Microsoft is certainly eyeing the Sony-dominated Japanese market as it reduces the price for the Xbox Series S in Japan.
Microsoft is coming for Sony in its home turf as the rivalry between the PS5 and the Xbox Series X rages on. The tech giant has reportedly cut down on the price of the Xbox Series S in Japan in order to attract more Japanese consumers over to the platform.
Strategic Xbox Series S price reduction
In a report published by Famitsu, Microsoft has made a small price reduction on the Xbox Series S in Japan. Around 3,000 JPY (US$29 / £23) was cut from the price bringing it down to 29,980 JPY ($285 / £223).
Xbox Series S価格改定 29,980円(税抜)
次世代ゲーム機を、より多くの皆さんにお求めやすく https://t.co/AXMUjPbEm9— Xbox Japan (@Xbox_JP) September 24, 2020
This means that compared to the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, the Xbox Series S is 10,000 JPY ($96 / £75) cheaper. Unfortunately for Japanese Xbox fans, Microsoft has not cut down the Xbox Series X‘s price.
Furthermore, the pre-orders for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X in Japan will start today, September 25, 2020.
Video Games Chronicles reports that Xbox boss Phil Spencer “intends to better cater to Japanese players this console generation.”
Less than favorable Japanese presence
Since Sony is a Japanese company, it’s not at all surprising to know that its PlayStation brand is the dominating force in the country’s gaming industry.
In fact, the disparity between the PlayStation and Xbox in Japan is so wide that the latter had only sold around 15,339 units in 2018. This was oceans apart from the PS4’s 1.7 million and the Switch’s 3.5 million sold units.
More than that, the IDC has revealed that Japan only accounts for 0.3% of the Xbox One’s global sales.
With Japan having the world’s third-highest gaming market, it’s not a region that Microsoft should disregard.
A Japanese courtship
It looks like Microsoft is doing what they should have done years ago and is now giving enough focus on the Japanese market. This would start with the company releasing the Series X and Series S next-gen consoles in Japan in November simultaneously with the rest of the world.
It should be remembered that the company had only released the Xbox One in Japan a year after its western release. Even Xbox boss Phil Spencer had admitted that he felt their position in the Japanese market was unacceptable and thus would do their best with the Series X.
Ina live stream held last Thursday during the Tokyo Games Show, the tech giant called Japan as “the Xbox’s fastest growing region.”
Not only that, Spencer revealed in an interview with Jeux that their Japan team is eyeing partnerships with Japanese developers. He went on to acknowledge how Japanese developers are one of the best in the industry.
“Our market in Japan for Xbox is important to us,” Spencer says in a GamerTag Radio interview. “Obviously, Sony and Nintendo are both strong Japanese companies who have done a great job. I don’t know if we’re winning in Japan any time soon, but the position that we have in Japan today from a platform isn’t acceptable to me.”
Featured image courtesy of Xbox