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Is Xbox Slowly Being Abandoned By Most Japanese Third Party Developers/Publishers?

Bxrz

Bxrz

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gamingbolt.com

Is Xbox Slowly Being Abandoned By Most Japanese Third Party Developers and Publishers?

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This is actually self evident if one just goes about the conversation on a publisher-by-publisher basis. Let's start by looking at Capcom, who are actually among the more prolific supporters of Xbox platforms (and who get credit for being among the first big Japanese publishers to pivot to the Xbox 360 at the dawn of the HD Era). Not only did Capcom release almost all of its games this last generation on Xbox platforms – so Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Devil May Cry 5 (which even had Xbox marketing), Mega Man 11, Ace Attorney Trilogy, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, and Monster Hunter World – they even had some pretty major Xbox exclusives to begin with. Dead Rising 4 was a timed Xbox console exclusive, while Dead Rising 3 still remains exclusive to Xbox consoles and PCs to this day.​


And yet, something has clearly changed. Don't get me wrong, Xbox is still clearly getting all the big multiplatform Capcom titles – we know, for example, that Resident Evil Village is coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series S and X. However, consider that Capcom is now focused squarely on the Switch rather than Xbox, with Nintendo managing to get multiple Capcom exclusives between Monster Hunter Rise, Monster Hunter Stories 2, the upcoming Resident Evil Outage (which is at least a timed Switch exclusive, based on the recent high-profile Capcom leaks), as well as smaller titles such as Ghosts and Goblins Resurrection. Based on those same leaks, titles such as The Great Ace Attorney HD are also going to be skipping Xbox, and going to PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC only (with the same leaks suggesting dismal sales of The Ace Attorney Trilogy on Xbox One as being responsible for the decision). So even with multiplatform games, at least smaller ones, it looks like Xbox isn't guaranteed full Capcom support (though here to be fair, it seems like that can be said of all three consoles – PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo all seem to miss out on some Capcom game or the other, it feels like).​


Then there is Square Enix. Not so long ago, Square Enix used to be known for going all in on one console, and releasing all their games for that one console only (PlayStation most recently, Nintendo long ago). Since then, their strategy has been… scattershot? They still dabble in exclusives, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern. Typically, Kingdom Hearts seems to stay PlayStation exclusive, Dragon Quest Nintendo exclusive, and other games more spread around, though even there, we have started seeing multiplatform releases across those franchises in the last few years (as mentioned, the last Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts releases were both multiplatform).​


But this last generation Square started achieving some consistency with Xbox. Final Fantasy 15 came to Xbox One day and date, and the entire Final Fantasy back catalog from 7 to 12 got ported to Xbox too. Kingdom Hearts 3 came to Xbox day and date, and The Story So Far got ported to Xbox too. Nier Automata and the upcoming remake of Replicant are both on Xbox. Dragon Quest marked its Xbox debut with Dragon Quest 11 S. So far, so good, right?​


But now things seem to be trending in the opposite direction almost right away. Final Fantasy seems to have returned to being at least a PlayStation console exclusive (at launch, if nothing else). Final Fantasy 16 is announced only for PS5 (though a PC version leaked). Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched only on PS4. Even with Final Fantasy 14, which finally confirmed an Xbox version last year, Square seems to have walked back on the commitment, and it is possible that the popular MMO will never come to Xbox, and remain PlayStation exclusive.​


Even outside of Final Fantasy, we find Square being much more willing to make exclusives for PlayStation or Nintendo, but not Xbox. PS5 was debuted with a brand new Square Enix IP headed for it, Project Athia, while Babylon's Fall is also PlayStation exclusive. Meanwhile, Switch was debuted with a brand new Square Enix IP headed for it, Project Octopath Traveler, that went on to become the hit Switch-exclusive JRPG Octopath Traveler in 2018. Bravely Default 2 is a Switch exclusive. Switch got another new IP from Square Enix announced at the recent Nintendo Direct with (and I really hope they change the name) Project Triangle Strategy.​
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The article continues by mentioning that even indie/smaller Japanese devs are abandoning Xbox but SEGA and Bandai Namco have had the opposite approach and have continued to stick & support the Xbox. Thought this was pretty interesting overall
 
Rosebud

Rosebud

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Apr 16, 2018
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No, just for smaller ports because of sales (Ace Attorney sold 5k if I recall correctly).

Pubs also want that sweet GP deal.
 

Deleted member 63122

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Companies that want to grow in the West will try to go on Gamepass, smaller titles from smaller companies that can't make different console versions, will go the usual PS, Nintendo and Steam.
 
purseowner

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Oct 25, 2017
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Outside of the examples listed, I'd actually argue the opposite is happening with this generation.

Yakuza has marketing deal and timed next-gen exclusivity. Seeing success through Gamepass.
Gal Gun almost came to Xbox until the content saw them cancel it.
 
Man Called Aerodynamics

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Oct 29, 2017
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It's really disappointing to me that stuff like Trials of Mana is missing Xbox, especially after there seemed to be parity or something close it after the last couple of generations.
 
chrisPjelly

chrisPjelly

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Oct 29, 2017
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IMO it seems like GP is helping them get more than ever. It can't be helped that they can't get the big Sony/Nintendo exclusivity deals, but they've made a big push securing games that NEVER would've touched an Xbox system before like Yakuza and DQ.
 

Raigor

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May 14, 2020
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Kinda funny to name Final Fantasy when Sony is the one preventing the likes of FF 16, FF7R and Athia from releasing on Xbox for exclusivity lol
 
Jaded Alyx

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Oct 25, 2017
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The examples given make no sense to me. The Switch 'exclusives' either end up on PC or on both PlayStation and Xbox. SE not bringing over PS exclusives is likely because Sony paid for that. Xbox isn't getting smaller Japanese titles because they don't sell well but that's not exactly new.
 
MatrixMan.exe

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YuriLowell said:
I'd say most Japanese games will end up switch only unless they have a large NA audience.
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That's not going to happen because A) PC exists and B) Europe exists where PlayStation and PC are both extremely relevant platforms. More Japanese games should come to Switch but it's not going to be at the cost of other platforms.

The Capcom example in the article doesn't make sense either because PlayStation is also missing out on Rise. Both Xbox and PS of will get World 2 though.
 
Meelow

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Oct 31, 2017
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Big Japanese games will always see an Xbox release, small Japanese titles though makes much more sense on Switch vs Xbox because Switch has sold almost 19 million units in Japan vs the 30k sold for XS.
 
Redcrayon

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I don't really think leading with Capcom is a strong argument. RE: Outrage, MHR and Stories 2 were always going to be Switch games, being effectively follow-ups to the 3DS games RE Revelations, MH4 and MHS respectively. Smaller 2D titles like Ghosts and Goblins just seem to go there too, I can't really see any difference when both Xbox and PlayStation get the lions share of their big multiplats, as the article itself both admits and then finishes that section with 'they all miss out on something'.

Some good points in the rest but it just seems weird to lead the article with the weakest example.
 
Mass Effect

Mass Effect

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So many of the examples are moneyhats rather than simply skipping the Xbox -- The Final Fantasy games, Monster Hunter, and (possibly?) Octopath Triangle and RE Outage.

And I wouldn't even worry about Athia or Babylon's Fall right now; one's a tech demo and the other vaporware.
 
Marano

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And here I thought gamepass deals made it so these games started being more frequent on xbox because of it and the outliers are timed exclusive that will eventually hit or am I wrong?
 
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Jamrock User

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Jan 24, 2018
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I mean do they think SE is making exclusives because they are nice?

Like money isn't being passed around?
 
Liliana

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What an odd article. It seems to be the opposite, aside from exclusivity deals with Playstation (seeing the Capcpm Resident Evil moneyhat they did with exact dollar amounts shed light on all the current SE exclusive projects, including the timed FFXVI exclusive) and the usual Nintendo game that ends up ported to PC and/or consoles.

It seems Japanese devs love Xbox Game Pass.

Edit: beaten
 

Deleted member 56752

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Idk. Not really. Game pass has a lot of the FF franchise on there (pretty much), all of the yakuza franchise save for 7, all of the KH franchise save for the new rhythm game, nier automata, code vein. Like. They're building those relationships well.

Just look at their marketing deals w Bandai Namco: Scarlet Nexus and Elden Ring. Not to mention previous ones: Jump Force, DBZ Kakarot, DBZF.
 
Duxxy3

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Sony is spending a lot of money to keep certain games off of Xbox and other games make more sense on Switch.
 
darkside

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I mean the real risk for MS is that Sony does so poorly in Japan companies there just choose to ignore both Sony and MS entirely. Of course its not really an issue for MS (or Sony for that matter) if they just spend money.
 
Kolx

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Oct 25, 2017
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So basically one title from Capcom and a few from SE that were paid by PS is an evidence that JP devs are abandoning Xbox? lol.
 
gabegabe

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Marano said:
And here I thought gamepass deals made it so these games started being more frequent on xbox because of it and the outliwes are timed exclusive that will eventually hit or am I wrong?
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You're not wrong. Yakuza and DQ definitely only came to Xbox because of GamePass. But there are still some franchises, like Final Fantasy, that won't come because Sony pays for exclusivity.
 
crazillo

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This is largely an opinion piece and not backed up with interviews. I don't really agree. The days of Japanese exclusives on Xbox might be largely over, but if anything, Xbox has seen a lot of Japanese franchises hit the platform for the first time in the last generation, and is looking much better compared to say, 2014. Esepcially the important franchises are now on Xbox. Stuff like Kingdom Hearts, Yakuza, Valkyria Chronicles, Dragon Quest, legacy Final Fantasy titles, Tales is back on Xbox. People say Persona could be coming, too. They are getting most things from Capcom and Bandai Namco. The really odd one publisher for them in Square-Enix. Now, partly games are not hitting Xbox because of deals struck with Sony. Final Fantasy games or Project Athia can be mentioned. However, Square has been skipping Xbox with anything below AAA level from their Japanese teams for quite a while now. It's as much on them surely. I don't really see a reason why Romancing SaGa 2 and 3 or Balan Wonderworld would hit Xbox when Trials of Mana or The Last Remnant would not. For their AAA titles, they seem to have found their way to manage rising development costs: Get that paycheck from Sony as a front-loaded injection of cash and then strike a Xbox Game Pass deal for some late ports. I don't think AAA titles should be timed exclusives, but it's just the world we live in. Koei Tecmo is a bit spotty as well, that's true.

I did find it interesting that Disagaea 4 or Valkyria Chronicles 1 hit Game Pass on PC but not the console. I expect some smaller Japanese games on the PC Game Pass in the future. Devs like Falcom are just really small and I don't see them porting more games to another platform.

For enthusiasts of Japanese games in all its spectacle, Xbox will cover you mostly with the larger IP. For niche stuff, you will have to go looking elsewhere. But this is hardly new, and if anything, more important third-party Japanese franchises actually now are on Xbox compared to before. Yakuza has been successful on Xbox Game Pass, and as we know people discover new stuff on Game Pass all the time, I do see more games coming to Xbox through that venure.
 
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Fisty

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Raigor said:
Kinda funny to name Final Fantasy when Sony is the one preventing the likes of FF 16, FF7R and Athia from releasing on Xbox for exclusivity lol
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It takes two to tango, Sony doesn't have a gun to Square's head. They certainly wouldn't take the deal if it was more worthwhile to go mutli-platform on day 1
 

brain_stew

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Oct 30, 2017
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Most of the "evidence" in the quote posted in the op are titles with paid for exclusivity. That's an entirely different situation. If anything, I would argue that Gamepass is finally giving Japanese titles an audience on Xbox, and the flood of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and Yakuza titles on Gamepass clearly show that Microsoft see it as an important part of the platform.
 
rochellepaws

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It seems undoubtedly the case. Even just looking at recent or upcoming releases like Persona 5 Strikers, 13 Sentinels, Atelier Ryza 2, YS IX, Trails of Cold Steel IV, Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker are mostly multi-platform but not on Xbox.
 
Neoxon

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Redcrayon said:
I don't really think leading with Capcom is a strong argument. RE: Outrage, MHR and Stories 2 were always going to be Switch games, being effectively follow-ups to the 3DS games RE Revelations, MH4 and MHS respectively. Smaller 2D titles like Ghosts and Goblins just seem to go there too, I can't really see any difference when both Xbox and PlayStation get the lions share of their big multiplats, as the article itself both admits and then finishes that section with 'they all miss out on something'.

Some good points in the rest but it just seems weird to lead the article with the weakest example.
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Actually MH Rise is more of a follow-up to the MH Portable/Generations line due to being made by the same team. World is the actual follow up to MH4 since it's internally called MH5.
 

rafiii

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Feb 7, 2019
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If this gen has taught us anything is that games that Japanese games that used to be only on PS4 (Nier, kingdom heart 1.5, 2.5, Yakuza) will be on Xbox, just a little later.
 
Jaded Alyx

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The Last One said:
But not only moneyhats are responsible for this. Both Legend of Mana and NEO The End World Ends With You skipped the Xbox and they weren't moneyhats.
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Neither of them can be considered exclusives in any way so that's an odd comparison.

They're skipping Xbox because they're smaller titles, and jrpgs at that. In other words, same as it's always been. No change there.
 
The Last One

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Jaded Alyx said:
Neither of them can be considered exclusives in any way so that's an odd comparison.

They're skipping Xbox because they're smaller titles, and jrpgs at that. In other words, same as it's always been. No change there.
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But I was responding with titles that aren't moneyhats because they are releasing on everything but Xbox. Not sure what your post is about.
 
Oregano

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Nah, Xbox is getting more Japanese support than ever before.

rochellepaws said:
It seems undoubtedly the case. Even just looking at recent or upcoming releases like Persona 5 Strikers, 13 Sentinels, Atelier Ryza 2, YS IX, Trails of Cold Steel IV, Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker are mostly multi-platform but not on Xbox.
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But apart from FF those were never on Xbox.

Until the Switch all of those other games would have only released on PlayStation(+PC).
 
Iwao

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Bigger Japanese games that are on Game Pass are there because Phil cut the publisher a check they couldn't say no to, and Sony is cutting deals of their own on games that sell 80% of their share on PlayStation anyway. The smaller Japanese games that aren't on Xbox are because the Game Pass budget is not going to appease them.
 
Neoxon

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Oregano said:
Nah, Xbox is getting more Japanese support than ever before.



But apart from FF those were never on Xbox.

Until the Switch all of those other games would have only released on PlayStation(+PC).
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True, but they're still missing some key players like Atlus & Arc System Works (on their own, not stuff published by others like DBFZ).
 

Mad_Rhetoric

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May 7, 2019
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No its actually getting more Japanese support than ever, but even if it wasn't it wouldn't really hurt much.
 

t26

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Oct 27, 2017
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What is leaving Xbox is Japanese visual novels. Steins;Gate and Chaos;Child both got Xbox release first in Japan. Now there is no Xbox version of Steins;Gate Elite or Robotics;Notes DaSH
 
Redcrayon

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Neoxon said:
Long story short, in the same way MH World is MH5 in all but name, MH Rise is MH Portable 5th in all but name. Likewise, the PS5/XSX|S/PC game is internally called MH6.
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Ah I've had the teams mixed up in my head, likely through the word 'portable' somewhere along the line! The correction is much appreciated.
 
Judge

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There's been more niche and AA Japanese releases in the past year or two than there ever was in the first 6 years of Xbox one. I don't think this is remotely true
 
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