Japan is one of the many territories that won’t be seeing the Xbox One until sometime in 2014, likely due to the small install base Microsoft has in the East. Even if that that does bother Mega Man creator and Japan local, Keiji Inafune, the developer understands the logic behind the move.
"I’m not a first-party person, I’m not part of a first-party company, so this can only be what I’m assuming, but if you look at how big the share of the Japanese market is when it comes to consoles now, it’s continually shrinking, to the point where it’s not even over 10 percent," Inafune told IGN. "So having Japan be an afterthought – after Europe and North America – as much as I may not like that as a Japanese creator, it makes sense to prioritize the markets that are naturally going to have a larger installed base and larger sales."
That doesn’t mean that Inafune is counting Microsoft out in Japan. The Xbox One is a new console, and that could lead to a new impact with customers in the Land of the Rising Sun.
"Just because it’s Microsoft… I wouldn’t want to count a company out, even if they haven’t had a great track record. It doesn’t mean they automatically fail the next time,” he said.
Inafune argues that Microsoft’s messaging and pitch to this particular region will determine the box’s success. It wouldn’t hurt to have all consoles succeed in the eyes of Inafune, either, as his wildly successful Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter might just be on next-generation platforms in 2015.
