Cynn
Member
How about the same kind of support the 3DS is getting?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
[Japan] As Switch comes after PS4, Sony should be worried
- Thread starter Tadaima
- Start date
humansarehorses
Member
A lot is vague. The vita is the target platform for many Japanese games like Digimon: Cyber Sleuth, Hatsune Miku, Ys VIII, Danganronpa 3, etc. but these games have limited Western appeal. That could happen with certain Switch games too, no reason why not. But the next Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, whatever the hell From Soft makes, etc. are not going to target the Switch.
SomedayTheFire
Member
Will it? Conventional wisdom would say the Switch will do well in Japan, but this specific argument is bogus.
sixteen-bit
Member
Thought GBA would be higher
OrbitalBeard
Member
It will, yes.
SomedayTheFire
Member
The Switch selling better than the ps4 in Japan is expected.
This thread is about Sony being terrified about that. That's why it is getting this response
OrbitalBeard
Member
I think the idea that "Sony will be fine" because "they're dominating worldwide" is dismissive of their current position in the Japanese market.
It's also possible the Switch isn't nearly as successful as people are assuming, which would also make a revisit to this thread 12 months ago fascinating. So, either way, I'm looking forward to what happens over the next year.
"Worried" and "terrified" aren't the same thing.
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
I think they've considered this possibility hence why for now they refuse to admit that this means the end of their handheld products. If it does do significant damage in that field they'll likely just make another dedicated handheld.
if the switch can continue to offer some great exclusives I don't think the hardware or concept is really going to have much of an impact. it seems that for every person praising it there is another describing how this doesn't fit into another's lifestyle or needs. but what do I know.
Broken Hope
Member
Nintendo fanboys scare me and I used to be a big one, we've had a 3 minute trailer and a few leaks of games which are mostly ports and somehow the Switch is an amazing success.
Let's see if Nintendo addressed the many failings of the Wii U and 3DS before we declare any successes.
Let's see if Nintendo addressed the many failings of the Wii U and 3DS before we declare any successes.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
I'm not sure why they would be worried. Sony would gladly cede Japan to Nintendo if they get to keep the rest of the world.
SomedayTheFire
Member
But why would Sony be worried of the Switch doing well? Sony have sold 50 million PS4, of which less than 4 million were sold in Japan. That's pretty awful already, the Switch has no bearing on their struggle in Japan this generation. Sony aren't concerned about the handheld market, just consoles, which are pretty much pointless in the current market. They should have been worried about mobile games 4 years ago, if they cared about the Japanese market, but they're making some strides to improve their standing there.
Mostly I don't see any reality where a machine that will be primarily advertised as a handheld in Japan would worry Sony any more than their already lacklustre performance in the home console market.
On the topic of games, if developers want to target the larger markets in the West, the PS4 is the obvious choice regardless of what happens in March. PS4/Switch seems to me to be the most lucrative place to out your games. Devs won't give up a 50m user Base if they're looking West.
Sorry about the editing.
They are, but I'm talking about the content of the OP and not the word he used. It's a very doom-ish argument
Well there's the potential that the Switches success in japan will result in more Japanese titles making their way to the west on the platform. It's not how small the market is in japan, but how important some japanese publishers are to the west. We could see more partnerships with Bandai, Capcom, SE etc which is amazing for japan, but would also result in the West getting a lot of the games as a result, which will intern make Nintendo's platform more attractive.
VendettaRed07
Member
Anyone dismissing this is simply overlooking how terrible it is for Sony to have only just scraped by the WiiU despite how much of a disaster at every level that system was
Sony simply has not released much software in the last three years that appeals much to Japanese gamers. FFXV and persona 5 are great but they took forever.. and there are more games on the way but seemingly all the notable jrpgs have taken a millennia to release on this thing
"But the console market is dying,"
Good thing the Switch is actually designed in a way that tries to address that seeing as how it isn't a typical "console". The portability aspect could be huge.
The 3ds sits at nearly 20 million in Japan; and if Nintendo gets a lot of the series that helped push 3ds to those sorts of numbers on there, like Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, Dragon Quest and Monster hunter; its certainly positioned to do better than people on here are implying it has any chance to
But then again it's Neogaf and positivity about Nintendos strategy and future isn't allowed here
Sony simply has not released much software in the last three years that appeals much to Japanese gamers. FFXV and persona 5 are great but they took forever.. and there are more games on the way but seemingly all the notable jrpgs have taken a millennia to release on this thing
"But the console market is dying,"
Good thing the Switch is actually designed in a way that tries to address that seeing as how it isn't a typical "console". The portability aspect could be huge.
The 3ds sits at nearly 20 million in Japan; and if Nintendo gets a lot of the series that helped push 3ds to those sorts of numbers on there, like Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Yokai Watch, Dragon Quest and Monster hunter; its certainly positioned to do better than people on here are implying it has any chance to
But then again it's Neogaf and positivity about Nintendos strategy and future isn't allowed here
I don't get this kind of posts. It's an interesting op. Obvious and snarky one-liners, not so much.
OrbitalBeard
Member
If the Switch were simply a Wii U replacement and if Nintendo weren't heavily investing in mobile, I would agree with you. But because of these two factors, I think Sony should be concerned about their future prospects in Japan.
And of course Sony is dominating worldwide. I really do not see that changing anytime soon. This thread isn't about that though.
reelbigtink
Member
About the Switch in Japan? No.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Really?
"unprecedented success"
One would have to be very naive to think Japanese third parties do not look at global performance when looking at platforms for their games, as said games have relied on foreign markets more and more over the past years.
Dash_Riprock
Member
50 million PS4s sold and Sony is the one who should be worried.
Yeah, okay.
Yeah, okay.
SomedayTheFire
Member
I think there's as much use in my post as the OP. I've elaborated further throughout the thread.
reelbigtink
Member
It's specifically about the Japanese console market drying up
VendettaRed07
Member
Conceding Japan also means alienating Japanese third party developers. That isn't something they should be fine with
OrbitalBeard
Member
Isn't it tied to a card game platform? I'm genuinely curious how well that does.
PdotMichael
Banned
Playstation 4 is ahead of the Playstaton 3.
While the WiiU is dead and the 3DS is the first Nintendo handheld with declining sales to previous handhelds.
Possible that the PS4 will find a small niche - big enough to provide the PS brand with enough unique Japanese games for the international market, while a mobile device like the Switch suffers from the mobile market way more than a stationary console.
While the WiiU is dead and the 3DS is the first Nintendo handheld with declining sales to previous handhelds.
Possible that the PS4 will find a small niche - big enough to provide the PS brand with enough unique Japanese games for the international market, while a mobile device like the Switch suffers from the mobile market way more than a stationary console.
The Last Wizard
Member
With all the energy a lot of you guys are putting into the switch I hope it don't flop like the wiiu.
Extremely safe bet and 'one place' is a stretch at this point.
Switch is hardly portable like DS/3DS (it's not going to fit in your jacket pocket), and it's thicker than a tablet, and still competing with smartphones.
The fact is, most people are satisfied with smartphone and/or tablet gaming when they're on the go, and they're happy to leave the more substantial console gaming experience at home (as evidenced by Vita).
OrbitalBeard
Member
Of course Japanese third parties look at the international audience when greenlighting and developing games. That has little to no bearing on how well Sony's platform is doing in Japan.
I'm honestly far less interested in Nintendo's upcoming performance in Japan and far more interested in what Sony will do to compete in that part of the world. I'm extremely curious about their mobile initiatives, as I believe, outside of a handful of software titles (like Dragon Quest), they're going to only occupy a small console niche in Japan.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Well, it doesn't have Knack 2 for one thing.
The Japanese market is highly productive. A lot of titles that give Sony the edge in international markets, such as Metal Gear, Souls, and Final Fantasy, come from their domestic market.
I am not suggesting that Sony will lose these titles, but rather that developers will have more options on the table. This may come at a cost to Sony, and they may have less leverage up against rivals internationally.
Monster Hunter is a good example of a PlayStation-exclusive title which Nintendo pocketed, and will likely show up alongside Pokémon, Dragon Quest, Yokai Watch, and Mario on Switch. Other exclusives can and will go the same way, which is why I believe Sony should be/is worried.
Dash_Riprock
Member
The Return of the King.
Yes.
They announced a bunch of other stuff too, like Breath of Fire and Minna no Golf that could be big in japan.
The Yokai is a card game, but it shows that they're going to do some local multiplayer stuff too. It isn't a 100% match for the Switch, but it uses technology people already have and will have some crossover I'd think.
Gba was down from GB, and looking at FFXV sales i am not dure of your last point.
No, they shouldn't be worried, because Japan is a small part of a global marketplace. Even Japanese games are only a small part of the global market. Monster releases like Final Fantasy or Dark Souls (seriously took me a good thirty seconds to even think of a second big Japanese franchise) don't really matter.
Game development is way less Japanese-centric and will continue to become so. Even if Switch is a massive hit it will take a dozen years before anything shifts.
Game development is way less Japanese-centric and will continue to become so. Even if Switch is a massive hit it will take a dozen years before anything shifts.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
His choice of words for the thread title were.... unfortunate.
They'd have to try pretty hard to do worse than the Wii U, globally at least.
But hoping for Japan to help carry the Switch seems a little misguided, considering the current state of the console market in Japan. Even if the Switch can be taken on the go, it's still a home console at the end of the day.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
1) It inherently does as it results in better Japanese third party support
2) OP's central point is Sony should be scared for some reason as third parties could find a new home, failing to realise PS4 has an install base of 50m and continues selling tremendously well: Switch ain't going to replace that global reach.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Japanese games haven't sold well in the west this gen. They're a largely irrelevant market. RE7 will likely continue this trend. Sony doesn't care about Japan beyond the free exclusives it provides because Xbox is dead over their, they didn't even launch the PS4 there in there same year as their major markets.
PdotMichael
Banned
heh
Declining franchise suffers declining sales. Meanwhile other IPs performing like on past consoles or even better.
PinkyMonkey
Banned
Nm
protomouse
Member
I don't think Sony are strategically concerned with Japan, or have been for quite some time. PlayStation operates out of America now, and is focusing on western and emerging markets.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Ok, your second point I agree with.
Similar threads
- Poll
- Locked