CHIBA, Japan — The Tokyo Game Show this year has two big stars, Sony’s PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One, the first new home consoles to go on sale in seven years.
But neither console will be on sale in Japan until next year, far behind November releases in the U.S and Europe, and also the first time a new PlayStation console has not been released in Japan first.
Multimedia
A see-through car, an electric F1 street racer and a baby carriage with some phat wheels are among the displays.
Hayley Tsukayama
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Hayley Tsukayama
The big launch for Rockstar was mostly, though not entirely, smooth.
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Sony and Microsoft both say tailoring the machines for the Japanese market takes more time but many in the gaming world see the delay as symbolic of Japan’s loss of its pioneering and leading role in the industry.
With eyes on a comeback, the show at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, outside Tokyo, has a renewed focus this year on independent game software developers.
The media got a preview of the show Thursday. Sony and Microsoft’s booths are huge, with several playable versions of PS4 and Xbox One games, already drawing long lines. The show opens to the public over the weekend.
Game insiders and experts say that encouraging a new breed of game creators is crucial for Japan to regain its status in the game world, ceded over the years to the U.S. and Europe, where startups face fewer obstacles. They lament that the broader stagnation witnessed in Japan Inc. also infected the game world where big success was followed by complacency, and even a stifling of newcomers.
A presentation Thursday by Sony Corp. executives featured that same message. Flashed on a giant screen was the slogan made up of the words “PS,” which stands for PlayStation, and “indies,” with a big red heart mark in the middle.
Both Sony and Microsoft are eager to woo independent developers to the PS4 and Xbox One, and are making it easier to do so by sharing the consoles’ technology with them.
“We are welcoming the contributions of independent developers,” said Masayasu Ito, senior vice president at Sony Computer Entertainment, the Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment giant’s game division.
Star game producer Keiji Inafune believes Japan must first recognize its failure before it can move on, as most have become too comfortable and set in their ways, resting on the laurels of past success. Still worse, they have grown cautious, and churn out sequels of the old formulas, instead of taking risks, he said.
“Suddenly, Japanese games weren’t selling, and they didn’t look as good as they used to look, compared to foreign games,” he told The Associated Press. “We need to first confront our own defeat, and we need to start learning from the world.”
To show by example that he meant business, Inafune quit Capcom, where he had had a lucrative nearly three-decade career, rising to fame with hits such as “Mega Man” and “Dead Rising.” His life up to then had been synonymous with Capcom’s growth from a total unknown to a global company.
He started his own game company Comcept three years ago.
Taking his message for independence a step further, Inafune is now turning to crowd funding, or going directly to his fans around the world for money to work on his next major game, “Mighty No. 9,” through Kickstarter, which allows the public to pledge cash online.
But neither console will be on sale in Japan until next year, far behind November releases in the U.S and Europe, and also the first time a new PlayStation console has not been released in Japan first.
Multimedia
A see-through car, an electric F1 street racer and a baby carriage with some phat wheels are among the displays.
Hayley Tsukayama Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks about his firm, his politics and the tech community in D.C.
Hayley Tsukayama The big launch for Rockstar was mostly, though not entirely, smooth.
Hayley Tsukayama Apple’s newest operating system is due, with more than just cosmetic changes.
Sony and Microsoft both say tailoring the machines for the Japanese market takes more time but many in the gaming world see the delay as symbolic of Japan’s loss of its pioneering and leading role in the industry.
With eyes on a comeback, the show at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, outside Tokyo, has a renewed focus this year on independent game software developers.
The media got a preview of the show Thursday. Sony and Microsoft’s booths are huge, with several playable versions of PS4 and Xbox One games, already drawing long lines. The show opens to the public over the weekend.
Game insiders and experts say that encouraging a new breed of game creators is crucial for Japan to regain its status in the game world, ceded over the years to the U.S. and Europe, where startups face fewer obstacles. They lament that the broader stagnation witnessed in Japan Inc. also infected the game world where big success was followed by complacency, and even a stifling of newcomers.
A presentation Thursday by Sony Corp. executives featured that same message. Flashed on a giant screen was the slogan made up of the words “PS,” which stands for PlayStation, and “indies,” with a big red heart mark in the middle.
Both Sony and Microsoft are eager to woo independent developers to the PS4 and Xbox One, and are making it easier to do so by sharing the consoles’ technology with them.
“We are welcoming the contributions of independent developers,” said Masayasu Ito, senior vice president at Sony Computer Entertainment, the Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment giant’s game division.
Star game producer Keiji Inafune believes Japan must first recognize its failure before it can move on, as most have become too comfortable and set in their ways, resting on the laurels of past success. Still worse, they have grown cautious, and churn out sequels of the old formulas, instead of taking risks, he said.
“Suddenly, Japanese games weren’t selling, and they didn’t look as good as they used to look, compared to foreign games,” he told The Associated Press. “We need to first confront our own defeat, and we need to start learning from the world.”
To show by example that he meant business, Inafune quit Capcom, where he had had a lucrative nearly three-decade career, rising to fame with hits such as “Mega Man” and “Dead Rising.” His life up to then had been synonymous with Capcom’s growth from a total unknown to a global company.
He started his own game company Comcept three years ago.
Taking his message for independence a step further, Inafune is now turning to crowd funding, or going directly to his fans around the world for money to work on his next major game, “Mighty No. 9,” through Kickstarter, which allows the public to pledge cash online.