Japan prefers Nintendo and Sony - only 2.3 million Xbox sales in 20 years
Microsoft is said to have sold only 2.3 million Xboxes in Japan over the past 20 years.
According to Famitsu, Microsoft's game consoles did not and do not do well in Japan. An article in the weekly Japanese gaming magazine states that the company has sold just 2,345,975 units in 20 years. The sales are said to be distributed among the various Xbox generations as follows:
- Xbox: 472 992
- Xbox 360: 1 616 128
- Xbox One: 114 831
- Xbox Series X/S: 142 024
Included are all sales through February 6, 2022, so predominantly Microsoft has sold the Xbox 360, followed by the Xbox. After all, the latest console generation is said to have sold more often than the Xbox One. However, that should only be a small consolation for the manufacturer. For comparison: The PS5 is said to have already sold over a million units in Japan. And the Switch is said to have already exceeded the 20 million mark.
The best-selling Xbox games, which Famitsu also reports, are also exciting. According to this, over half of the owners of the first Xbox also owned the game Dead or Alive 3:
- Dead or Alive 3 (Xbox): 271 149
- Star Ocean 4 - The Last Hope (Xbox 360): 208 521
- Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360): 204 305
- Blue Dragon (Xbox 360): 203 740
- The Last Remnant (Xbox 360): 154 493
The main reason that Microsoft has not had an easy time in Japan so far is probably the popularity of Japanese consoles and the game series found on them. The fact that things are going better with the current console generation is a ray of hope that Microsoft may have fought hard for, not least with the launch of the Xbox Game Pass in April 2020. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, the Xbox recorded more player activity than ever before in the months following the Game Pass launch in Japan.
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