Atsushi Inaba, co-founder of NieR: Automata developer PlatinumGames, has come to Sony's defense following PlayStation 5's dismal sales in Japan. Late last year, a Bloomberg report alleged that Sony deprioritized its home country of Japan while promoting the new console. Such neglect has supposedly been reflected on the development side, too, as SIE's Western division gains more of a foothold in terms of the PlayStation brand's trajectory. PlayStation CEO and President Jim Ryan quickly denied the rumors, insisting the Japanese market remains integral to the brand.
Still, fans and pundits can't help but wonder if there's a kernel of truth in Bloomberg's reporting. Eyebrows are especially raised whenever a key member of PlayStation's Japanese operations exits their post, something that's conspicuously been happening more of late. The lead behind the gaming brand's online endeavors, John Kodera, will transition to a different sector of Sony come April 1. In December 2020, Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama departed SIE Japan Studio after two decades. Several other Japan Studio leads resigned during the same period, including Bloodborne producer Terujuki Toriyama. Concerns about Sony's relationship to the Japanese market increased tenfold when numbers showed that launch sales for PS5 were worse than any other of Sony's home consoles in the region.
PlatinumGames' Atsushi Inaba downplayed these worries in a recent interview with VGC, saying Platinum hasn't felt as though Sony places more focus on Western audiences. If that is the case, though, Inaba noted that Japan's declining interest in console games may offer an explanation as to why. He told the publication: "To be honest, we don’t feel it that much, or at least I haven’t felt the impact of it myself yet. That being said, I do understand that the console industry in Japan is not what it used to be and when that happens the priorities of these big console makers will change, and that makes perfect sense to me." Inaba continued, adding PlayStation's roots in Japan don't mean it must prioritize that particular market. The company shouldn't be considered American-focused either, he elaborated, since PlayStation has become an international brand.
Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya shared a different point of view, emphasizing how Western and Japanese audiences are essentially in two separate camps. As an example, he cited Sony's recent change in making the 'X' button the universal confirm function, though Japan traditionally mapped confirm options to circle. PS5 has ushered in a shift, Kamiya added, before concluding, "I don’t know if it was meaningful to do that."
Thus, it seems critics and fans aren't the only ones with mixed feelings on how Sony's handled its Japanese operations of late. Whether or not this level of change will continue throughout the generation remains to be seen. For now, though, the platform-holder has its hands full with churning out new consoles in every territory.
PlayStation 5 launched in Japan, North America, and several other territories last November. Yet getting ahold of one has proven incredibly challenging. When taking the pandemic and supply constraints on parts into consideration, it's safe to assume that PlayStation 5s won't be more readily available until later in the year.
Source: Video Games Chronicle