Xbox boss Phil Spencer reveals that he is visiting Japanese studios to talk about Xbox Series X games. Microsoft could have big plans for the Xbox Series X in Japan after the Xbox One's Japan sales were very disappointing.
On Twitter, Phil Spencer said that he is enjoying being back in Japan to talk to "amazing studios and publishers about 2020 and beyond." Spencer also said that Japan has a "really strong energy and excitement here about gaming's future." Xbox has done very little with Japanese game developers and it canceled Scalebound, the game that PlatinumGames was making for Microsoft Studios. However, this could mean that Xbox is hoping to do much more business with developers in the region for the Xbox Series X.
After Spencer posted the tweet, there were many responses from fans and critics trying to get him to reveal more. The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley responded to the tweet with two eye emojis while YouTuber Spawn Wave asked if the Xbox head could "find" a new Lost Odyssey game while he is out in Japan. One fan asked if Spencer could get games from the Legend of Heroes and Ys series onto Xbox Game Pass as they would be great for the subscription service.
Several fans also asked if this means that Xbox is buying a Japanese game developer. Microsoft owns several game developers such as Hellblade developer Ninja Theory, which is making Bleeding Edge, and The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian Entertainment, which is making Grounded. The company has a studio in Santa Monica called The Initiative, but its game has not been officially announced. The number of Xbox One exclusives was criticized by fans and buying these studios can help fix that for the Xbox Series X. Buying a Japanese developer would also help Microsoft to grow its Xbox Game Pass titles, giving subscribers something new and exclusive to play.
Buying a Japanese developer, or working with a Japanese company to release an exclusive game would also help Xbox battle Sony, which has always been very strong in the country. Sony has been talking to Japanese publications about the PS5's features and it owns several developers in the region. It will be difficult for Microsoft to make its console successful in a region that enjoys its biggest competition so much, but Spencer's tweet confirms that the Xbox team is trying.