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Why Robin Makes Batman Better Microsoft did OK in 2008. But there’s always room for improvement! So it’s with a grim sense of predictability that Microsoft are predicting they’ll sell more 360s in 2009.
The transnational character of gaming is one that opens up a wide range of opportunities for the industry, but comes with a number of pitfalls as well — and, as Mathew McCurley argues at the Escapist, has far-reaching negative consequences, especially in term of content. Trying to navigate the tricky waters of censorship and varied expectations of what is OK (and what’s not) in a variety of countries can mean developers play it safe in an attempt to ensure that their game will reach a wider audience:
With a quickly expanding domestic games market, and more companies thinking of making the leap to Western markets, Asian companies are facing some serious issues in the next few years: competition to become gaming ‘hubs’ for foreign companies, how to localize for foreign markets (something Japanese companies have historically done well, but in other areas, companies are lagging), how to keep up with a big, demanding market. ZDNet took a look at a few of the issues currently facing Asian games companies. On the issue of dealing with Western companies looking to make an entrance into the Asian market, there was this to say:
Sony Malaysia has apparently announced it will be launching the PS3 in the region. On Saturday September 20th, an official launch event commences from 11:30am at the 1Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya. There will be 150 special launch bundles available at launch, which consist of an 80GB PS3, Soulcalibur IV, a limited edition PS3 tote bag and a Soulcalibur IV CD holder. The first hundred to buy the console even get special Sony cash vouchers. Local pricing for the console has yet to be announced.
Sony plans local PS3 launch [The Star Online Thanks, Issam!][Pic]
Sony have announced that Home, the Playstation 3′s long-awaited online fashion show and wandering-around simulator, will be coming to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in “Fall 2008″. Doesn’t sound like idle speculation, either, as that’s coming straight from a Sony press release. To help ensure everything’s ready to go ahead of the launch, there’ll be a closed beta held in September for residents of the region. If that’s you, keep an eye on this site, details on how to get in will be going up on August 29.
As a connoisseur of the MMO genre, I’ve often noticed that your average Chinese and Korean massively multiplayer online games tend to rely heavily on the mouse, often foregoing keyboard movement altogether in favour of the dreaded click-to-move system that I completely despise. So why do Asian MMO games lean so hard on the mouse? Perfect World product manager Jon Belliss believes he’s discovered the answer – smoking.
He explains that a large portion of the Asian MMO-playing public spend their days in crowded internet cafes, cigarette in one hand, mouse in the other, chain-smoking while they are chain-killing mobs…and I suppose technically their fellow patrons as well. And here I was, trying to use gaming as a reason not to smoke. The Surprising Reason Asian MMOs Are Mouse-Based [MTV Multiplayer]
Yesterday we brought word that Taiwanese game site GNN Gamer was reporting that Xbox Taiwan head Grace Chou had confirmed the Asia release (Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong) of Final Fantasy XIII. Today, Microsoft Taiwan issued a statement clarifying this, stating: “The announcement of the release of Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 at this year’s E3 is at the moment still at the planning stage. We don’t have any further information regarding the releasing date or the possibility of localization”. Sounds like it was a little too early for Chou to apparently go around and mention the Asia release. Stay tuned for the possible “official” Asia version announcement and consider the Xbox 360 version only North America and Europe for now!
台灣微軟澄清《Final Fantasy XIII》在台上市說法 表示一切仍屬未定 [GNN Gamer Thanks, Dutch!][Pic]
Sony and Nintendo (separately, of course) are the latest to look outside Japan toward the primarily PC-based online game market in Asia, each with several new business initiatives, reports the Nikkei.
Many companies in the game industry are prioritising mainland Asian expansions as a way to grow their business and tap into the devoted game market there. According to the Nikkei, Nintendo has reportedly been supporting a South Korean developer who’s doing a number of titles including a touch screen-based DS game.
The DS reportedly sold 1.4 million units in South Korea, and 2.6 million game titles. Nintendo is looking at Taiwan as well for DS sales, and will sell localised DS systems in cell phone stores there.
Thompson Financial also reported on what Sony’s doing to catch some of that audience:
Here’s some good news, bad news, and then good news again! The first good news is that Namco Bandai’s Xbox 360 exclusive Tales of Vesperia now has a demo up on Xbox Live. The bad news? Currently the demo is only available in India and Asia…but do not fret! There is no fretting! Users in other regions who just so happen to have a Japanese Silver account set up are more than welcome to download the demo and fool around with the title. The icing on this Oreo good-bad-good cake? The demo only weighs in at 278 MB, and it runs in good old English, so no battling with the squigglies. Sweet!
Demo: Tales of Vesperia [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]
Square Enix published, tri-Ace developed Xbox 360 title Infinite Undiscovery has been dated for North America (9/2), Europe (9/5), Japan (9/11) and Asia (9/11). The North America and Europe dates are ship dates, but presumably the other dates are actual in-store dates.
Infinite Undiscovery Dated [Famitsu]
