Sony Stresses Japan Is of Utmost Importance After Report Claims Company's Interest Has Drifted

Japan is pretty much a lost cause for anyone who isn't Nintendo at this point.

It’s not really that surprising. Japan love portability and PSP and Vita are now dead. Switch is doing really quite well over there and Sony have nothing to announce on a portable front. If the upshot of this is that some big Japanese names might go multiplat, there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as the games still come to Playstation.

@graysoncharles Microsoft might as well set that money on fire for all the good its going to do.

At least they aren't selling, like, 30 units of their Console in Japan. Poor Microsoft...

Some of Japanese peoples still have dislikeness with Western things.
It's sad to see the huge changes from PS2 games library to PS3, PS4 games library.
My PS1 and PS2 games collection both owned and on the list are mostly from Japanese games (with or without English version) and starting from PS3, i only have 1 Japanese PS3 game on my list since the Japanese PS3 games were too Westernized (Japanese version from Western release), the quirky and cartoonish Japanese games like used to be on PS2 were gone forever.

@HotGoomba___Rebrand
I'm curious about PS5 sales on Japan two weeks from now.
The number of PS5 sales will tell about Japanese gamers' habit.
If the number is very low, that will be the sign of Japanese gamers are mostly have less interest with beefy specs and non portability.

@Enuo - That may be so but the XBox division has always haemorrhaged money. If Microsoft can get the right games then X-Cloud could do really well for them over there. Japan loves mobile gaming and has the internet structure to make streaming games absolutely viable. It's less about hardware and all about the subs for MS, they don't care what you play on anymore.

Two things:

1) Sony is releasing the ps5 in japan at the same time as the usa meanwhile europe has to wait 1 more week.
2) Didn't Sony let japanese media and youtubers try the ps5 first before anyone else? The "try ps5" event was it?

@get2sammyb Ps4 sold less than ps2 but in japan ps4 actually sold the second most sold compared to other country, and of course most japanese 3rd party games sells way better on playstation console compared to others console, even including the switch (like dq11 ps4 vs switch).

I wish japan studio make big AAA games like their western counterpart though.

In light of this story, Sony’s support of a predominately Asian medium via an American company in Crunchyroll is interesting...I guess it’s not surprising for a big corporation to go where the market takes them - however that may look.

Well to be fair on Sony they absolutely dominated the mobile gaming scene in Japan thanks for them making games like Madoka Magica and Fate:Grand Order and Demon Slayer that already netted them billions maybe this means that Sony probably going to strengthen their hold on the mobile gaming scene to compete with Nintendo instead of just focusing on PlayStation

@graysoncharles they could advertise it whatever they want but it will be hard for MS to defeat the Japanese hatred on Western things this is why cars like Ford and Chevrolet left Japan. H&M never stood a chance against Uniqlo. and Nike and Adidas got beat by Asics and Mizuno. FFS the Xperia still had a 30% market share of all smartphones sold in Japan and nobody outside of Japan and Europe buys an Xperia

There is alot of contradiction to this report though:

1) Sony investment and obtaining marketing rights to Japanese games like final fantasy and Capcom games.
2) Sony near monopoly of the anime industry especially with the recent near acquisition of crunchyroll.
3) Sony near dominance in the Japan mobile games market with games like FSN bring in billions for them despite the fact that is still did not localised internationally.
4) PS5 is releasing in Japan first while Europe which is the dominant market did not.
5) Japan Studio recent expansion which includes development support studio similar to Xdev.

All of this indicates that Japan is still an upmost important market as a whole and if is not then why sony still continue to do whatever I listed above?

TL:DR, too many contradiction on the Bloomberg news.

Don't you mean "the former a timed exclusive" because I haven't seen anything about RE8 being timed.

@Menchi Yeah, I think there's a typo. Sony only has the marketing rights for RE8 and DMC5 and not timed exclusive.

I'd love to see a new handheld but there's very little hope for that

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Considering Sony successful venture in the Japan mobile industry, I don't there will ever be a portable playstation but still you will never know.

Nintendo owns Japan.

@Snick27 In the console space yes but mobile games market is mostly dominated by Sony.

Make another Sony handheld!

@Menchi
Yeah thats what I thought!!

@Jayslow
God I wish!! I still love my PSP , PSP Go and Ps Vita!

While most likely not a main issue, I just blame their harsh censorship policies. Have heard of even the Japanese (or global for that matter) releases being forced to adhere to California censorship rules if they wanted to release on the PS system.

Bloomberg has lost all credibility already.

@Leon_93 Agree.

The amount of money their mobile games bring in Japan is no joke, especially the Fate:Grand Order series.

Maybe they should not have discontinued the ps vita,or the idea of a portable playstation handheld device.

@Leon_93 the mobile games market is dominated by Sony? Can you send a link with some information about that?
Isn't the Switch the leader on that front?

To be honest, i dont expect PS5 to perform any better in Japan this gen. It's may even do worse - unless the pandemic drives a rethink of Japanese working culture.

The switch fits around people's busy lifestyles over there, where people are often commuting long distances, and are working all hours. Sitting down to dedicate significant time to console gaming in the living room is tough. Whereas the pick up and play nature of the switch, combined with its quick resume feature, means they can game when they have a spare 5 minutes.

Im not sure whether the form factor of PS5 could be a problem too. Japanese homes , particularly in the cities, are not large and so that behemoth could be a problem. The size of the console has dominated discussions, even in the west. So it has to be a consideration.

But Sony should overlook Japan at their peril. They are and remain a Japanese company - regardless if the Playstation division is based in the US these days. The Japanese titles they attract are one of the key difference makers over the competition and makes for a more compelling product. Niche titles like Danganronpa, the Ys series, The Legend of series (admittedly all starting to move to Switch as Sony move away from the handheld market) - as well as bigger, traditionally Sony leaning series, like Yakuza and Persona are what set them apart from the competition. Heck, the joint largest launch title for PS5 is based off a Japanese property. Sony must not move away from these Japanese titles as they appeal to a lot of gamers, even in the West.

I'm sure Sony is disapointed with current performance in Japan though. It can't be easy getting tonked by Nintendo week after week, particularly given Playstation's history with the company. But i'm sure they sure also clear on the reasons behind Nintendo's success.

@Sensechat https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mcvuk.com/business-news/sonys-fate-grand-order-was-japans-top-grossing-mobile-game-in-2019/

https://sensortower.com/blog/fate-grand-order-revenue-4-billion

In terms of console yes Nintendo has dominated that part but Sony currently dominates the mobile market in Japan.

@SilentS Actually there are rumours that they have revised their policy whereby only Japanese games which get localised will be screened but otherwise they won't bothered. I play a few Japan only visual novel for PS4 and I can confirm that is the case.

@Leon_93 cheers sir! I never knew it was so big 👍🏼

@SilentS I doubt that. Games with fanservice/sexual content don't sell very well in the first place. Sure, people who buy them are super vocal about it, but if you look at the best selling titles, they don't have anything that is censored.

Sony’s main focus has been the US for years now, you can see how the whole PlayStation division has become more and more westernised and they have kinda left Japan behind. Their success doing this is obvious but I feel Sony has lost a little bit of its soul in the process.

“ Microsoft – currently on an acquisition spree, of course – has been in talks with various Japanese developers to buy up local teams”

I can already sense the meltdown of the internet, in case they announce the acquisition of Platinum, Capcom or Square-Enix 😤😭

@naruball they are too busy campaigning for Joe Biden instead of writing accurate news

@Anti-Matter
Is demon soul not a cult following Game in Japan?

@Rob_230 they probably felt a little disappointed the fact that their sales in Japan stagnated ( sold around 10million units ) even though Sony put a ton of support in many Japanese publishers and games they probably thinking the bygone days where the PS1 and PS2 sold over 20million units in Japan now countries like France and Germany basically are the ones that are selling over 20million units with lesser games compare to their Japanese counterpart

They still have their mobile games which basically control the entire Japanese mobile gaming market but their probably disappointed it is not same thing for PlayStation

Whilst I would never consider Bloomberg’s reports to be any more accurate than a random guess let’s think about this on a theoretical basis.

1. Microsoft has just spent 7.5 billion acquiring new studios and Sony is also looking to acquire new studios an increase in spending on game development.

2. Most of its major hits in recent years have come from American and European developers.eg Ghost of Tsushima has outperformed Gravity Rush.

It might well be that Japan studios is not the current priority for expansion particular given it’s recently expanded. But I seriously doubt it’s going to contract given that both Sony and their main competitor are in the process of scaling up development.

It’s also possible that Sony development priority in Japan is mobile. Given the vast profits that they are making in that area.

@Leon_93 you really can’t use the “marketing rights” to Capcom and Final Fantasy “exclusivity” as evidence to your point. Most of the Capcom that they market have big Global appeal. And FF has always been the one JRPG that is more known and loved in the west than the others. Even Persona has a more global appeal than SMT. The only reason a good chunk of Japanese games were exclusive to PS was due to a lack of choice on the devs part. And if we’re comparing, MS has the marketing to a lot of Bandai-Namco’s games. Marketing rights to a Japanese developed game doesn’t necessarily mean what you imply it does.

And also if your rumor is true someone should mention that to Init Creates as Gun Gal Returns is skipping the PS.

Look the reality is Sony is going to care about software sales in Japan whether it be on mobile or PS5. But I also think they are realistic and competing against Nintendo if they continue to explore cloud options might prove difficult on a pure hardware front.

@naruball Nah,depends on the genre.
Face it ,sex sells,and I feel saying otherwise is just not true.

I learnt a lot from this comments section. I did not realise Sony had made such big inroads into mobile gaming with anime linked titles. I just finished watching Demon Slayer and thought it was ripe for a move into gaming.

@Ridwaano
I mean games like used to be Sony have ever made in the past such as Toro Inoue games, Boku no Natsu Yasumi, Bravo Music, Mr Mosquito, etc or a lot of quirky / cartoonish / games by 3rd party during PS1 & PS2 era such as Bishi Bashi, Pepsiman, Punky Skunk, The Boxing / Kickboxing by D3, Sanrio games, etc.
Games like that was really dominated on PS1 and PS2 but suddenly vanished started on PS3. Unique games like that continued on Wii and NDS as i found more unique and quirky games was born from those machines such as Cooking Mama, Nintendogs, Petz series, Imagine series, etc.
Now, whenever i browse PS3, PS4 and PS5 games library, they are dominated by Western games, not Japanese games like used to be during PS1 and PS2 era.
PS Vita games library was really really bad for me as i never like dominance of hentai games, visual novel games, adult Western games, gritty games, too many CERO C/D JRPG, etc. Very contrary with NDS and 3DS games library that really really suitable for me for tons of Kawaii and Cartoonish games for kids and girl audiences. Games library like on NDS and 3DS were like on PS1 and PS2 used to be but with better variety and wider audience target.

Hmm, heaps of actual evidence of a scaledown, or one PR statement. Which should I believe?

Mochizuki is a fraud. You should denounce him instead of spreading his lies. I understand it needs more courage than if it were just some random youtuber though.

Edit
Reminder that PS5 is launching in Japan first.

At least this means Nintendo should be fairly safe in the near future. It's important for the industry on the whole that they and Japan keep making games. However, I do worry for Sony and the PlayStation brand in the coming decade. If the PS5 even slightly underperforms we could see Sony go the way of Sega if MS turn the screw with all the cash they have at their disposal. Whatever happens is doing to be an interesting generation.

@Old-Red impossible people always forget that Sony is like the 50th biggest company in the world and the 5th biggest company in Japan with a market cap of $230 billion with over $17 billion in printed money stored in their coffers ( the most cash-rich Japanese company ) with little to no liabilities they could easily match MS buyouts if they wanted to. It will be impossible for them to turn into Sega because they got billions of dollars unlike Sega

I think it would help them if they had another studio in Japan, and/or a studio focusing more on RPG-esque games perhaps. I dunno. I love me a TLOU, but I can't ignore the sheer brilliance of a game like Astro Bot, and the great thing about Japan Studio is the wide variety of games they produce. Gravity Rush, Shadow of the Colossus, Everybody's Golf.

But maybe that's just my personal interests speaking, I don't know if it'll help over there, but I wager that a game made by Japanese has a better chance in Japan.

It makes sense they’d have shifted focus since the market for home consoles is so tiny in Japan now. They sold 23 million PS2 there but only 9 million PS4 so far. It’s why we’ll. it likely see anything surpass the PS2 sales as one of its big 3 markets is pretty much gone.

@Anti-Matter
Well this could be a new Era!
I felt ps4 Era was battle royals. And new ways to MT. Lootbox
Personally prefer ps2 Era!

Sony, do not underestimate the number of Europeans who choose you precisely due to the prevalence of Japanese games on your system. You are already on very thin ice with many due to your censorship policy mutilating many a good game.

@thefourfoldroot I'm one of them, I buy a PS5 to play niche japanese games, i'm keeping a close eye on sony, more censorship, no PS5 buy and I will just go to nintendo, who allows and respect those games. Also, I am sure that I'm not the only one who is skipping PS5 for that reason.

Bloomberg (Doomberg?!) with another doom and gloom piece trying to undermine Sony and their PS5 release. How can anyone take these clowns seriously after the last 2 years of nonsense is beyond me.

Perhaps they could invest in some sort of new fangled technology that allows games to be played on the go that might help business sales in Japan.

I'd love it if Japan's love of portable gaming forced them to make a PSP 3 - 720p display, no cameras or GPS, 2 analogues and 4 shoulder buttons, micro SD storage. A man can dream, folks. A man can dream.

This is quite an interesting story. Japan Studios have actually been ramping up for a few years now, so hearing that they're scaling back now could mean any number of things, either the recruitment was cyclical expansion as they worked on products and ramping down after finishing. However, they attracted some top studio talent. It could also be removing of chaff, people who have under performed, Japan Studios also spent a long time gearing up towards mobile development for PSP and PS Vita, they're probably due a restructuring. They've also significantly under performed with the games they have produced this generation. However, Sony abandoning the Japanese market just now doesn't seem wise, they should invest more in Japanese Studios, and not just their own.

@Caliburn08 I had a Xperia Z, Z3, Z5, XA2, Xperia 10 plus And now Xperia 5 Mark 2 still my favorite phones i think they are high quality phones.😃

For me the American western focus was shown clearly during the PS4 time. The move to the more cinematic action game is all ok, but I do miss the more diverse range of games Sony put out for the PS2 for example.
I just don't want to see a homogenised action template for most of the PS5 exclusives, as this is what sells most in the west.

@DekuGotNext I had some of those niche games. I did see a few games with touching up underage looking girls. And i thought yeah this isnt a game i can even play in public i somehow onderstand Sony does not want too be connected with this. Maybe its the age but i see the issues with the kind of company you want too be. I had a discussion with Guy who was so mad they cut out a 1 second shot of young girls panty. I had too watch the trailer 3 times before i did see what je was ranting about. And i thought if thats you biggest issue in a game you must have massive issues. 😆

Oh that other banned game where you had too items between a girl boobs And feel them up yeah it was devastating not being able too play this game on all his creepyness. 😬

@God_of_Nowt agreed, you look at the studios in the UK Sony have shuttered. Liverpool, Cambridge, Camden, Evolution and the newly launched Manchester Studios. They've split association with Quantic Dream in France too, and Wild Sheep Studios, are they still a thing? Sony have retracted to their US Studios, of that there can be no question. Outside if Japan Studios, Guerilla and maybe Media Molecule (although they're getting smaller) we're pretty much looking at US based developers. That's a shame. Sony via XDev and studio partnerships used to have a solid presence of European developed content too. Right now it does feel like they've stepped away from that.

@God_of_Nowt when they got the CoD exclusivity deal it was an indication of where they were going and a shift in priorities to the west, more specifically the US like you say. That’s all well and good but they should remember their roots and why a lot of people get into the PlayStation eco system, for those diverse games from Japan. Lose that and they’re no different to the competition.

@God_of_Nowt it's more like a change in strategies and adapting due to the home console market in Japan has stagnated and for Sony to compete with Nintendo they released Mobile games and is now dominating the Japanese mobile gaming market to the point that Sony's most successful game is mobile ( FGO ) and their mobile gaming sector have a higher profit than the entire Nintendo Switch system.

It's clear they still love Japan but they are basically adapting to changing times and with PlayStation having no plans in making a handheld Sony is now focusing its Japanese gaming market using mobile gaming with the IPs they owned thru Aniplex and Sony Entertainment Japan

@God_of_Nowt yeah I wish they haven't closed down their studios I actually shed a tear when they closed down Zipper and Evolution they could really use those talents to expand their portfolio

@God_of_Nowt indeed, in terms of unique games, ideas, but especially talent ironically, Europe has never been stronger, the level of funding and support for European studios has never been weaker. It's quite a shame, but many European studios are having to try and go it alone, and are struggling like IO Interactive, Remedy, Techland even the likes of CD Projekt Red are struggling to maintain their creative freedom and finance themselves. We're seeing consolidation in the industry and there could be quite a few bargains in both Japan and Europe that could do with the support Sony give to their US Studios. I really hope Sumo do well with Sackboy and Lucid knock it for 6 with Destruction Allstars.

@Flaming_Kaiser I understand that, but sony never had a problem with it before, I find it to convenient that soon as they move to commiefornia, this started to happen. I never liked the touching mode in Senran Kagura, it was weird, but the core gameplay was always fun and clothes tearing was funny to me. These games have a place on Playstation, Soyny just needs to let the rating board decide, if is suitable. It also may be weird, but its the type of games japanese consumers like.

@God_of_Nowt there are a few smaller studios in Europe and the UK that could absolutely be bought on the cheap and offer creativity in spades, Mediatonic, Hello Games, Tarsier, Bloober, ZA/UM, 4A, People Can Fly, there's loads. Even larger studios like Sumo or Techland with money and support could breath life into older dormant franchises or even give them the exciting new ones. I hope Herman Hulst knows this, and has the clout to bring them new franchise and partners into the fold. European studios need some support, and there are Japanese studios like Tecmo, Level-5 and Platinum Games who are all struggling right now. Even bigger publishers like Capcom have had issues recently in financial terms. I fully expect Microsoft to snap some more of these studios up.

ps4 had a brilliant games library but japanese audience didn't care enough..their loss..i never see myself playing nintendo titles..they are to childish for me..my cup of tea offcourse.

Sucks about Japan Studio being reduced. They produce awesome games that are a nice change from Western made ones.

Sony doesnt understand that console gaming in japan is niche and everyone already switched to mobile market which is how nintendo switch is doing better than ps4 in japan because handheld is closer to mobile than home console gaming that you cant take with you. Now if sony released the vita 2 and stuck with it instead of letting it die would be another story.
Sony be throwing money at japan but no ones buying. Wats wrong? Lets throw more money maybe that will fix it.

@zebric21 hmm childish nintendo games? No more heroes, astral chain, daemon x machina, xenoblade 2 waifu simulator and also nintendo doesnt censor games like sony. Whos the real child?

@Sissyrobyn996 games pass is awesome man. For $15 a month people who have netflix subs which isnt much, you get to play day 1 exclusives, third party games get added eventually, access to 100+ games and games that leave are replaced by new games all the time. You also get access to pc and android. Free xbox live gold and now EA play coming in december. 20% off on games if you decide to keep it.

At first i wasnt on the train but after i did my research it made a lot of sense. This thing beats ps plus and playstation now even if sony were to offer both as a bundle. Sony lost guys and it wasnt the console war.

@DekuGotNext I dont mind the tearing clothes stuff only the feeling up characters that look 14 years old. Then again ripping the clothes of a kid. 😬

They can put in the story that she is 18 but it still looks nasty. Maybe i will sound a little preachy but it doesn't really give a good message.

Again for everyone for me its a issue i think slapping a 18 plus label on it does not make it ok but thats me.

If you dont want too be associated with child molestation its that being communistic then in a commie.

@BansheeNorn

I have a 250 gig cap and live in a rural area. Using game pass as my primary method of consumption would destroy me.

@BansheeNorn You can have your opinion i van have mine. Sony is more Western orientated and if this will be picked up by the media that wont be good for your image. Again thats my personal Idea. And if you change market is change towards their customs.

@TheRedComet
Guess you cant change to the age of digital my friend you gotta stick with the discs, which is why physical games cant die. Lots of people dont have internet or have the means to go all digital. Corona virus also helped drive people to pick digital over physical. One day it will be back to normal.

@Leon_93 the mobile games market competes with the mobile games market. Even with recent hits like Genshin Impact, many people are reluctant to use a device where their thumbs have to use completely imaginary sticks and buttons. Mobile gaming thrives in Japan because the gacha culture is particularly strong there and the internet speeds allow to make enough comparatively large-scale projects in the genres not restricted by the touch controls - but even then, there's only so much you can adequately play on a phone without a separately sold bluetooth attachment while Switch can and does deal with both worlds.

This isn't going to shock anyone who has actually paid attention to what Sony has been doing these last few years with the Playstation brand.

PC + Nintendo is the new Japanese gaming power couple going forward.

If there isn't a market for the product then don't waste time and money on it.

Japan is important, vr will someday matter, blah blah blah.

@Ralizah I mean, without the Japanese content, PlayStation is just a worse XBox...

@get2sammyb Handheld type of games is basically Japans prefer type of gaming, then home gaming systems an distant second.. So basically, this report doesn't surprise me at all.. But, I would be very disappointed if Sony, Decides that Japanese made games take an bigger back seat.. Because We love Japanese made games in the West, and hopefully they don't lose site of this..

@TheRedComet Same here... Online Video game services doesn't do me any good at all..

NEStalgia lay off the crack for a day or 2🤣

looking at Sony now on the stock market they are going higher & higher after this generation they could be a VERY Rich company they are now but they are on the up & up.

Lies, they've spat on the Japanese market repeatedly over the past couple years. As far as I'm concerned, PlayStation is now a Western brand that shuns its legacy and Japanese developers. No back-compat, loads of censorship of Japanese games, etc. I'll remain a huge fan of PS systems from the PS1 to the Vita, but everything after has been a big letdown.

PC and Switch all the way.

The average Japanese home will probably not be able to fit a Playstation 5 through the door.

Problem is, Japan makes almost all the best games and also had always made most of what was appealing about PS1-3. If they continue to lose market, it's eventually going to affect their business overall, as they'll have less games and those games will be of lower quality. I'd argue we've already seen this happen to a great degree over this generation (PS4 has definitely been the most disappointing console I've owned). They need to be investing in Japan to make a decent product, if nothing else, whether Japan buys their stuff currently or not.

As far as I'm concerned, they're just being self-entitled and whining about a self-fulfilling prophecy of their own making. As it stands, PS5 is definitely something I never intend to own, which is pretty wild considering I've owned everything else Sony. I just don't see any future in PS5.

As someone living in Japan, it does feel that Sony is completely relegating the country in favor of the US.
As of now Sony is prioritizing the US in a lot of ways: from the moving of the headquarters, imposing US based censoring and restrictions on Japanese devs, planning events with US time in mind, putting more strength and resources on its western studios while basically ignoring its Japanese studios...
So, yes, Sony is indeed neglecting Japan and this will be a big opportunity that Microsoft will take advantage of, although Microsoft needs to up its game here if they want to sell more (starting with doing a better job at translating the Xbox OS, because sometimes the Japanese translation doesn’t even make sense).
Anyone saying PS4 did terribly in Japan is not entirely right. If you look at raw number, obviously they sold more in the US, but the US is three times as big as Japan, and if you look at market share instead of raw numbers, the difference is not that striking (not nearly enough of a difference to consider it a failure in the least)

@MemSec oh no!if Microsoft buy Platinum Games i will never be able to play Bayonetta 3 in my Switch.

forgivr me if i sound i bit harsh, but Sony is a bit stupid to not focus in all Market, why they are negleting the japanese Market and only focusing in the US/European Market?it would be more wise to Sony and maybe Microsoft also focus in the japanese Market(don't neglect it in Sony case), if Sony want PS5 to be sucefull in Japan they need to make games that catter to Japanese Gamers taste, maybe that Bugnax game can help Sony also become a Market leader in Japan too.

@maruse
Thats what i think when xseed and funimation cant even translate the games or anime i watch.

@Giancarlothomaz they cant cause they make more money in the US and EU compared to japan. Think about it 4 tiny islands make up japan and US just the size of texas is like one country and theres 50 of them. Where would you focus your sales as a business? Sony japan lost to nintendo

@Old-Red don't worry about that PlayStation/Sony have been the Market leader since the PS1(with the exception be the Wii during the PS3 era),

@David187 I'm a fan of both platforms, loyal fan of neither, though I still have my launch day Vita deluxe bundle with hard case, little deviants and the abysmal at&t modem.... if that's not loyal enough, i don't know what is

The profitability of the company behind the product or mass marketing appeal of the brand doesn't affect what it offers to the player. I'm getting both ps5 and xsx, I'm looking forward to them both. But I'm hesitant on the ps side in that it's been clear for years that a lot of the kinds of games I've always bought PlayStations for aren't a priority for them, and worse, they seem actively against them.

If it keeps going that route and ps5 ends up offering little more than xsx does, with worse business practices, and most of the "PlayStation type" games end up going to Nintendo, I'd really have to think hard what I'd actually be getting jumping back into ps by the time ps6 gets here.

From the hints of losing near term interest in vr to abandoning the unique Japanese games that defined PlayStation in the past, it feels like PlayStation is less and less PlayStation and more and more a mainstream western Blockbuster box... Which is what the criticism of xb was back in the 360 era.

@NEStalgia I'm still excited for Horizon Forbidden West, but the appeal of Playstation, for me, is that previous consoles (sans PS3, because seventh gen was hell) had a strong line-up of Japanese and Western exclusives that put them over the edge compared to M$.

Between big properties like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Yakuza, and so on going multiplat, Sony apparently shifting resources away from Japan Studio, and smaller Japanese devs fleeing from Sony's console, I get the sense that PS5 is unlikely to be a must-buy console for me. MAYBE if something like Final Fantasy 7 Remake 2 is permanently exclusive, but I can't see that happening if the first one sells well on PC/Xbox next year.

@BansheeNorn oh yes you are right is make more sense to Sony focus in the western market(USA and Europe)then it own domestic Market, but this don't explain how one of Sony competidor(Nintendo, is making more sucess then Sony in Japan and USA, this is a very strange discrepancie).

@get2sammyb ps4 sold like 7 million consoles in Japan that’s good for a home console in Japan what are you talking about.

@4kgk2 PS4 had a very slow start in Japan. It eventually picked up steam but it took a lot longer.

2 nukes weren’t enough.

I don’t like this. I really hope they don’t shutdown Japan Studio. It’s what made PlayStation unique from the competition. Sadly, the games didn’t sell well. But the quality is really good. Astro Bot, Gravity Rush, Puppeteer and many other really fun games. If this is where PlayStation is heading, then my excitement for the PS5 has dwindled.

@Facelord another day, another gamer being super offended.

You people are funny. You get "spat at", "kicked in the teeth", "slapped in the face". I wonder how you make it through the day.

Oh, noes. Sony censored some pedo games where you can't fondle an underage looking character's breasts.

The horror!

You can cry all you want, but at the end of the day, the ps4 sold better than any other console except for the ps2. I'm sure Sony will be fine, no matter what loud minorities looking to be offended (while accusing SJWs of the same) have to say.

@Zeke68 they take them seriously because they're only interested in confirming their bias, just like Trump supporters/fans.

The only thing I'll say here is that the scaling back on the business doesn't necessarily mean less Japanese-inspired games for us to play. It just might mean less of it is in-house or exclusive to Sony.

@rachetmarvel Sure, sex sells, but not so much in video games.

Feel free to provide some compelling examples of video games that have sold a ton of copies thanks to content that under Sony's guidelines would be censored.

Happy to be proven wrong, but with facts, not throwaway comments.

@naruball Suuuure. Pedo games like Devil May Cry 5, underage characters like Trish. Someone here's triggered and it's not me. I'm a little relieved I can save money by not buying another PlayStation console, it's not like Japanese devs aren't already fleeing for Switch/XB1/PC.

You whined about President Trump in your next comment. How's it feel to be a supporter of actual pedo Beijing Biden? Whose son has photos of him getting a footjob from an underage prostitute floating around? The only reasons to not think Trump kicks ass are either a.) you eat the corporate warmonger media swill or b.) you're triggered that he says mean words sometimes. Stay triggered, illiberal coward.

@naruball Also, you want a list of games that wouldn't sell well because of content Sony would censor? Are you ***** me? You SJW weirdos bend over backwards to defend censorship of art, and when called out, you downplay games as art or say it isn't a big deal. Censorship is censorship.

Presumably you're a PlayStation fanboy who'll defend anything they do, but that just means your opinion is irrelevant. Illiberal bootlicker opinions should be disregarded.

@Facelord Nice ASSumptions. Keep it up.

"Someone here's triggered and it's not me"

Sure, buddy.

@Facelord My guy calm down,I do not agree with @naruball,but it seems like you need to get some things off your chest,and I do not think a public place like the internet is a good idea,to do it.

@naruball Again,it depends on the genre.The best selling games on ps4,do not use sex to sell,being that their target audience are not required to ingest said content in order to buy the game,thus more popular genre,do not require such content like sex to sell, but less popular genres like like fighting games,hero shooters and most jrpg's would not sell half as well,without sexy characters.

It's the first rule of advertising,know what to use to attract your audience.

@rachetmarvel exactly. The blockbusters don't need sex to sell. Those niche games do and without them Sony would still do absolutely fine financially.

@naruball uhm,I am not arguing against that,I was just arguing against your suggestion that sex does not sell,when in fact it does.

But I want to correct you on one thing,those game that do sell playstation consoles may be a priority,but those niche genre(fighting games,and jrpg's) do very well in the east,in terms of sales,popularity and normalization into their social life.

So implying that this niche genres will not cost Sony sales if they do not sell,is undermining there selling power in non-western area's,e.g if a popular pro fighting game player,see's that for example xbox is advertising fighting games and sponsoring the FG tournaments,I bet you that they would invest more on the xbox system,than on playstation.

@DarthAmmii - You're right! Japan has for many years now been about portable devices and with Sony effectively shooting the Vita right between the eyes gave it no chance and therefore Nintendo had a clear market all to themselves.
If Sony want to be taken seriously in Japan ever again, they'd need a PlayStation Portable 2 (I'm not even counting the Vita as no-one knew what it was when it was alive and I've even got one) as the Switch Lite has proven there's still a massive market for proprietary handheld devices.

@Caliburn08 I think your numbers are off. The market share for smartphones move too much to talk in absolutes, but iphone had 70% of Japan in 2017 which fell below 50% last year. Sony's Xperia recovered over the past 2 years to about 7% middle of this year. Typically, Japanese makers accommodate their needs better. The notion that they hate western products is a long running myth which contradicts what I observe in my regular trips there.

@rachetmarvel
Yeah, it's normal in jrpg or anime style games to have fanservice and it's sell well, like that fate series, it's have a lot of fan service and weirdly it's sony games. look like sony only strict about anime just in console but not sure for the future if they really only fav western audience.
I kinda tired with western people who keep said pedo here and there just because asian people look younger and it's anime (fiction not real human) that they drawing it more cute or handsome depending on gender instead of making them ugly for better sale.

@Ridwaano......... So true..... If there is one technology I wish never made it to consoles it is the internet..................

The moment consoles had internet access games were doomed and we have been on a steady decline on games quality.

1984-1993 : Games were about creativity to stand out you had to bring something different to the table

1994 - 2007 : Golden Age / Pinnacle of creativity gaming. Creativity was in overdrive in this Era, there was so much emphasis in being different that devs were scare if their game even slighty looked like another as they would be called copy-cats and look like they don't know what they were doing.

In this Era it's like every game released wanted to out-do every game released before it.

2008 - Current : Games changed from being and interactive entertainment medium to being cash cows. Since around 2006 2008 Games have changed paradigm and they now are about money.

Granted gaming is a business and money has to be made from the money invested but games before 2009 were to a large extent focused on the creative output, game from around 2008-2009 have become about nothing but money to the point that now you have gaming mechanics in games that have nothing to do with the game or game play but are specifically there to driver micro transactions, loot boxes etc....

@GREGORIAN
That so true,! That why the indie developers are more important. Then ever,! But the future awaits!