

    no it won't. one's an arcade racer, the other's a simulator. Gran Turismo has already carved out its share of the market. personally i think both are a bit overrated.

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 2:14 pm PT

    Too bad i don't live in Japan to play some of the games they will make exclusively for Japan.

  • cd19

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 2:00 pm PT

    Trying to sell your non Japanese game in Japan, would be like trying to sell Kingdom Hearts to a Madden player.

  • Virtual_Erkan

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 1:30 pm PT

    Drift and Touge rocks!

  • Stabby

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 1:27 pm PT

    @ -Renegade

    EA eh? "Their" best games are published by them rather than developed... poor Japan in that case...

  • KingTuttle

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 12:25 pm PT

    I'm a huge WRC fan...I think it's great knowing that using Colin's name in the title will provide royalties to his children he left behind in his tragic death.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 11:22 am PT

    Um sweet? Now all the people in japan that use GS can cheer lol...

  • Ozzie234

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 11:11 am PT

    It's both for Ps3 and 360... and this bares ill for GT5.

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