Xbox Japan Boss Resigns Over Poor Xbox One Sales

Takashi Sensui, head of Xbox in Japan, has resigned from the position amid dismal sales of the Xbox One in the country, Eurogamer reports. 

While neither the original Xbox or the Xbox 360 performed particularly well in Japan, the Xbox One has got off to an utterly miserable start, shifting just 38,461 units since the console launched in the country in September. 

The bulk of Xbox One sales so far – 23,562 units – were sold over the system's first four days of availability. The Xbox 360 managed to sell double that amount in just two days when it was released back in 2005. 

Microsoft's latest console experienced the worst Japanese launch for any home console in recent years. The PlayStation 4 managed to shift 322,000 units in two days, while the Wii U came in at 308,000 in two days.

Since launch, sales have slowed significantly, with just 776 Xbox One consoles being sold last week according to Media Create charts via NeoGAF. During the same week, the PS4 sold 12,000 and Wii U sold 9,600.

Control of the Xbox division has fallen to Takahashi Minami, who joined Microsoft in July after 25 years at Sony.

The Xbox brand has always struggled in Japan, where consumers have traditionally preferred Japanese consoles but all systems have experienced declining sales in recent years as a result of the shift to mobile. 

By contrast, the Xbox One appears to be closing the gap on the PS4 in the West.