Microsoft Not Happy with Xbox One Sales in Japan

Microsoft's Xbox leaders chime in on the tepid launch of the Xbox One in Japan as well as its dwindling sales numbers.

According to Kotaku, the Xbox One's launch in Japan last month was a tremendous letdown for Microsoft, followed by declining sales numbers week after week. Despite the current-gen Xbox's performance in Japan, Microsoft still hasn't lost hope. We weren't expecting the Xbox One to break sales records in Japan; the PlayStation 3 overwhelmingly outsold the Xbox 360 when it comes to last-gen records, but we were never expecting numbers this low. The Xbox One sold 23,562 consoles during its launch in Japan. Only 1,314 systems sold during its third week on sale. To put these numbers into perspective, Sony sold nearly 24,000 PlayStation 4 consoles during the launch week of Destiny alone.

In an interview with Famitsu, the head of Xbox Japan, Takashi Sensui, said the following:

It's not as though we're satisfied with the current sales state. We hope to continue through taking user feedback and improving [the Xbox One] and offering content that everyone can enjoy. We are also aware that reaching out to let more people know about the Xbox One is vital. However, the current console generation has become very long. We hope to lay out a long-term vision and to focus on publicity for our console. Taking the first step was very important, and as for how to permeate the market from here, we hope to continue to do our best.

Famitsu also reports that Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's entire Xbox division, acknowledged that the Xbox One will have to fight an uphill battle in order to get circulated throughout Japan. Spencer claimed that Japan, including its developers and gamers, are important to Microsoft, and his company will continue to fight until the Xbox One gains its footing in the overseas market.

In response to this lackluster launch, Microsoft has decided to delay the Xbox One's launch in China.