‘Hard to say’ if Xbox Scarlett will succeed in Japan, says marketing boss

Aaron Greenberg, GM of games marketing at Microsoft, has said it’s tough to predict how the company’s next-gen console will fare in Japan.

Microsoft’s game systems have a poor performance record in Japan, the home market of rival platform holders PlayStation and Sony, although Greenberg identified some positive factors heading into the next console cycle during a recent interview.

Asked if he thinks Xbox Scarlett gives the company an opportunity “to bring the Xbox brand back in a big way” in Japan, Greenberg told Twinfinite: “Maybe. It’s a hard one to say. We have a lot of success in Japan with Minecraft.”

Greenberg added that Japan was one of Microsoft’s fastest-growing markets for Minecraft, although the title is available on both Switch and PS4 in the region.

On Scarlett, he added: “We will bring a very powerful box and a great library of content. I think we have a lot more Japanese support than we’ve had before. All those things are in our favor, but I’m always careful about setting the wrong expectations or making claims.”

Greenberg added: “I have deep respect for the Japanese market and their tastes. We’ll see. They will decide. We definitely want to support the market, we’ll see what the consumers have to say and we’ll listen to their feedback.”

To date, Xbox 360 is the only Microsoft console to sell over one million units in Japan.

Following a recent string of studio acquisitions, Xbox head Phil Spencer said in June he’d be interested in purchasing a Japanese developer.

“It’s not every year that we’ll add seven new studios, but I do think us looking at specific targets that we need is important,” he said.

“I think it would be nice if we found an Asian studio, in particular a Japanese studio, to add [to our studios]. I liked it when we had some first-party capability in Japan. We have a small team there, but I think we can do more.”