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[Good Guy Gone Bad]

Sony will retain many third parties who hope to sell games outside of Japan. I'm not sure Sony is worried at all since international sales make up over 90% of their total amount of consoles sold. If Japanese third parties want any sort of success outside of Japan, they'd be foolish to ignore the PS4.

Also your OP is taking tons of liberties. Who knows if the Switch will end up selling as well as the PS2 or 3DS? You can't state that as a fact.

 

[Pennywise]

Good OP and i would add that it's a little more than that. Sucha dynamic in Japan, and no Vita successor, means some big japanese Sony partners can shift to Switch. i'm not saying it will happen but it can. Some are niche, like Nipon Ichi, Vanilla ware etc.. But what about Bandai-Namco ? How many big ip title came to Vita-PS3/4 and will maybe find the Switch a better fit for that demographic. What about Tales of ? What about From Software (those one would certainly stay faithful to Sony but they can release their games on Switch to, like the rumoured Dark Souls3). Some big rpgs like Ni No Kumi already had a Nintendo version but it was a smaller scale i guess, now it will be the same game. Same for DQ XI.

There is some type of demographic that would be .. japanese game lovers who are not on Nintendo consoles, that is, i think.. at least in the balance here when talking about the Switch potential new grounds.

I don't know if that demographic is so important for Sony, in the world, but it's certainly significative.

So that japanese dynamic, of some of the PS4/Vita demographic going to the Switch, could snowball in the end.

And what exactly is preventing those developers to develop titles for more platforms ?
Or the better question, why on earth would they develop exclusive titles ?

We're even getting handheld titles such as Danganronpa or VLR/999/Zero Escape on Steam/PS4, why exactly should they make exclusive games for the Switch, while they could easily target a broader audience with nearly every platform ?

 

[Mass_Pincup]

There almost no such thing left like a third party developer aiming just for Japanese audience. Sony will be fine with the position PS4 is WW.

Actually there's quite a lot.

 

[Memento]

The worst thing it could happen is developers targeting both PS4 and Switch.

PS4 will not lose games for Switch, third party has always been strong on PlayStation home consoles and the western sucess of the platform will guarantee that.

 

[Astral Dog]

Even if Switch is a success, PS4 will continue to sell everywhere and competition is GOOD for gamers, i dont see the problem or point of the op.

 

[Inuhanyou]

As a handheld/console hybrid, Switch is unique in the console space.

I do expect Nintendo to pick up a lot of Japanese support just based on their pull in Japan and the fact that Switch caters to the Japanese lifestyle.

However, i doubt that affects the relationships Sony themselves have cultivated throughout the years

At most, Switch will get ports of PS4 and Vita games that Nintendo otherwise would not have gotten. I don't think exclusives are on the table.

In general, i think Japanese devs are looking at all options. They will go for PS4 and Switch if they feel it will expand their base sufficiently. They will go for PC in the west more and more as well.

 

[Obscuritas]

More people playing console games in Japan is good for Sony and food for the industry

.

Now more than ever, both companies are wishing good sales to each other.

 

[privitsan02]

How about worrying about international markets? Japanese games like Metal Gear and Final Fantasy have historically done better worldwide than Japan, so that should be the main concern. Japan are focused on mobile and if developers are interested in going mobile over consoles, that's their decision to make.

The Wii U did well in Japan, relatively speaking. That didn't stop it for being an absolute bomb worldwide and being one of the worst consoles I've personally seen since the Saturn. Nintendo need to figure out how to get a steady stream of content out while having decen third party support which compliments the PS4/XB1/PC.

Sony better hope the Switch does well in Japan AND worldwide if they want the industry to succeed.

Best wishes.

 

[AmFreak]

The consequence is the japanese games market does better overall as the install base of traditional game systems increases so the demand for more games geared toward the japanese audience increases. As it stands, we have 3DS and PS4. One is 5 years old, one has a small install base. There's a reason tons of PS4 games in japan are still getting PS3 ports.

The consequence for Sony ofc.
Why should they be worried?

 

[Father_Brain]

First of all, even if it does decently, it's not going to halt the decline of the Japanese dedicated market, let alone reverse it.

Secondly, while Switch/PS4/(PC?) makes a lot of sense in theory (Switch exclusivity much less so) for Japanese publishers, I'm loath to make any prediction that it'll actually turn out that way before we see the software lineup next month. Certainly, 3DS/Vita third-party support didn't turn out how I would have expected five years ago, and Wii U Japanese third-party support remarkably managed to be even worse than Western third-party support.

I expect most of 3DS' third-party support to carry over (MH, DQ, YW, SMT), at least, but beyond that? I'll wait to see it, thanks.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

Actually there's quite a lot.

Surely that's not sustainable though. As video game budgets continue to increase, it becomes less and less viable to focus solely on a single market in decline.

I think there will be a rude awakening for 3DS developers making games primarily for Japan, as the Switch will be a staggering leap ahead of that platform in terms of power - it'll be like advancing three generations at once!

 

[Fdkn]

Most companies that are based in Japan are going to be heavily reliant on a platform with solid sales year after year. That's the 3DS right now. Hopefully it will be the Switch going forward.

Actually if you really want to talk about where most Japan companies are getting their money, it's mobile. And it will be mobile going forward.

Regarding OP's premise, Nintendo is indeed more worried about the smartphone market than Sony is worried about Nintendo.

 

[Back-In-Black]

Yup, the manufacturer who is on track to have their third 100m selling console should be terrified of the follow-up to the WiiU.

Also, who gives a shit about console sales in Japan? It's a dead market. Who is fighting to be king of the sewer? Switch might do well there, but I'm not sure it will be meaningful outside of message boards and Japanese homes.

This is really all that needs to be said. I have nothing more to contribute.

 

[PdotMichael]

Playstation will stay the main platform for all Japanese third party games with some international appeal.

The Japanese games solely for the Japanese market is a dimishing niche or are already moving to mobile.

 

[GOOCHY]

I want the Switch to succeed and I will buy one when it comes out but there is no denying that other than the Wii, Nintendo's hardware sales numbers have been trending downward since the Super Nintendo.

I'm of the opinion that the Wii was an aberration - a product in the right place at the right time, a fluke if you will - and that they're going to have to prove that they can sell a whole bunch of hardware to Western audiences. We're getting to the point that a lot of young people have no emotional or otherwise attachment to Nintendo.

 

[Father_Brain]

Actually if you really want to talk about where most Japan companies are getting their money, it's mobile. And it will be mobile going forward.

Regarding OP's premise, Nintendo is indeed more worried about the smartphone market than Sony is worried about Nintendo.

Sony is probably also more worried about the smartphone market than about Nintendo.

 

[GifGafIsTheBestGaf]

Is there any reason the Switch won't dominate Japan?

well played sir

that's some history of gaf i didnt know.

if anything i think the switch could help sony pick up some of the burden of being the only relevant console pushing out console games in and out -side of japan. also sony's worries are with mobile which they recently announced more of their mobile plans

i do hope though that the switch finds some success so along with sony and pc/steam we can keep getting japanese games overhear

 

[Asd202]

Surely that's not sustainable though. As video game budgets continue to increase, it becomes less and less viable to focus solely on a single market in decline.

I think there will be a rude awakening for 3DS developers making games primarily for Japan, as the Switch will be a staggering leap ahead of that platform in terms of power - it'll be like advancing three generations at once!

Bingo. There definitely going to be less games for Switch than compared to 3DS because of the costs alone. Most developers will just make more mobile games. All these Switch will get all those 3DS IP's remind of an era when PS3 was coming out. The shift won't be from 3ds to Switch but from 3DS to mobile.

 

[Zhao_Yun]

Good OP and i would add that it's a little more than that. Sucha dynamic in Japan, and no Vita successor, means some big japanese Sony partners can shift to Switch. i'm not saying it will happen but it can. Some are niche, like Nipon Ichi, Vanilla ware etc.. But what about Bandai-Namco ? How many big ip title came to Vita-PS3/4 and will maybe find the Switch a better fit for that demographic. What about Tales of ? What about From Software (those one would certainly stay faithful to Sony but they can release their games on Switch to, like the rumoured Dark Souls3). Some big rpgs like Ni No Kumi already had a Nintendo version but it was a smaller scale i guess, now it will be the same game. Same for DQ XI.

There is some type of demographic that would be .. japanese game lovers who are not on Nintendo consoles, that is, i think.. at least in the balance here when talking about the Switch potential new grounds.

I don't know if that demographic is so important for Sony, in the world, but it's certainly significative.

So that japanese dynamic, of some of the PS4/Vita demographic going to the Switch, could snowball in the end.

A lot of Japanese franchises from the likes of Bandai Namco (Gundam, SAO), Sega (Yakuza) or Nihon Falcom (Kiseki) have been increasingly successful in Asian markets and as far as I know Sony has a much stronger presence in this market than Nintendo does. They even provide a lot of localization support for different Asian languages which makes it easier for 3rd parties to release their games there and I doubt that they want to leave all that behind for the Switch. The Wii U isn't even officially sold in most Asian countries if I remember correctly, so I doubt Nintendo could offer the same amount of support that Sony can. I As I've already pointed out earlier I think we will definitely see games coming to both PS4/Switch (and maybe Vita), but a complete shift is unlikely imo.

Also I doubt they would abandon the huge install base of the PS4 in the West even though not every PS4 owner is necessarily interested in these Japanese games.

 

[Fbh]

Does Sony even care about japan that much?
They are doing great in the US and Europe.
Not the say that they should ignore the market but I don't think the switch will single handedly make home consoles popular again in japan.

Even if the Switch ends up outselling it in japan I don't see how it will hurt sony that much. Even when it comes to third party support, for quite a while the Ps4 will still have a MUCH larger instal base worldwide than the switch

 

[FinalStageBoss]

Japan is dominated by mobile. Consoles are pretty dead there.

 

[120v]

PS4 is too ahead, even with japan's shitty console situation. that said i can see Switch being somewhat of a spoiler, and the situation could get "bad" for sony going into next gen

 

[BuggyMike]

Yeah I was thinking this thing is gonna be crazy in japan. The system can position itself as a home console hybrid in the west, and a handheld in japan, so japanese 3rdparties can potentially get a piece of both demographics, a problem that I imagine they've have had for more modern games. Just imagine if the 3DS was capable of running modern home console games you'd see on a PS4 in japan, that's what the Switch has the potential to be. I'm excited because this couod mean more big Japanese games can make their way to the west. It really is seeming like a clever console that is addressing many issues Nintendo has had.

 

[LegendofLex]

Switch shifting the home console category toward a mobile form factor is probably not going to do traditional (non-mobile) home consoles any favors in Japan.

But since Sony is no longer reliant on Japan for their home console's library and sales, I don't know that I'd say Sony should be worried.

And yeah you can talk about portability of the market place, but I'd argue that the type of games that people here want the Switch to have and likely Nintendo are courting are not actually compatible with the commuting lifestyle of the average Japanese person.

One of the running guesses is that Switch will inherit the niche titles that would have historically been developed for traditional handhelds, in which case you can play those games on the go, and still play console games at home (or on the go) without needing to buy separate hardware.

 

[Aegus]

Why would Sony even care about the Japanese market as much? Their product is not aimed at that market, the market has moved on.

And yeah you can talk about portability of the market place, but I'd argue that the type of games that people here want the Switch to have and likely Nintendo are courting are not actually compatible with the commuting lifestyle of the average Japanese person.

Apparently the average round trip commuting time is 57 minutes. So that's 30 minutes they are travelling. However how much of that is in a place where the Switch could realistically be used sitting down on a chair? I'm going to say not a lot.

 

[Xando]

Playstation will stay the main platform for all Japanese third party games with some international appeal.

The Japanese games solely for the Japanese market is a dimishing niche or are already moving to mobile.

Yeah. Japanese market has shrunken quite a bit. For example the german market has become around as big for Sony. If japanese devs are making games that have somewhat of a perspective to come to the west playstation will be the default.

 

[Rolf NB]

Dropping the two-screen paradigm removes the last reason why handheld developers should lock themselves into a single platform. You can chuck any dual-screen-reliant designs (Etrian Odyssey, P&D, Ace Attorney, Layton etc etc) into the toilet right about now. Any game you can put on the Switch, you can as well put on the PS4. Or on the Vita for that matter. Non-zero install bases. Tough decisions.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Surely that's not sustainable though. As video game budgets continue to increase, it becomes less and less viable to focus solely on a single market in decline.

I think there will be a rude awakening for 3DS developers making games primarily for Japan, as the Switch will be a staggering leap ahead of that platform in terms of power - it'll be like advancing three generations at once!

Oh for sure, it's going to be interesting to see what all those Japanese developers still using PS2 level of textures and graphics do when the Switch shows up.

I think that's why Nintendo said that the 3DS will be its own thing alongside the Switch.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

hmm Japanese Devs shifting total focus to the Japanese Market with the Switch instead of the World Wide installed user base available with the PS4 of 50 million units and growing?

Tough one, I wonder what will happen

hmmmmmm

 

[Tadaima]

Yup, the manufacturer who is on track to have their third 100m selling console should be terrified of the follow-up to the WiiU.

Also, who gives a shit about console sales in Japan? It's a dead market. Who is fighting to be king of the sewer? Switch might do well there, but I'm not sure it will be meaningful outside of message boards and Japanese homes.

Japan follows the US in terms of revenue spent on games. Source. It is ahead of the next-largest market (Germany) by around 4 times. It is a hugely important market, and one which should not be ignored.

Additionally, it is probably the most insular of all markets. An enormous amount of Japanese games are released exclusively in the Japanese market, and the majority of all games are targeted primarily at the domestic audience with little consideration to international markets.

There are many companies fighting to be king of the $12bn "sewer" that is the Japanese market.

 

[Apathy]

Some hardcore non-OP reading shitposts in here, geez.

The basic premise of the article, that Switch will be the most attractive platform to develop on for Japanese devs looking for success in Japan, is very correct.

Yeah but that's been true for a long time, just look at the 3ds. If you only want to be successful in Japan, sure focus on the switch. The issue is that how many companies only want that limited market. Today's gaming landscape is worldwide, and the companies that only want Japan is probably pretty small. A lot of the big names in gaming that are Japanese already know the importance of the west to profits aren't ever going to ignore that. Cutting yourself at the kneecaps just to succeed in your home country and ignoring the west is just bad business.

 

[LuuKyK]

Is there any reason the Switch won't dominate Japan?

Heat waves maybe.

 

[demosthenes]

Sony is betting on mobile in Japan, they'll be fine.

 

[thefro]

Even if Switch is a success, PS4 will continue to sell everywhere and competition is GOOD for gamers, i dont see the problem or point of the op.

If I were Sony I'd be concerned about the PS5, not the PS4.

Obviously the Switch that releases in 2017 won't directly compete against PS5, but I suspect there will be an upgraded member of the family that will.

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

Is there any reason the Switch won't dominate Japan?

 

[bomblord1]

Hope to see Vita levels of Japanese "Vita" games brought to the West for the switch.

 

[small44]

PS4 has price and library advantages,so no.

 

[platina]

No it shouldn't be worried lol?

 

[Mahonay]

Are you living in an alternate reality where consoles still sell well in Japan?

Do you remember everyone assuming Japan would carry the Wii U?

Nintendo should be just as worried as anyone else trying to sell consoles in Japan.

 

[jjonez18]

At best, this'll be a PS3 vs 360 situation where Switch plays the role of 360 and finally gets a seat at the table and we start seeing a bunch of multiplats. Even that remains to be seen as dedicated gaming as a whole is on the decline there.

No, Sony won't worry.

 

[Fdkn]

Japan follows the US in terms of revenue spent on games. Source. It is ahead of the next-largest market (Germany) by around 4 times. It is a hugely important market, and one which should not be ignored.

Additionally, it is probably the most insular of all markets. An enormous amount of Japanese games are released exclusively in the Japanese market, and the majority of all games are targeted primarily at the domestic audience with little consideration to international markets.

There are many companies fighting to be king of the $12bn "sewer" that is the Japanese market.

You quoted a post talking about consoles.

The biggest player in that $12bn market is the smartphone market, not the 3ds.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Japan follows the US in terms of revenue spent on games. Source. It is ahead of the next-largest market (Germany) by around 4 times. It is a hugely important market, and one which should not be ignored.

Additionally, it is probably the most insular of all markets. An enormous amount of Japanese games are released exclusively in the Japanese market, and the majority of all games are targeted primarily at the domestic audience with little consideration to international markets.

There are many companies fighting to be king of the $12bn "sewer" that is the Japanese market.

That's not console revenue though. The post you're replying to specified consoles.

You quoted a post talking about consoles.

The biggest player in that $12bn market is the smartphone market, not the 3ds.

Don't forget pachinko.

 

[BuggyMike]

Why would Sony even care about the Japanese market as much? Their product is not aimed at that market, the market has moved on.

And yeah you can talk about portability of the market place, but I'd argue that the type of games that people here want the Switch to have and likely Nintendo are courting are not actually compatible with the commuting lifestyle of the average Japanese person.

Apparently the average round trip commuting time is 57 minutes. So that's 30 minutes they are travelling. However how much of that is in a place where the Switch could realistically be used sitting down on a chair? I'm going to say not a lot.

The Switch is the successor to the Wii U as well as the 3DS, and thus game developers from both platforms will make their way to it, so I'm sure Nintendo/3rd parties will create shorter experiences for commuting as well as bigger games. To me though that wont matter, really what japanese gamers care about is portability. Besides, tbis thing is gonna be home to the next Pokemon and monster hunters and Yokai Watches. The potential is huge for Japan.

 

[pastrami]

Japan follows the US in terms of revenue spent on games. Source. It is ahead of the next-largest market (Germany) by around 4 times. It is a hugely important market, and one which should not be ignored.

Additionally, it is probably the most insular of all markets. An enormous amount of Japanese games are released exclusively in the Japanese market, and the majority of all games are targeted primarily at the domestic audience with little consideration to international markets.

There are many companies fighting to be king of the $12bn "sewer" that is the Japanese market.

How much of that is mobile? China is ranked first but the consoles don't exactly sell gangbusters there.

Personally I'm expecting a lot of multiplatform titles and a move towards mobile.

 

[The Hermit]

Is there any reason the Switch won't dominate Japan?

Lol

Just like the WiiU amirite



Seriously, there's a lot of hype and rumors going around but let's not lose our shit.

 

[Imperfected]

I think the better question is: does it really matter who dominates Japan?

Thanks to the stagnation and graying of the Japanese population, and the ails of the Japanese economy, it's no longer the prize market it used to be.

Now, if your theory is that the Switch is going to eat everyone's lunch in China, then maybe that's actually something to talk about. At this point dominance in Japan is roughly as relevant as dominance in France: it certainly still amounts to substantial sales, but it's by no means an avenue to hang your product strategy for a multi-billion dollar platform on.

 

[Angry Chair]

There are an unsurprisingly amount of people that posted without reading the OP but in their defense, I'm not sure why Sony should care. The reason the PS4 is successful is its western focus and future Playstation consoles will stick to that model whether or not the Switch does great in Japan.

 

[KillerMan91]

I am sure that Switch can succeed in Japan and have respectable third party support but I really don't see why Sony would care about this. Japan represents about 7.5% of global PS4 sales. It's not a major market for Sony. As long as PS4 continues to kill it globally those few Japanese AAA third party games will continue to be released on PS4. Heck even Xbox One still gets them despite being far smaller success globally and being non factor in Japan.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

This thread will be exciting to revisit in a year, regardless of what happens.

 

[JetSetRadio]

Maybe it 'll get the vita lewd market but would they even allow that in Kyoto?