Xbox Is Hiring Production Manager To 'Work With Partners In Japan'

Would rather they got a decent manager for their studios so they can actually release first party exclusives. Nothing for a year is a embarrassment.

Not a good idea trying to do everything at once when they can't manage what they already have.

Nice to see them trying in Japan but will never be popular when Nintendo is basically a monopoly over there.

I’ve applied as I fancy a change from stacking shelves at Asda but I’m not holding my breath that I’ll get the job, I’ve probably got more chance winning the Euro Lottery.

So job summary will be: offer japan partners lots of daddy microsoft money to put games on xbox to make it viable. Also needing games because they cant get their own 100 something studios to make 1 complete finished game

@Kooky_Daisuke Considering the reason I sold my Xbox One and got a PS4 is because I cared more about Gundam Versus than Halo, I think this is a good move.

There's so many games I've been missing out on since I started boycotting Playstation and I'm unwilling to play the 540p version on the Switch.

Granted, I might care about Halo if it wasn't so mismanaged.

@Kooky_Daisuke Wait until the June showcase before claiming there will be no exclusives for a year. I can almost guarantee that we’ll see Forza Motorsport this year and there may be other surprises we don’t know about.

And again, PlayStation didn’t have any exclusives last holiday season because they were all delayed to 2022. I guess Sony has mismanagement as well then. I don’t understand this mentality that seems to think delays aren’t happening EVERYWHERE.

I’d rather have a delay for Starfield and get a great game instead of one pushed out the door too early.

Hopefully they start getting the less mainstream "anime" game studios like NIS and Falcom on their damn system. And launch their back-catalogue on Game Pass, like you did with Square. That was a genius move that needs to be followed up upon.

@Xiovanni Why are you boycotting PlayStation? I'm curious. Especially because you gave up your XB1 to get a PS4.

I had both last gen, but there was a good... year and a half where I scarcely played my Xbox, largely because of this reason, so I'm glad they're trying harder this time. I needed to play Ys, Odinsphere, Street Fighter, other Fighting games, etc.

But now, I'm mostly an Xbox guy.

@Xiovanni There's plenty of Japanese games missing on Xbox which is the annoying thing about Xbox. That's the main reason I got a PS5 just for those games.

They need to offer them some money for an incentive to get them on Xbox.

@awp69 It's freaking hilarious. Zelda got delayed, while people were upset, the reception wasn't nearly as bad as this one.

And if and when God of War also gets delayed, the response won't nearly be as bad as this one. Microsoft is the easiest target of gamer rage among the three for mind-boggling reasons.

People also jump through some insane mental hoops to try to make them look bad. Crazy. There's plenty of other games coming out. If the Xbox didn't get Starfield Redfall, etc, PLUS no Elden Ring and other marquee third-party titles coming out this year, then that would be a problem, but that's not the case.

@MaccaMUFC You keep applying for things and you will soon be out of that job, even if you don't get this one, keep going! Good luck.

Excited for this. Remebering the lovely times at the start of the XB360 generation with things like Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata all coming to Xbox

@awp69 I'm not interested in racing games even if true but doubt it. A bit boring to have another Forza there would then be a problem with variety. Certainly better than nothing I suppose.

Difference is Sony have never gone a whole year without an exclusive. I'm fed up with Microsoft saying that the games are coming but are always many years away and have excuses. I've gotten fed up with it

Wonder if the position sort of ties in with the gamepass streaming stick/smart TV app, space is quite limited in Japan especially for those that live in apartments, could imagine the stick/app doing well there and perhaps the space problem is why the series s is selling well

@Royalblues but Nintendo & Sony still had major exclusives despite their delays.

Xbox may or may not have a major exclusive in 2022 (depending on Forza Motorsport). Not to mention Xbox had nothing to launch the new generation in holiday 2020 either. That's why it's seen as a bigger deal

@uptownsoul Okay, then let's exercise patience and see what's in store for next month's presentation, hmm?

I mean, you're going to skewer them regardless, so it doesn't matter, but let's at least try that.

@Kooky_Daisuke this is basically like [email protected] program.

That said they are hiring for another project which I think is in house. That came about a month ago. They announced it via Twitter.

@Kooky_Daisuke Serious question. Why are people so obsessed with exclusives?

I have an idea and Microsoft could pull it off due to their resources, why no open their own localisation branch in Japan? They would dub and sub the games themselves instead of relying on NIS, marvelous and others. Then they could ask the players games they would like to come West.

Good to see they try to get good bonds with Japanese developers again. Xbox is missing a lot of jrpgs and I really hope they pave the way for more Japanese games to come to Xbox.

@Royalblues mistreatment by customer support over an unauthorized transaction on my PSN account which led to a lawsuit.

The customer support manager got fired.

It probably makes more sense to try and build a locally based organisation that has the cultural alignment to work with Japanese studios, rather than just attempting to buy some.

@Royalblues Sorry, I was just explaining why this Xbox delay is treated differently than Sony & Nintendo delays

@Kooky_Daisuke getting a manager to get games out is a valid reason and I agree. Microsoft has so much money though, I think they can do both? Maybe getting a Production Manager to work with Japanese developers might help fill in some of the gaps while Xbox straightens out their studios to start pumping out some games.

@Richnj because its what sells consoles? Exclusives have always been incredibly important in the 'console wars' and no matter what any executive implys the war is still going on. I'm a series x owner (along with the rest) but it's clear that Microsoft is still aways away from the other 2. The acquisitions are a great start but I think they need to go for a sega or square to really resonate with the proper gamer...

@Deljo But we aren't part of the wars (exceptions for the fanboys). The PS5 and Xbox Series have lots of games to play outside of exclusives, especially considering the backwards compatibility.

I've long said MS should buy Sega, but that's only to round out their studios, for their portfolio. For the xbox gamer, MS buying Sega does very little to make an xbox more appealing. The Sonic games are still coming to xbox either way. PSO 2 is on xbox. Yakuza is still on xbox. For xbox gamers, the appeal stays exactly the same.

In terms of actual value and content for Xbox owners, there's plenty there. With or without a brand new AAA exclusive.

@Richnj to be fair you're right but isn't that where the appeal is? You say xbox has plenty of games which is true but your talking about the multi platform games so when your factor in their exclusives they become more attractive don't they? Don't get me wrong I'm an xbox fan but I must admit only with gamepass as I haven't bought a game so far and tend to play multi plat games on ps5

@Deljo i agree and disagree, hear me out this could be wordy.
PS1 and PS2 Sony had no huge first party at all . They sold tons of 3rd party games and 2nd party deals. Nintendo wasn’t selling their exclusives in a fraction to the numbers a young Sony sold. Enter Xbox into the market they were up against a sony that had two successful gens and devs that were happy to do business with Sony. No Microsoft money was going to lure them away in droves. Then the 360 came out and kicked Sony’s butt in America. Devs started to lean xbox and Sony went on a spending spree locking down its first party in the PS3 era. Now after Xbox one MS is on a first party spending spree. Most people aren’t on chat forums counting exclusives. They buy the console their friends and family has. The hardcore care about exclusives, but we make up a small number of gamers. So i say all that to say yes and no to exclusives. They do count , but they aren’t enough to carry you to massive sales. Mario 64 and Zelda 64 laid the blueprint for 3d gaming. They are both regarded as 2 of the best games ever made. And that console sold peanuts. On the other hand without Halo the original xbox might not have sold at all. So I’m torn, but i will say if a shopping spree is in fact the key to success, no one can out shop a MS that is determined to own a huge slice of gaming market share.

@Richnj Cause it gives them bragging rights to the console they bought and allows them to act immature online thinking people like me don’t own all 3 consoles and i can’t play whatever i want.
When the truth is a real gamer supports the full industry to the fullest their money can go into the hobby, and not rout for others to fail and leave the industry. Brand power is a huge mental thing.

@uptownsoul Don't apologize. My tone was rather harsh, but that's because I'm sick of seeing comments like these, and I really hope people can just play games and quit being caught up in video game sports and politics.

@Xiovanni Sorry for that. Sony customer service is terrible. I experienced similar treatment by them when my PS Vita screen broke. I sent my Vita to them along with the money to fix it, and I never heard for them for months. I kept calling them, and they never fixed it. I got my console back, but not my refund.

I ended up having to go to my bank in order to get my money back.

@Rural-Bandit I do agree with what you say although the ps1 & ps2 had huge exclusives from 3rd party developers like Namco and Konami that shifted systems like nobody's business. I fell for the ps1 after seeing ridge racer play in the window of my local dixons and queued in line for the launch 😀

@Deljo But most of those exclusives were by default of Nintendo being on a different medium and Sega basically gone. Thats not to discredit Sony, i am only making my point that during the PS1 and PS2 years Sony owned next to nothing in studios as it did in the PS3 and PS4 era. So now Xbox with the backing of Microsoft is saying it’s their turn and come next gen it is going to be a heavy load on PS6 facing day 1 GP games and upwards of 40 studios. That will be the best competition they have ever seen. Do they still win? Maybe but my point to all this is is that exclusives matter to a point, but pure just must have games, prices, and features thrown in with what your friends and family own goes a long ways. I love all 3, i own all 3 and find pro’s and Con’s in all 3 for my play style but it’s hard to bet against what Microsoft is starting to cook up. Sony knows at some point it will have to go day 1 on it’s service and be more price focused. They wouldn’t even have made that service adjustment if not for GP. Competition means us gamers win. Exclusives do play a part in that. 😀

To me, this reads more like a job for someone to work for MS in Japan/Asia to work with ANY Japanese developer to support them in whatever way they can to help with releasing games on the Xbox family.

It can't be easy to help a developer port their game to another platform, understand any tips/tricks to make it a smoother or more optimal experience etc if 'Language' is a barrier. To me it makes sense to want to set up similar Support services in Japan aimed primarily at Japanese speaking Developers to 'help' them, if they want/need help, to port and release their games on Xbox platforms.

First Party Devs (like Tango for example) will have the support and no doubt access SDKs etc, but many 3rd party devs, especially independent and/or 'smaller' studios may not. They may not know how to get their games out on Xbox, what options are available etc so having a Support team based in supporting Japanese Devs in particular makes sense...

It may well lead to more 'exclusives' (timed or otherwise) as MS may well get an 'earlier' look at 3rd Party games in development and decide to offer more than just 'technical' support in return for some Exclusivity, maybe even fund the development and/or be the Publisher for the Developer. But I think it primarily a Support service to 'help' Japanese developers port and release their games on Xbox...

@Deljo I couldn't agree more with @Rural-Bandit about Sony and MS.

Right now, it really doesn't make sense for Sony to release Day 1 to a Service or 'other' platform(s) as that 'could' impact on their Sales based Business model (the important aspect here). Games tend to sell best in the first few months, also when they are most expensive, so their most 'profitable' for a Sales Based Model. Exclusives (ONLY on that Platform) drives sales of that Platform because you can ONLY play it there - so again plays into that Sales Business Model. The 'Premium' Price also maximises Sales Profit and 'harder' to justify if others are paying 'less' on PC for 'better' performance/frame rates on Day 1 or playing for a 'small' monthly fee...

Point is Day 1 Service doesn't currently fit Sony's Business Model and its 'not' flexible enough to be more 'service' based like MS. MS still has 'Sales' in its Business model, but its more 'Service' driven. You don't 'need' an Xbox Console, don't need to buy Games - you can play 'anywhere' (Except PS/Switch).

Every game is a developer Store front - first of all trying to sell you its 'experience' (Game-play, story etc) and if they succeed, you'll spend 'money' on that - whether its paying the Money upfront to be able to actually play to see if they delivered what you believed they were selling, or paying money after to support devs, keep the game, buy DLC/MTX etc.

MS games are more obviously a 'store' in general - most have some MP/Online component to buy extra cosmetics, cars, maps, gear etc so each first needs to get you in and enjoying their 'Store' so that you will spend time and money in it. That's perhaps another example that MS are more service driven in their 'view'.

Its no secret (by now) that Sony are investing in more Service driven projects and acquiring the 'expertise' to also make multi-platform easier/quicker. PS+ is about what I expected for where Sony is at right now and what works with their Business Plan. In 5yrs, they could move to a more Service driven model and be offering all their 1st Party games Day 1 on a service, no need to buy PS6. It may start with them giving away MP/online service games away day 1 to PS+ Premium subs (like Destruction All Starz was on PS+) and then when they are 'ready', whatever determines that, all 1st Party games will be Day 1.