Analysts concerned over PlayStation’s Japanese numbers

The PlayStation brand is not doing so hot in it’s native Japan, and that has analysts worried.

According to sales data compiled by Famitsu, the PS5 only sold 240,000 units during its first six weeks on the marker. The worst launch of any PlayStation console in the region.

Ace Economic Research Institute analyst Hideki Yasuda says he is “deeply concerned for the future of the PlayStation market in Japan.” Noting that “quantitative analysis shows that Sony is not taking Japan seriously,”

Sony has flatly denied they are ignoring Japan. However, the data would seem to point otherwise. Yasuda pointed out that Sony released the PS4 three months after its global launch. After the company moved its headquarters to California, they issued sweeping regulations that have censored games targeted at the Japanese market. He also notes that Sony has changed the confirm button from O to X to match the global standard. Something which angered a lot of Japanese gamers.

When it comes to the PS5 in particular, there was no Japanese dub for the unveiling video. There were also reportedly issues with the font used for the Japanese subtitles. Furthermore, the region was allocated far fewer units at launch than North America or Europe, allegedly due to manufacturing issues.

Sony has also seen talent leaving their Japanese publishing wing. Something which Yasuda notes is becoming more frequent. Many gamers also feel that the company has lost its core Japanese principles, which is leading to apathy towards the platform.

“Japanese users aren’t likely to channel their dissatisfaction on social media, so US SIE HQ staff might perceive that as the Japanese just politely accepting whatever is given to them, regardless of how cold they have actually become,” Yasuda said. “However, that couldn’t be further from the truth: they’ve simply begun to vanish into the sunset quietly.”

It is worth noting that the PlayStation brand has been in decline in Japan for quite some time now. The PS3 only managed to sell about 10 million units in the region, half that of the PS2. The PS4 meanwhile has only pushed 9 million over its seven year lifespan. Far less than any console sold by domestic rival Nintendo, with the exception of the Wii U.

The video game market in Japan is very different from that in the West, or even compared to its Asian neighbours. Long working hours and commute times on public transit have contributed to the popularity of handheld and mobile gaming. Arcades never died in the region either, showing that gaming has retained a social aspect that has long since disappeared elsewhere. The market has continued to show a strong preference for those platforms over PCs and consoles.

It’s also a too early to tell how well the PS5 will perform. This hasn’t been a normal launch by any means. Due to supply shortages and scalping, most regular consumers haven’t been able to obtain one. It’s also hard to track just how many are being purchased and sold by resellers. So any sales numbers released at this time can’t be relied upon to be an accurate assessment of the platform’s health.

That said, Yasuda isn’t wrong here. There’s certainly a lot of circumstantial evidence that points to Sony abandoning their home region beyond what has already been mentioned. PlayStation has seen several of their exclusive third party franchises jump ship to competing platforms recently. Yakuza and Disgaea come to mind.

A lot of independent pundits are blaming the censorship issue. Which is certainly causing a rift within the community. Something we covered back when that story first broke in 2018. Many Japanese gamers don’t like the fact that the company’s American wing is dictating content requirements for domestic games. Censorship, often for dubious reasons, and the chilling effect that goes along with that, is a big problem. Though to me it’s more a case of the straw breaking the camel’s back.

Will Sony come to regret abandoning Japan? Yasuda thinks so. However, the money seems to be in the global market nowadays. Seems the PlayStation team is happy leaving their homeland behind. Nintendo is certainly happy to be able to pick up the pieces.

Source: PlayStation Lifestyle