Microsoft Takes Aim at Japanese Market With Role-Playing Games

Xbox 360 sales in Japan have been abysmal so far, but Microsoft is aiming to turn that around with a barrage of role-playing game releases this year.

A slew of Japanese role-playing games are due out in Japan, including those from well-known developers Square-Enix and Namco Bandai.

They are:

• Tales of Vesperia

– August, Japan and North America

• Infinite Undiscovery

– September, worldwide

• Fable 2

– September, North America (TBD, Japan)

• Mass Effect

– TBA, Japan

• The Last Remnant

– December, worldwide

• Star Ocean 4

– TBA 2009, worldwide

Microsoft still faces an uphill battle, however, as it typically only moves a paltry few thousand units of Xbox 360s in Japan each week. Further, the console is heavily associated with first-person shooters, and there is no shortage of role-playing titles on other, far more popular platforms in the country, such as the Nintendo DS handheld and the PlayStation 2.

Source: Ars Technica