You may recall that the PlayStation 4 launched in most major territories in November 2013, but Sony’s home region Japan was forced to wait until February 2014 to get its hands on the console. This was a bold move from the organisation, considering the company’s past systems have historically launched first in the Land of the Rising Sun – a sign, perhaps, of changing times.
While it’s true that local gamers have been moving away from stationary systems, the PS4 has still proven relatively popular in Japan, moving over 8 million units to date. And speaking with Business Insider Japan, as translated by Gematsu, boss Jim Ryan doesn’t believe that the PS5 will follow the same release philosophy as its predecessor.
“The three-month delay for the release of the PS4 in Japan was a decision that I was deeply involved in,” he explained “There was reasonable ground for that decision, but these days I do not think that was a good idea. It was a decision made after much debate, but there may have been other options.”
[source businessinsider.jp, via gematsu.com]
Comments 13
I heard japan is number 2 in total playstation sales with usa being the number 1, it's kind of mistake not launching there day 1. And big 3rd party games like monster hunter and dragon quest sells great in there too.
Given the success of the PS4 in the West, Sony's decision to prioritise the US and Europe has been justified. There's also no denying that the home console market has shrunk dramatically in Japan over the last two generations.
But I think what Jim's getting at is that Sony doesn't have to push Japan aside this time around, which makes sense seeing how successful the brand is going into this new generation.
I am happy for the people of Japan who are just as excited about PS5 as every one else. I wouldn't mind if they got it early this time. I will order one at first the first chance I get. I remember the short supply in the USA for months at launch of the PS4.
@wiiware - Europe is the No1 sales territory for Sony consoles. PS2, 3 and 4 have all sold more in Europe than the US. The PS1 sold more in America though.
Good. I'd love to see more PS4's sold in Japan. That would mean that we more Japanese games made for a Japanese market, and possibly with a bigger budget, that we can get.
Good. Don't neglect your base. Sony is and always will be a Japanese company, and the Japanese culture embedded into Sony is part of what makes it great. And if renewed focus means more Japanese games, i am all for it.
I don't expect to see a radical shift in fortunes. Japan's working culture means that home consoles simply won't make as much sense as say a Switch, but PS5 will still do well enough. Particularly if Sony lines up a couple of killer apps for launch
@Shigurui @wiiware Japan is number two if you look at all countries individually. But Europe as a whole is indeed their biggest territory.
Makes sense and even if it is a shrunken market, it is still a market that buys a fair amount of software and should be catered to. Also, Japanese games etc. do export well so you want developer support natively.
Japan's gaming on the go culture needs a portable game system. The Switch is doing very well over there and they even kept the Vita going long after Sony had forgotten about it.
Unless there's a proper PSP2, I can't see Japan becoming a major region again for a vast number of home consoles.
@Octane yet they treat Europe as second class. Always getting the short end of the stick.
I hope Jim Ryan means that no delays will happen regarding the ps5 release date in different terrotories. But considering they can't even release a accessory in Europe the same date it does in the US I'm not getting my hopes up.
@jdv95 I totally agree with you on that point and its really annoying as a big PlayStation fan.
Always amusing when some have to compare on who sells more in what region. Does it really matter?
Glad that Japan is even still buying home consoles. They make some of the most fun games to play each year from my personal taste and if they were to just make most of their games on phone/handheld game devices would be depressing.
Their lifestyle vs western lifestyle is much different and they take handhelds very serious. I prefer to be at home.
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