Some say if you want your games console to succeed in this business then you must have a foothold in Japan; for this very reason Microsoft has spent billions of dollars trying its best to do just that, but our research has shown Microsoft's effort is constantly falling flat. They've been trying for four long, hard, drawn-out years with little to show. Recently we provided data proving how poor the top 5 Xbox 360 "exclusives" in Japan have performed even after throwing millions at developers, combined those games did not break past 900,000 sold. Here's the list:

1. Star Ocean 4 (life-to-date: 208,521)

2. Blue Dragon (life-to-date: 203,740)

3. Tales of Vesperia (life-to-date: 194,714)

4. Last Remnant (life-to-date: 154,493)

5. Lost Odyssey (life-to-date: 104,417)

Total life-to-date sales combined: 865,885. What's even worst is most of the aforementioned games will soon be available for the PS3 with Tales of Vesperia already out for Sony's console with that version selling over 140,000 copies in the first day and 217,000 in its first week out, totally outstripping the life-to-date sales of the Xbox 360 version. So it's definitely an uphill battle for the Redmond giant. With some voicing their concerns publicly and gamers being furious about Microsoft's lack of first party studios, the question must be asked: Should Microsoft abandon their efforts in Japan and focus on the western regions like Europe and North America? Or should the software giant keep waging war on Sony and Nintendo's territory? The recent data we found is depressing to say the least, if Microsoft is in this business to make a profit and not just throw money at problems, then maybe they should consider leaving. Apparently, the Japanese are just not into the Xbox 360, let's have a look at some stats.

According to this very reliable source the Xbox 360 has sold (as of March 2009) 1,001,191 consoles in Japan. That's after being available for four years; With the recently redesigned PS3 Slim and Nintendo slashing the price of its flagship console it's extremely hard to see Japan as a good business investment pumping millions, even billions into for Microsoft. All that does is adds more debt to a Console that has cost them over 3 billion in RROD fixes and replacements. It's true some markets won't make a company any money, however they stay to keep a presence in said markets because of reputation and strategic placement. But with the Japanese market down over 18% this year, and big name publishers like Square-Enix looking eastward, it's probably time for Steve Ballmer and his gang to rethink their strategy. Share your thoughts below, should they leave, or stay until they find a foothold.
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