Those "heavy hitters' are not heavy hitters in Japan anymore. They have been declining for years.
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Hideki Yasuda, Senior Analyst, Ace Research Institute: Nintendo has practically eradicated Playstation from Japan
- Thread starter K Samedi
- Start date
For the smaller devs, I suspect the horse has already bolted, and they'll be moving to a strategy of Switch & Steam, with maybe a PS port bolted on after the fact.
For bigger devs, I suspect Resident Evil 8 and Monster Hunter Rise is going to prove informative. Outside of the projects Sony subsidies, I suspect shareholders will demand more Switch & Steam & PS projects. Certainly, if anyone bought a PS5 expecting a regular supply of de-facto PS5 exclusives outside of PlayStation Studios, I think they're going to be disappointed.
Not to mention that with RE8 getting a PS4 SKU and Tales of Arise likely not sacrificing that SKU either, their status as PS5 essentials in Japan simply does not exist.
Yeah but PS4 sold well i thought. The question at hand at the moment is regarding PS5 with its 4.5 million global sales since November 12th 2020. Of those, only a couple hundred thousand were probably sold in Japan. I am just saying that we gotta let PS5 breathe a little. I think we will better see by spring 2022.
You and the other user have a point though regarding the PS4 owners getting these games already.
Kind of funny to use a Splatoon gif tbh. Still weird how Nintendo just went and accidentally made a mini phenomenon over there. They made sure to capitalize on it though, despite comparatively worse western sales.
When you put it that way it is worrying that if not for Nintendo Switch, traditional gaming is pretty much dead in Japan.
The premise of the OP isn't Switch vs. PS5 software , its Switch vs. everything else's software, including PS4, which has an install base of over 10mil in Japan. Yeah, the PS5 launching means PS4 isn't the newest system anymore, but so far this year Switch has 99% of all physical software sales compared to PS5 AND PS4. Sony should be moving way more software than that on PS4, that is the issue. These big AAA games are only good for the sales they generate when they release because Playstation has yet to tap into that evergreen sales potential with any of those games. You don't see an "all ships rise with the tide" sales phenomenon on Sony platforms like you do Nintendo systems, which is the problem with Sony's relevance in Japan right now.
We have no Data on Catalog Sales on Playstation Hardware Digitally.
I want to think Nintendo sees way more success there because they go more for cartoony artstyles with popular mascot characters, while at the same time being home for all the smaller scale japanese games like the vita was. Theyre genres Sony was more invested in the past, but have neglected as of late I think. Im no expert though.
Whilst I agree with your overall point, considering PS4 consolidated pretty much all support behind it at one point, I don't think things would have gotten quite this lopsided if Nintendo hadn't made relatively heavy investments in more teen/core oriented franchises like Xenoblade, Fire Emblem and Astral Chain. Those franchises are much closer to the AA games most Japanese publishers produce and have helped build an audience for those games.
People look at the big releases but the key advantage PlayStation has had over Nintendo in Japan traditionally has been those smaller releases in between that maintain interest in the system. The thing that would help PS maintain market share in these relative lulls would be those releases where you would go several weeks between releases on Nintendo systems.
I mean the path forward is to just make more FGOs. On Phones.
If the Japanese market has rejected them on the console front then why not embrace where the market has accepted you in?
Put some more money into FGO.
I think step one is getting new blood in there with a new focus. They have been cutting back on Sony Japan's funds and teams. I think they should reinvest but with new blood with new ideas and a focus on making something the market actually wants to play.
It isn't like Japanese software doesn't sell millions abroad though. This is what I dont get. Resident Evil, Persona, Sekiro, Dark Souls, Nier. These games all do well in the West. Why wouldn't you make games like those and have them in you bag? You can also try and make some smaller domestic focused stuff for niches as well. The issue is no one cares about Knack or Astrobot.
I don't think Sony actually needs to change its current strategy. I am just saying people act like there is nothing they can do. That isn't true. They aren't even trying in Japan. They can do better than nothing.
Why should any of us care about the performance of PlayStation in Japan? If it's not doing well, oh well that's the market speaking for itself and it will correct for that.
I mean data they have access to probably raised the flag that they were losing out on market share there, their lack of action tells me they just don't care, especially if they let it drop that low. That doesn't happen over night.
PS Generated 6% of Revenue on Physical Software Sales last Q
Nintendo Generated 28% on Physical Sales Last Q .
Am I say with Digital will the ratio make Playstation look for Jan ? No
Jan was a horrible month for Playstation
But these are the retails of the last 4 years with no Digital
PS4 - 7.500.000 ~ <- 2020
PS4 - 9.235.333 <- 2019
PS4 - 10.740.999 <- 2018
PS4 - 10.021.801 < 2017
One Month Data of Retail in Jan doesnt mean playstation is dead in JP
A lot of weird fatalism in defense of Sony. It's not predestined that they can't compete there. They are just not prioritizing the market or executing well there. In part, that's a business decision and we'll see how it goes for them. "Nintendo wins Japan" isn't a law of nature though. PSP and PS2 did extremely well in Japan. PS4 actually sold very well. I don't think you can put a positive spin on current PS performance in Japan.
On a personal note, I would take a new Sony handheld in a heartbeat. Please do it Sony!
On a personal note, I would take a new Sony handheld in a heartbeat. Please do it Sony!
I don't think I would, according to wikipedia Three House sold around 3m and Xenoblade 2 just over 2m, respectable numbers but hardly massive. For reference RE2 remake is on over 7m.
I don't think I understand this data, or why it is used.
Is it comparing the Switch to the PS4 and leaving out the PS5? And for 2021, meaning only one month? And only using the top of the charts, and not total software sales? And is it only counting physical games, or do sales through the Eshop and PS Store also count?
There is no possible denying of Nintendo's domination of the Japanese market, and PlayStations declining trend in market share. But that 99% to 1% seems to be way too much of a stretch, and the data used lacking at best, manipulative at worse.
Is it comparing the Switch to the PS4 and leaving out the PS5? And for 2021, meaning only one month? And only using the top of the charts, and not total software sales? And is it only counting physical games, or do sales through the Eshop and PS Store also count?
There is no possible denying of Nintendo's domination of the Japanese market, and PlayStations declining trend in market share. But that 99% to 1% seems to be way too much of a stretch, and the data used lacking at best, manipulative at worse.
going way way back isnt this why persona 5 was released also on ps3?
do we have the jp ps3/ps4 persona 5 numbers?
do we have the jp ps3/ps4 persona 5 numbers?
Agreed.
The fact Tokyo Jungle 2 never happened is a crime to say the least.
Ultimately, the risk is that Sony conceding Japan to Nintendo will result in PlayStation getting knocked out of Asia altogether. For example, we already know that the Switch has overtaken the PS4 in China.
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So like I said, no productive discussion to be had, because you're once again trying to claim that their international revenues somehow debunk my criticism of their Japanese production. I never once claimed that Sony's business hasn't largely been successful internationally. What I did claim was that it was wrong to make excuses for Sony's performance in Japan by either blaming and maligning Japanese consumers or claiming that the Japanese market has mysteriously abandoned everyone but Nintendo for inscrutable reasons. If you want actual reasons look at top-selling Switch software in Japan and try to find equivalents coming out of Sony.
PS4
Persona 5 - 399,213
PS3
Persona 5 -112,372
PS4
Persona 5: Royal - 244,050
Not Really
It's at around 600k
If you add in PS5 and digital you would be at around 5% I imagine.
The numbers are sorta arbitrary though, 1% or 5% makes no difference to the main point. Playstation is in its worst position ever in Japan in terms of market share.
I mean, they have tried, and those games haven't been big hits.
ah, i see, for sure. yeah Switch taking business away from the other platform is definitely happening. Probably more with the switch pro and zelda news this year or next (if it happens)
Honestly, Japan Studio has been rather bizarrely managed since the PS3 was announced, since the only real mainstream project that they ever worked on in that time was Bloodborne. And it's not like Sony's other first party studios haven't dabbled in what seemed like commercially iffy projects at first, yet they still had their existing IPs to fall back on in case stuff like TLOU or Ghost of Tsushima didn't take. It's a strange situation for them that's also exclusive to them, as well.
Looked at a week in January 2020 and I saw 2 big PS4 releases (Yakuza & DBZ) as well as some older games that made the Top 30. In contrast, January 2021 is a wasteland for PS4 games & PS5 hasn't stepped up. When the PS5 launched, it had 5 games in the Top 30 with the highest ranked one being #10. By the end of the month, its highest ranked game was about to leave the Top 30 entirely.
Sony needs to get more PS5 consoles to Japan and it needs to get must-play (for Japan) games on the system ASAP. If not, they risk losing Japanese developers who will be willing to make games for their system.
Or even better, just make a PSP3.
Sony needs to get more PS5 consoles to Japan and it needs to get must-play (for Japan) games on the system ASAP. If not, they risk losing Japanese developers who will be willing to make games for their system.
Or even better, just make a PSP3.
Honest question: what does a PSP3 do in Japan that Switch already isn't?
1. Sony needs to get consoles everywhere, not just Japan. When the CEO of one of their part manufacturers comes out and says that you won't be seeing the consoles (Sony & Microsoft) readily until the 2nd half of this means it ain't really on them.
2. What are these must-play games for Japan that would be system sellers in Japan?
3. Sony ain't losing Japanese developers willing to make games on their system. Platinum literally just came out and said nah.
And I made it even more accurate ;)
If I was in charge, I would position a new Sony portable system as the budget portable-only alternative to the Switch. Aim for around a $100 USD price. PS1, PSP, and Vita backwards compatible, with good developer tool support for Unity so you get the indie & small Japanese company games that thrived on the Vita & 3DS.
There's the potential that it could mean fewer Japanese made games as they try and cater to their home audience. That's the biggest concern. I'm sure we'll always get games from the biggest Japanese devs, but I imagine this could discourage mid to smaller devs from developing on higher end hardware.