The PlayStation 5 did not get off to a great start in Japan – in fact, it is on its way to being the best-selling Sony console in Japanese history.
The PlayStation 5 didn’t get off to a great start in Japan. Sony’s next-generation system continues to disappoint as the Japanese public loses interest in the brand. The fall between the PlayStation and the Japanese market is not an unforeseen coincidence. While the scarcity of the PlayStation 5 is influencing its mediocre sales figures, Sony has made some decisions that irritate Japanese consumers.
Since Sony moved the PlayStation headquarters to California in 2016, the company’s gaming side has been moving away from its Japanese roots. The company moved the Japanese DualSense controller command button from O to X to align more closely with Western control schemes. Japanese players were not happy with the move and turned to the internet to express their discontent.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
The circle and the X symbol also have deeper meanings in Japan than in other parts of the world. The circle translates as “ok” or “correct”, while X is interpreted as “no” or “not available”. The sudden change took the Japanese public by surprise, especially since previous PlayStation systems lacked a Westernized control layout.
The PS5’s unveiling presentation also left Japanese consumers with a bad taste in their mouths. The reveal video did not feature Japanese narration and had several problems with the subtitle source and its translations. Many Japanese players felt that they were being pushed aside to make room for the United States and European markets. Sony’s lackluster treatment of translation may have caused some Japanese players to disdain the company, as well as the console itself. Sony and PlayStation originated in Japan and were quite popular with the eastern audience, but now they feel that Sony is serving the West while putting Japan in the background.
There has also been some controversy over Sony’s censorship policy. The gaming giant has a history of censoring risky Japanese games, regardless of their already restricted ratings. Sony’s strict guidelines have frustrated some Japanese developers, causing some to abandon the platform entirely. Japan tends to accept more cheeky games that are taboo in the West, and Sony’s decision to apply Western ideals to Japanese games may contribute to the diminishing consumer interest in the PlayStation 5.
The PS5 is on its way to being the best-selling PlayStation system in Japanese history. Although the system is breaking sales records in other parts of the world, it is struggling to capture Japanese audiences in the same way as previous PlayStation consoles. Sony’s new censorship policy, along with its shift of focus to Western audiences, apparently prompted Japanese players to switch to other systems. Sony will need to attract the Japanese market soon, before completely excluding it.
About the author
