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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Xbox's domestic launch, the editorial board of FamiTong interviewed Mr. Jeremy Hinton, Head of Microsoft Xbox Asia, who oversees the Asian market, including Japan. What does the Xbox position have to say about the Japanese market? What are your plans for the future? Interested readers should not miss it.
▲ Jeremy Hinton (hereinafter referred to as Jeremy), the head of Microsoft Xbox Asia
February 22, 2002 marks the anniversary of Microsoft Xbox's "first contact" with Japan
| Q: Tell us how you feel about the 20th anniversary of xbox release in Japan.
Jeremy: Xbox has been on sale in Japan for 20 years since February 22, 2002. I have made great strides in Japan since we first took our first steps, and I have been impressed by the tireless delivery of many innovations during this time. With that in mind, February 22 is not only the first time Xbox is in Japan, but also our first contact with Japanese gamers and many people who aspire to innovation. Looking back over the past 20 years, we've provided a wealth of content and services in Japan, including preparation for more personalized multiplayer games on home consoles, grades, gaming experiences, and somatosensory games made with Kinect. Of course, we'll continue to roll out more eye-catching games on Xbox, so stay tuned. Now, after 20 years, I feel that Xbox is starting to connect with the Japanese game market very closely. We're excited to see that Japan has been able to sustain the strongest growth in the countries and regions where Xbox serves, which may have been unimaginable for Xbox, which was just entering the Japanese market at the time.
| Q: What was the most memorable thing about the Japanese market during your time with Xbox?
Jeremy: Let me think about it, from the time I started my career with Xbox in 2006 to now, I feel that this journey is full of many memories that will never fade. The most memorable are the relationships between people, the places where they meet, and the events that take place in those places, which are built up by a special keyword, "the game.". Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I visited Japan almost every year, and meeting with experienced, accomplished business leaders and developers who led the Japanese game industry was always rewarding and inspiring. Thanks to their steady stream of great creations for sale on Xbox or Xbox Game Pass, I often feel the energy this brings to the Xbox community.
▲ Xbox Live Stream held in conjunction with Tokyo Game Show 2021
| Q: Encounters are irreplaceable fates.
Jeremy: Yes. In particular, the Xbox Live Stream at last year's Tokyo Game Show 2021 was one of the most impressive events for me. This live broadcast will be able to provide a special program to most Japanese players and even players from all over Asia. Happily, in addition to announcing the addition of Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offered in Japan, the show also announced two highly anticipated titles, Starry Sky and Scarlet Fall, which will also support Japanese intelligence. In addition, we have announced major partnerships that will unleash the unique creativity and development capabilities of Japanese indie game developers. As the head of Xbox Asia, I'm very excited to be able to inform Japanese gamers of our commitment every year in this way, and it's a love letter to you.
| Q: Looking back on Xbox's 20 years, how do you feel?
Jeremy: It's summed up in one sentence, "Gaming for everyone," and all of Xbox's decisions are currently at the service of that. We believe that over the past 20 years, we have been able to bring innovation, products and services to our players because we have always practiced this phrase. Xbox's future goal is to provide an unrestricted and free gaming experience for everyone on the planet, and to achieve this, it will need to be player-centric and make judgments with the same perspective as players. We're scaling up the deployment of cloud gaming and XAGs (Xbox Accessibility Guidelines) to incorporate the accessibility experience represented by the Xbox Adaptive Controller into every Xbox game. Everything is as advocated by the phrase "create games for all", and we will be tirelessly studying how to get games to more people in more places and on more devices.
Working with players and developers in Japan to create a better gaming experience
| Q: As the head of Xbox Asia, what are you most focused on when doing business in Japan?
Jeremy: We're always looking for meaningful connections with Japanese players and developers. Of course, we will develop different measures according to each country and region, so we will also launch special projects for the Japanese market. From ID@Xbox projects, we can create more exciting content in Japan through partnerships with more than 200 independent game developer groups of different sizes in Japan.
▲ Jeremy, who is addicted to a variety of Japanese games, recently likes "Crimson Knot Series"
| Q: There are many works of ID@Xbox circulating in the Japanese market.
Jeremy: From a player's perspective, we realized the importance of supporting Japanese in every game, and through day-to-day efforts, we've included more than 100 games that support Japanese in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library. Of course, we plan to continue to expand the number of games that support Japanese in the future. Not only is Japan an important market for Xbox, it's also an important base for Japanese players to enjoy the games we offer, and it's also an important base for spreading great games around the world. We're working on landing every game on a variety of devices to give more gamers access to the amazing games that were born in Japan. We will continue to work hard to get more and more Japanese gamers to play unique works on Xbox.
| Q: This is a rare opportunity, how is the Xbox Series X/S responding to the Japanese market now?
Jeremy: From its release to the present, the Xbox Series X and S have done very well in the Japanese market. Given that many customers who purchase next-generation home consoles haven't previously bought Xbox consoles, demand for Xbox in the Japanese market is still at a very high level. One important thing we realize from this phenomenon is that "Xbox consoles are increasingly being recognized by consumers who have never touched it before." Behind the steady sales of home consoles is the various subscription services represented by Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass members can use Xbox Cloud Gaming to enjoy multiple games on a variety of devices. We believe that these play mechanics, which take advantage of the latest services, will be a stepping stone for users interested in Xbox. For Xbox, the criterion for success is to build a comprehensive environment (ecosystem) by enriching individual elements such as home consoles, PCs, and cloud games to provide the most enjoyable experience for gamers with their own needs. In addition, previous studies have shown that 81% of gamers who prefer to play games on home consoles actually prefer to play on PCs and mobile devices. To meet the diverse needs of gamers, Xbox Game Pass offers a variety of options.
▲ Arkane Austin's open-world co-op shooter Scarlet Falls is available in Japanese and is expected to be released in the summer of 2022
| Q: Tell us about Xbox's 2022 development strategy, especially in the Japanese market.
Jeremy: Sorry not to be able to disclose what's going on in the Japanese market, but it's a promise that Xbox will continue to work on providing a better experience for gamers and developers in Japan. Going forward, Xbox's diverse and passionate distribution team will continue to push the boundaries of Japanese-developed games within the Xbox ecosystem, including home consoles, cloud games, and PCs. In addition, more titles will support Japanese in the future, and try to achieve the latest works from Xbox Game Studios released in Japan on the same day as North America. In conclusion, the Xbox team will do its best to provide a better gaming experience for Japanese gamers.
| Q: Xbox Series X/S consoles continue to outstrip supply, what will be the supply situation in 2022?
Jeremy: Currently, supply chains in many countries around the world have not fully recovered from the impact of COVID-19. Earlier I said that "we will try our best to meet the demand for Xbox in the global market", and even in 2022, this commitment will not change. We will continue to work with manufacturing and retail partners around the world to normalize inventory of Xbox products.
| Q: Finally, please say a few words to the readers.
Jeremy: Thank you very much to all the Xbox fans and gamers in Japan. This year and in the near future, we've also been brewing a number of exciting announcements, and we hope you'll enjoy the new titles and initiatives that will be available in the future, and we're committed to making 2022 the year when more Japanese gamers join the Xbox community.
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