It’s probably a bit cruel to be talking about the next major gaming convention before the current one has even got underway, but it seems like Sony may be stockpiling a seriously big announcement for the Tokyo Game Show in late September. According to Hirokazu Hamamura, the ex-editor-in-chief of Famitsu magazine, the platform holder has something sizeable in store for the Japanese show, which could turn the console’s fortunes in the region around.
“Released in February instead of the year-end shopping season, the [PS4] sold 320,000 units at launch, which is by no means a bad number,” he told an audience as part of a YouTube Gamers’ Day seminar. “However, even now total sales are at 640,000, which cannot be compared to the sales momentum from North America and Europe. But I heard from a major game maker that they’re going to have a big announcement around the time of TGS that should help the system’s growth.”
Admittedly, the quote is a little bit wishy-washy, but with the next-gen console struggling to get a foothold overseas, the Japanese giant definitely needs to do something to stir up interest in its home nation. The likes of Bloodborne, Kingdom Hearts III, and Final Fantasy XV should help, but the latter two still seem to be some way away. Thankfully, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has hinted several times that the company's willing to spread its reveals between conventions, so we can’t wait to see what this turns out to be.
[source gematsu.com, via playstationlifestyle.net]
Comments 13
I certainly wouldn't write the PS4 off in Japan. Why does Vita do so well there? Because Vita's game library has the games gamers in Japan want to play. PS4 will release some of those as time goes on and then the PS4 will start to sell. Let Wii U have the spotlight there a little while.
yeah, I'm quite excited to see what they have planned at TGS.
FF 15 release date would be great. Im still hoping for a Gravity Rush 2 reveal for PS4 and Vita. I wont even mention that OTHER game.....
I think the PS4 will have a Golden Age there, I also think it will be the last 8th gen console to close off there as well.
Sony's mistake was trying to market a western-oriented system to Japan. The PS4's already all the rage in the west, for all the obvious reasons (graphics, premium subscription perks, social networking features and action-oriented games). The Japanese pay an obscene amount for consumer electronics and don't have a used game market there. New games cost upwards of $100. Forcing a PS+ subscription on top of that just to play games online will alienate them. The Wii U does everything its next-gen brethren do in regards to games, but allows for many free perks that outweigh those of the PS4 and XBO. The Wii U will go on strong for quite some time until Sony decides to reform its policies.
PS4 is dead there.
just VITA is the best and the future,peolpe want to play high quality games on portable devices everywhere.
i wonder why peolpe in the rest of world are purchasing PS4 to use it in front of TV.
VITA is strong enough to run some of the best PS3 games right now but need more ports.
The Vita is doing well in Japan? Really?
@voodoo341
If you break down the numbers nothing is really doing that well there, except mobile games and 3DS. And even 3DS doesn't seem to be the success the DS was.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II has been confirmed for PS4
@Gamer83 what has it sold in Japan? 3 million units? That's hardly successful. The Vita has pretty much bombed globally.
The Japanese aren't stupid they're not going to drop down the big bucks for a system with no games.
Per.... so.... na....
Please have a Gundam game
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