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Speaking to Edge, Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensu has expressed high hopes for upcoming Xbox 360 RPGs The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope and Fable 2, but notes there are no plans to launch Final Fantasy XIII in Japan.
“The recent launch of Tales of Vesperia was a true catalyst for console sales, and in order to bring more gamers from a broader segment of consumers to the Xbox 360, we need to make the strengthening of our RPG lineup a priority,” said Sensui.
He continued: “The recent launch of Infinite Undiscovery on September 11 saw sales of over 90,000 units in the week of September 8-14 according to data from Media Create, placing it the third-highest selling game in Japan in that period. Console sales also passed the Wii for the first time according to data for the same week from Enterbrain.
“We have similar high hopes for the upcoming launch of other RPGs such as The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope and Fable II. However, we have no plans to launch Final Fantasy XIII in Japan.”
Back at E3 during the final moments of Microsoft’s media briefing a North American and European release of Final Fantasy XIII was confirmed for Xbox 360, with the game to debut simultaneously with the PS3 version.
Sensu also noted that the next milestone for Xbox 360 in Japan will be to reach one million units sold.
“Sales have been in an upward trend in Japan recently and we intend to work hard to push this momentum forward moving into the holiday sales season,” he said. “As an initial milestone, we would like to hit the one million mark as soon as possible, and are continuing to work hard to get to this milestone and go beyond.”
Most recent sales figures compiled by Enterbrain put the Xbox 360’s Japanese sales at 717,275 units.
Sensu concluded: “The core of the Xbox 360 business is made up of three elements: great titles, the best online service and accessible hardware. Now we have all three elements firmly in place, we believe that Japanese consumers will see what we have to offer and agree that it is the best option available.”
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