While talking to the Tokyo Game Show on a live stream, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, went on record highlighting the stunning gaming growth seen in Asia over the last few years, focusing quite specifically on the performance of the Xbox ecosystem. He stressed that, in the last three years, the number of PC Game Pass subscribers in Asia has more than quadrupled, swelling at a rapid rate.
He also took the time to highlight that in Japan specifically, the PC gaming market has more than doubled in size in the same period of time. He said, “We understand the importance of making content that will appeal to Japanese PC gamers.”
Japan: The Home of Gaming
It was estimated recently that there will be around 75 million people in Japan who identify as gamers by the end of 2023. It is well documented that Japan boasts one of the most vibrant pop culture ecosystems, and there’s a collector culture in the country that sees millions of people obsess over anime, collectables, retro technology, and modern video games.
Phil Spencer touched upon these concepts indirectly when talking about the rampant growth of the gaming scene in Japan, aiming specifically at the PC gaming market. It’s why, he said, Microsoft has been creating content that will appeal to the gamers in this market.
In his words:
For example, since the release of our Japan World Update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, nearly 15 million flights have been flown out of the Japanese airports in the game.
Thanks to our innovations like Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming, you can play Flight Simulator and many other games on handheld devices and mobile phones, in addition to traditional PCs and consoles like the Xbox Series X and Series S.
In closing, Spencer expressed his gratitude to players in ‘Japan, Asia, and beyond’, and highlighted that he and his teams remain committed to ‘bringing games you’ll love to Xbox’.
This year alone, Japanese developers have delivered massively in the gaming scene. For instance, Capcom has succeeded immeasurably with the Resident Evil 4 Remake and Street Fighter 6, Square Enix released Final Fantasy XVI, FromSoft delivered Armored Core VI, and Sega is preparing to release Sonic Superstars while Konami is on the verge of delivering MGS: Master Collection Volume 1.
The contributions are insane.
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