OK, in Japan, people don’t really buy the Xbox 360. That isn’t to say Japanese people don’t like foreign things. They love foreign things. They just don’t love the Xbox 360. More »
You know Takashi Sensui. He’s the head of Xbox Japan. And, as far as Japanese game execs go, he’s a believer. He doesn’t give up. More »
In mid-August, a seemingly unbelievable thing happened: The Xbox 360 sold out in Japan. Unbelievable because for years Japan ignored the Microsoft game console. But there we were, mid-August and an Xbox 360 sell out. This came just as Namco Bandai RPG Tales of Vesperia hit the Xbox 360. It got so bad that Microsoft actually had to issue an apology for the sell out. September saw a Microsoft Tokyo press conference that announced a console price cut that would hit when stores were restocked with consoles.
That’s Xbox Japan bossman Takashi Sensui in that candy house. Earlier today, he wasn’t in a candy house, but the Square Enix press conference. And he was sitting in the first row! While Final Fantasy XIII has not been announced for Japanese Xbox 360s, we asked Sensui how he felt about the announcement:
Question: “How do you feel about the announcement?” Sensui: “We’re really excited about it”. Question: “Do you think Final Fantasy XIII will be released on the Xbox 360 in Japan?” Sensui: “Ask them [Square Enix] “.
Okay, so Square Enix, will it?
The best thing to come out of Microsoft’s Japanese XNA awards night weren’t the games themselves. Not even close. No, the best part was the arrival of Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui, who didn’t just walk onto the stage. He didn’t use steps, like mortal men. No, the dude descended in a gondola. And not just any gondola, a gondola called “THE CANDY HOUSE”. Look at him wave! He’s loving it. In these cold, unexciting times, when the industry’s most colourful platform executives have either moved on or moved away (Allard, Kutaragi, Moore, Harrison), Sensui is the sole bastion of corporate good times. If only Microsoft had left Don “Who?” Mattrick where he was and made this guy Xbox boss. [Image]
