Xbox Chief Robbie Bach on Cross-Platform Gaming, More

securitas writes "The Seattle Times' Kim Peterson interviews Microsoft Xbox chief Robbie Bach about cross-platform gaming, recent Microsoft game developer layoffs, the lack of profitability of the Xbox division, the threat that Sony PSP poses to Windows Portable Media Center devices, the lack of a portable Xbox gaming device, competition from Sony, mass market games, and Halo 2. It's a long interview but worth taking time to read." S!: Also, GameSpot's two-part interview with Yoshihiro Maruyama and Mike Fischer of Microsoft Japan discusses "how they plan on leveraging the hardcore gamer and cultural nuances to increase [Xbox] awareness, loyalty, and sales."

Comments

Microsoft Japan

[hambonewilkins]

Just to get it out of the way, "The Xbox Controller is Huge!" Hopefully, the trolls won't have to use it now.

As far as Microsoft Japan, I think they should forget it. Japan continues to prove a difficult market for the Xbox, for numerous reasons (one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms).

Microsoft should drop Japan. Their sales have been bad and I'm sure conversion costs for their games are quite expensive. Focus on North America first and grab as much market here as you can.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Anonymous Coward]

But dude, have you seen the Xbox controller? It's Hu...uhh, BIG!

And please take your 1980s American car company thinking and stick it back in the history books right next to the pictures of slegehammered Corollas in Detroit. The Japan of 2004 is as receptive to high-quality foreign goods (that make sense for Japan) as Americans are to Japanese goods, probably more. Take that as you will.

But you do suggest that MS should drop Japan. Okay by me. Less Japanese developer resources will be wasted on a platform that has proven no need for them outside of Japan, and they can get back to pumping out more of these games for Nintendo and Sony platforms (which I will then subsequently BUY, unlike otherwise).

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

"one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms"

Evidence? Can you cite one survey that shows that the average citizen of Japan is "hostile" towards American firms? People who want to offer the most shallow assessment often cite this "fact" and I highly doubt its accuracy. If anything, the Japanese market has been shown to gobble up most anything that is American. Plenty of fads have spread like wildfire in Japan that have been marketed as being 'big in America.'

As for the XBox controller being huge and that being used by trolls - the XBox is a large piece of hardware. In Japan, space is quite limited for the average person and therefore the form factor of the Gamecube has been one selling point over the XBox.

Now, let's suppose that MS drops Japan. Then game companies are making games that can only be released in 2 of the 3 major markets worldwide. Why would they want to produce a game that can't be sold like that?

Re:Microsoft Japan

[irokitt]

A translation for all of the zealots who are out there. The parent meant to say:

"Microsoft should push harder in Japan. That way, they'll spend so much money that Microsoft will go bankrupt and cease to exist! Then everyone will have to use Linux, and I'll become popular, and girls will like me, and..."

Special note: I am not responsible for the fact that many people will not recognize my sarcasm, and either conclude that I'm a Microsoft-loving sell-out or a penguin-loving freak. I apologize in advance to everyone that might be offended. I love you. Crap, I'm tired.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[August_zero]

Microsoft should drop Japan

They could do that sure, and save money. But there is a catch: If they don't court 3rd parties they are never going to even begin to catch Sony. If they ditch the Japanese market then a lot of Japanese 3rd party companies are not going to bother producing for the X-box, meanwhile the PS2 is everywhere so producing a game on it would hit every market with only a little bit of localization and some fresh box-art.

Staying out of the handheld market is a good idea at this point, Nintendo is going to be a tough one to budge and only Sony is strong enough to try it with a realistic expectation of success.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Mike Hawk]

Actually "conversion costs" for an Xbox game can be considered negligible. An Xbox game can be set to the equivalent of Region 0 and the very same English version shipped to the US and UK can be shipped to Asia. Of course, if one were to fully localize a title, yeah that would get costly. And yes, that won't happen because the Japanese are traditionally very nationalistic and hostile to foreign firms so no American console can gain enough penetration to justify a full foreign loc. The fans of American type gaming will just have to play in English, much as the American fan of Japanese type games imports them and plays them in English. Except for the importing because the Xbox game would be Region 0 and sold in Japan. So not that much like it, but some.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[AltaMannen]

I think you'd need a better reason than cost savings for Japanese localization to get microsoft to approve a world-wide region release of a title. If you're looking for a reasonable sale you should at least do some effort before writing it off as Japanese hostility towards US games.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Anonymous Coward]

What are you smoking now? Do you not keep up with current events, as an "industry insider?"

Microsoft has been derided for releasing untranslated games in Japan in exactly the same fashion you talk about. Read about it again, or perhaps for the first time. It smacks of defeatism, laziness, and pathos (as in, "the situation looks pathetic, Mr. Bach, here's a tissue").

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Mike Hawk]

Where did I indicate that this was a good tactic? I only stated that it is easy to do this and why it is done this way. The cost difference between releasing a Region 0 English language title and localizing for Japan is basically infinity. And yes it is a defeatist attitude, but goes along with the larger picture I have painted about the fragmentation of the market. You will always have your importers and hardcore in each region who will go that extra mile and play the game in a foreign language, either by importing a Japanese language game for Americans or picking up the English language version for the Japanese. I gotta say, your IP should be banned from posting AC. You are wasting my time and only serving to confuse the casual reader. At least show some guts and log in.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[Anonymous Coward]

Japan continues to prove a difficult market for the Xbox, for numerous reasons (one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms).

Here we go with that "damned Japanese nationalists" bullshit argument. They don't want Xbox because they don't give a damn about Halo, Unreal Tournament, Serious Sam, Half Life, Counterstrike, or any of the zillion similar games out for the Xbox. Look at some of the fast foods they eat and the sodas they drink and tell me the Japanese are hostile to American firms. This "hostility" is just a lame rationalization.

Don't bring up Tecmo either. They have sucked ever since they decided to do T&A instead of a sequel to Tecmo Super Bowl. Hard to see how they could have helped the Xbox when they were never that popular on Sony systems to begin with.

Re:Microsoft Japan

[KDR_11k]

I remember a survey at some game expo over there where only 1% answered the question "Would you buy games from other countries" with yes. I can't remember the link, anyone have it?

Re:Microsoft Japan

[MMaestro]

But there is a catch: If they don't court 3rd parties they are never going to even begin to catch Sony.

True, but a step today is a leap tomorrow. Microsoft has the money, so stepping back and reorganizing themselves in North America (maybe don't region code the X-Box 2 as well for the importers) wouldn't be such a bad idea. After they figured out what games and developers works best (*cough*Halo*cough*) they could do some kinda 'special edition, once-in-a-lifetime, must-see' launch celebration for a MUCH lately arrived X-Box 2.

Course from a business perspective this is suicide.. From a logical point of view this is an excellent move instead of throwing money into a so far unsuccessful venture, an alien market, and into a culture grown on decades of systems built and developed in their home country.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:XNA also called "d20"

[nacturation]

Standardizing the plumbing doesn't necessarily mean giving everybody the exact same 3D engine with the same effects, etc. This could be more like giving everybody a set of fully formed OpenGL libraries which have been customized to take advantage of certain hardware features. You can't say that every OpenGL game out there looks identical and has the same feel. They're all calling OpenGL routines to shift polygons around, but how they do so is still up to the developer and there's so many permutations involved in manipulating graphics that each game can have a unique look & feel. However, by not requiring developers to go and write their own 3D libraries from the ground up gives them a huge head start.

BS

[News for nerds]

Japan continues to prove a difficult market for the Xbox, for numerous reasons (one being that the Japanese are hostile to American firms).

Excuse me, do you know the fact that Japan is Apple's second largest market outside the United States?

Re:XNA also called "d20"

[Lord_Dweomer]

The thing that doesn't work with your analogy to the d20 system is that the d20 system is not difficult to modify at all. You simply cannot compare the flexibility and openendedness of a tabletop RPG with that of a console game. The human element is too big of a factor.

Re:XNA also called "d20"

[Frenchy_2001]

I'm going to prove you wrong and with a concrete game example.
Here are 2 games that are using the *SAME* game engine. They are:
- Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
- Beyond good and evil

Those 2 ubisoft games are based on the same engine, however they are completly different both graphically (you can still see some common effects), in type, objectives, markets and playability.
Both are great games.

This *could* be one of the effect of DNA, if it is done correctly. If they give you some solid and flexible engine/libraries, then the developpers can concentrate on the game.

As always, wait and see...