Recently we’ve seen a multitude of reports indicating retailers in Japan are scaling back Microsoft’s Xbox 360 from store shelves, some are even removing it altogether.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011...
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/a...
http://www.next-gen.biz/new...
It got me wondering about the possible reasons why MS could let an entire region slip through their fingers and the impact it could have on next generation of consoles. If you were to believe the majority of ‘Xbox supporters’ in some comments sections, the Japanese are a bunch of intolerant, xenophobic traditionalists, who only ever buy products produced in their own country. It’s hard not to find this type of generalist comment ironically offensive. On the other troll claw, you have ‘PS3 supporters’ claiming that, and I quote, “Japanese people know a good quality console when they see one”, of course this is almost as equally generalist and just as deluded.
Anyway, I’m here to give you my rational and objective opinion/speculation and not to make fun of ‘those guys’. There’s some little known (in the west, where most other cultures are ‘little known’) aspects of Japanese culture that Microsoft has accidentally put its foot in. Apparently, in the land of the rising sun, an ‘X’ has negative connotations and can mean ‘no’, ’ bad’, ‘don’t want it’ or ‘wrong’. A circle is used as an opposing positive symbol, which explains why Japanese DS3 controllers have the X and O buttons reversed compared to the west. The ‘X’ in Japanese is pronounced “batsu” and the ‘O’ “maru”, this can be heard in Japanese game shows where a player is either “maru” (correct O) or “batsu” (wrong X). So, somewhat humorously, the Xbox could be translated as a ‘bad box’ or a ‘box of wrongness’. This is something Microsoft clearly never considered when their PR team were thinking of a way to grab that all important adolescent teen male demographic. I can’t say they did a bad job as ‘X’ in the west is seen as a ‘cool’ letter, especially to their young male targets: X-men, eXcellent, eXtreme even ‘xxx’. Let me just point out that I don’t think this was the defining factor in the downfall of Xbox in Japan but merely my own speculation based on Internet acquired ‘facts’. This gets me thinking about how retailers will react when it’s time to order all new ‘nextboxes’. I’m pretty sure that MS may have a very difficult time fighting against retailer perceptions unless they change the name of the console, which I’m not sure they are willing/able to do.
Now on to why I think there won’t be a PS4. I’m going to be straight with you now and say that I DO believe there’ll be another Playstation, just that it won’t be named PS4 for reasons similar to my previous speculation. You see there’s more things about Japanese culture that you may not know, unlikely I know but let me continue, such as a certain superstition regarding the number ‘4’. The number four is considered unlucky, so much so that some hospitals don’t have rooms with the number or even floors. This is especially true for maternity wards where the number ‘43’ can be literally translated to ‘still birth’. Also 4 is pronounced “shi” which is the same/similar to the pronunciation of ‘death’. So you can clearly see that naming the next Playstation the PS4 could potentially have a dramatic effect just like it did/didn’t with the Xbox. Well, there you have it, the ramblings of a bored gamer on a rainy day; there’s one interesting question I have raised though...
...if the next Playstation isn’t going to be called the PS4, then what IS it going to be named? Answers on a postcard please.
P.S I apologise for the use of the worn out cliché "in the land of the rising sun" it was uncalled for.
UPDATE: Apparently part of my blog was mentioned in a bonus round video, I'd say I never saw the video but you wouldn't believe me. Anyway yes xer0, I will give credit to game trailers and no I didn't disagree with you. I'll agree now just so you have one, I still haven't seen the video you linked so I'm just taking your word for it.
Thanks Gametrailers.com
Nagoshi Studio’s YouTube channel with the Gang of Dragon trailers appears to have been removed following reports that NetEase will stop funding.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
This whole mess is the result of bad decisions and strategy from those who have "the vision" inside the company.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
FWIW..... wasn't the new management speaking to the other staff.... not so much us (regular folk)?
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Actual fans dont move on... they can add to their hobby while waiting for the next new release. If you believe what you typed then I guess PS fans moved on too.... you know, since its been a Sahara for 1st party games this gen.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
More like, allot of their base just played game pass. So now they need to encourage them to start buying again.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
Interesting blog!
The reason why Japan doesn't favour the 360 is cause I think there are not to many good Japanese games on it. And the Japanese also prefer handheld gaming to consoles
there will be a ps4
I know this wont register like it always fails to when I bring it up, but the reason the Xbox was called that was because "Gen-X" was the thing at the time. That MS was only thinking of young male middle-class white America when they got into consoles.
Seriously, MS is headquartered in Washington, the birth place of grunge and emo, the two chief clicks from gen-X.
Good post BTW.