Like every generation since the very first Xbox was launched 20 years ago, the green logo brand’s position in Japan is fascinating and speaking. While Xbox consoles have always had their ups and downs in the archipelago, the lows have been far more common. And while the situation was disastrous for Xbox One in Japan, it seems to be confirmed that the momentum of the Xbox Series X | S is much more positive.
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Last June, Microsoft was delighted with the current situation for the Xbox brand in Japan, a market where it was supported by the “higher growth“If it’s possible and fair to say that Xbox has gone so far in Japan that a slight improvement might seem massive, current sales on the hardware side don’t seem commensurate with the majority of the Xbox One generation.
As a matter of fact, The latest Famitsu charts show that Microsoft sold 4,684 Xbox Series X | S between July 19-25, 2021. This is simply the best Japanese total since the archipelago’s next-generation Xbox launch last November (20,534 consoles found). a buyer during their introductory week).
If such numbers have been reached, it is because new inventory of the Xbox Series X | S has been received by Japanese dealers. And, to believe the sales details, the Xbox Series S (2,422 units sold) outperformed the Xbox Series X (2,262 units sold). This result is all the more remarkable given that the Xbox Series X has often been available in Japan in larger numbers than the Xbox Series S. This seems a priori confirms what Jeremy Hinton, Xbox’s Asia director, said, “higher demand for the Xbox Series S in Japan. “
If those numbers may seem rightly modest, especially when compared to PS5 and especially Switch sales over the same period (18,114 and 69,738 consoles sold, respectively), it should be remembered that the Xbox brand has come very, very far back in Japan . In fact, the Xbox One has cast fewer than a hundred consoles in Yoshihide Suga’s land for weeks.
A glass ceiling?
As of July 25th, 67,718 Xbox Series X | S sold in Japan. As explained “Johannes Wohlfahrt“If Microsoft succeeds on Twitter, an average of 2,483 Xbox Series X | Ss per week, Xbox Series family consoles could hit 100,000 in a 50-week market exposure. It took the Xbox One 50 months to pass this milestone.
If the American manufacturer succeeds in maintaining this momentum, the Xbox Series X | S could exceed the total Japanese sales of the Xbox One (around 115,000) this year. With the Xbox Series X | S still suffering from inventory issues, it is questionable how far their weekly sales could go if the quantities available were not limited. As a reminder, Jeremy Hinton said last June that the majority of Japanese buyers of the Xbox Series X | S had never owned an Xbox console before (the next category was those who migrated directly from the Xbox 360).
But as indicated by Jeremy Hinton, Microsoft is no longer just measuring its Xbox brand’s position in Japan by relying solely on console sales. In fact, he said last June:
In Japan we have seen phenomenal growth over the past 12 months. And this corresponds to the arrival of new consumers in our ecosystem, people who purchase a Game Pass subscription, or people who buy accessories or PC games.
Everything is made in Japan for Xbox. But it is clear that the situation for the brand is already much worse than it is now. While it certainly won’t become the leader at the end of the generation, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the months and years to come.
What do you think of these new numbers? Are you too humble to allow Microsoft to rejoice? Or do you feel like there are no small victories? What Japanese total do you think the American glove can reach with its consoles? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
