What you need to know
- Microsoft recently attended Tokyo Game Show 2024, where the firm shared their plans for Xbox and gaming in the near and longer term future.
- With an emphasis on Japanese and East Asia, Microsoft showcased a range of new Xbox games, including Metaphor: ReFantazio, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, and more.
- In a series of posts on Threads, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer and Xbox President Sarah Bond shared photos from some of their meetings with Japanese and other Asia region developers.
“Heading home from Tokyo Game Show 2024 and a lot of parter visits. It’s always great to talk to the leaders of the publishers in Japan and get their input and guidance. Inspiring trip as always.” That’s what Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said on Threads earlier this week, to cap off Microsoft’s big Tokyo Game Show presence.
Last month, Microsoft held a Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation detailing a range of upcoming Xbox games from Japan and other countries in the region. There, we learned that Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is finally hitting Xbox, after years of arbitrary exclusivity on Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation. We also got a look at various new and previously-known Xbox titles from developers of all shapes and sizes, but the underlying message was perhaps more important.
Xbox has a long history of inconsistent support outside of its more traditional English-speaking markets. I’ve written previously about Xbox’s poor localization outside of the U.S. and UK, and not just for games either. Marketing, platform support, stock levels, and other aspects of the Xbox operation aren’t always the best outside of Microsoft’s core markets, which have handed PlayStation and Nintendo defacto duopoly status in many regions, Asia included. Xbox’s own EMEA marketing manager lamented the poor support for European audiences earlier in the year. It’s not all Xbox’s fault, though.
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Hindsight is 20/20 of course, and if Microsoft had thrown the kind of money at Xbox in 2012 that it threw at Xbox to buy Activision-Blizzard last year, we’d perhaps be in a different situation. Microsoft is actively asking developers via Microsoft Research to explain why they might arbitrarily skip the Xbox platform, and more than likely, the install base is at least part of the equation. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer says that Xbox has more active users than ever on console, and noted in the presentation that Xbox console has more players than ever in Asia, too. Xbox Cloud Gaming has also been a driver of growth for Xbox in markets that are perhaps traditionally less interested in console gaming for whatever reason, such as India. But, it’s no use if developers aren’t actively aware that Xbox is a viable place to do business.
To that end, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer and Xbox President Sarah Bond showcased their flurry of business meetings with various Japanese companies and games at the Tokyo Game Show.
Post by @xboxp3
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First up, Spencer and Bond both shared a shot of them at Square Enix head quarters.
Square Enix has been particularly contentious for Xbox fans of a certain age. Square Enix is home to the nostalgic Final Fantasy franchise, alongside games like the Mana series, Dragon Quest, and various others. In recent years, Square Enix began skipping Xbox, taking PlayStation exclusivity deals instead. The deal seems to have only benefitted Sony, however, in obscuring Xbox. Square Enix has said repeatedly to investors that its PlayStation exclusive games didn’t sell well enough, spurning them to move towards a multi-platform development pipeline which we understand Xbox is actively supporting.
“We had a great discussion with the Xbox team at Square Enix. Thank you @XboxP3 @BondSarah_Bond and Xbox team for coming.” Square Enix game director Naoki Hamaguchi replied on Twitter (X). Square Enix also confirmed this week that it plans to bring Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox, and we’ve heard that Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth will eventually arrive as well, although it could be quite a while to wait.
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Spencer and Bond also caught up with the teams at Sega and Atlus. Atlus represents a recent big win for Xbox, given that the Persona franchise and other Shin Megumi Tensei games have historically very rarely supported Xbox out of the box.
Now, Atlus has thrown its JRPG might against not only Xbox, but also Game Pass. Metaphor: ReFantazio for example is launching directly into Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on October 11, 2024.
Post by @xboxp3
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Microsoft also said hi to Capcom. Capcom has been generally very supportive of Xbox, launching games like ExoPrimal and Kunitsu-gami: Path of the Goddess directly into Xbox Game Pass. All of Capcom’s mainline games from franchises like Monster Hunter and Resident Evil tend to hit Xbox without fail, but there was a bit of a blip recently.
Some of Capcom’s classic remaster collections like Marvel vs. Capcom started skipping Xbox, despite launching on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Monster Hunter spin offs too have skipped, including Stories 1 and 2, both of which were previously Switch exclusive. In the case of Monster Hunter Stories 1, the fact it’s not coming to Xbox makes it the only place where you can’t play it. This is a game that’s even available to buy on iOS and Android.
Capcom did fix its “technical” issues preventing Marvel vs. Capcom and its Fighting Game Collection from hitting Xbox over the summer, but some of the other collections and classic games remain in limbo. Capcom’s next big game, the fantastic-looking Monster Hunter Wilds, is confirmed for Xbox, though.
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Sarah Bond also shared a snap from the booth of Sword Art Online: Fractured Day Dream. The Bandai Namco-published action RPG is also coming to Xbox, and continues the publisher’s strong support of Xbox in general.
Sarah and Phil both shared a variety of other adventures from the Tokyo Game Show, including Konami, who has sadly skipped Xbox for the Silent Hill 2 remake. Spencer also checked in with Koei Tecmo of Dynasty Warriors and Altelier fame. Phil Spencer was even spotted playing the Tecmo-published Ninja Gaiden after the meeting on Xbox Live, so conspiracy theorists, take that as you will …
Growth in Asia as well as emerging markets is key to Xbox’s future
Xbox has made a lot of inroads in the region lately. Games like Persona, Genshin Impact, and others have started coming to Xbox at a greater frequency in recent years, but there’s still a ton of work to be done. I wrote earlier in the summer how missing Genshin Impact and other gatcha games was a historic mistake on Xbox’s part, and it often feels like Xbox is two steps behind when it comes to courting the support of emerging trends, particularly when those trends emerge overseas.
Xbox has had wins of course. The Xbox-exclusive Japanese-made survival game Palworld was the biggest game of Q1 this year, and broke records on Steam and Xbox both. Microsoft has also had a prolific partnership with Korea’s Krafton Inc, and was instrumental in bringing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) to console.
However, Microsoft closed its only Japanese studio earlier in the year, Tango Gameworks, known for Hi-Fi Rush and The Evil Within. Krafton picked up Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush franchise in the closure’s wake, but it didn’t exactly boost confidence in the idea that Xbox is serious about building a presence in Japan.
Microsoft tapped Sony alumni Mena Sato Kato to help improve Xbox’s footprint with third-party developers in Japan last year, and she was present at the Tokyo Game Show event as well.
But Xbox perhaps finds itself in a bit of a chicken and egg situation to some degree. PlayStation’s dominance over games typically associated with Japanese developers has pushed a lot of fans of the genres away from Xbox. Part of me wonders if the long-rumored Xbox handheld could help Microsoft broaden its footprint in the region as a companion console device, if the price and power are competitive. Xbox Cloud Gaming likely has a role to play as well, particularly when Microsoft expands the service to allow purchases outside of Xbox Game Pass.
There’s a big hill to climb for Microsoft here, but I, for one, remain optimistic.
