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Sony’s PlayStation boss in the US Jim Ryan, says that with the PS5, the company is more excited now about the Japanese market than it has been “in many years.”
It’s a statement Ryan has made in an attempt to quell concerns or rumors that Sony may be shifting away from the market in its home region. Ryan says that much of the information is inaccurate. Based on Ryan’s comments, it seems nothing could be further from the truth in regards to Sony shifting away from Japan.
In fact, PlayStation fans may very well see many more games from Japanese publishers this generation.
Publishers in the Japanese market are strongly engaged with the PS5
A big part of Ryan’s (and Sony’s as a whole) excitement comes from the engagement from Japanese publishers.
According to Ryan, many game publishers in Japan started moving towards a lot more mobile development around 10 years ago. But mid-way through the life cycle of the PS4, publishers in the Japanese market started to strengthen their commitment to the PlayStation brand, and that continues with the PS5.
More so now than ever Ryan says. For gamers in Japan who are loyal PlayStation customers, this is probably great news. As it means that players can expect a larger number of games from studios in the same region.
It’s also a boon for anyone outside of Japan that has a fondness for Japanese games. Whether they’re actual Japanese versions or localized for the market.
PS5 launched day and date in Japan with the US
Though some may not believe Ryan’s statements, one really only has to look at a single thing to see how invested in the Japanese market Sony is.
Specifically, the launch of the PS5. It launched on the same day as it did in the US. Something which didn’t happen with the PS4. Which Ryan attributes to the lower engagement from Japanese publishers and studios. Since that started shifting again back in the middle of the PS4’s life cycle, Sony saw continued interest in Japan which is still ongoing.
So it had reason to make Japan one of the day one launch markets. And customers seem happier for it. At least, those that have been able to get their hands on the console. The PS5 has been notoriously hard to get a hold of since pre-orders opened up back in September.
Even now, just barely three weeks after launch, the PS5 is still no easier to obtain. And that will unfortunately continue into 2021.