The company stated that Japanese consumers and developers are very important, and it won't give up on the region

Oct 2, 2014 13:50 GMT  ·  By

The Xbox One home console was officially launched in Japan a month ago, and it hasn’t been doing very well so far. Microsoft seems to be well aware of the issue, but doesn't intend to give up just yet.

The Xbox One had a few problems right from the get-go, from the very announcement. The questionable policies that Microsoft tried to enact (many of which are actually present on the PlayStation 4 or on Steam, without much fuss over them) roused the public's animosity, and the company is still trying to recover from all the bad PR.

With a new division head and a new direction, having dropped the clunky Kinect from the package, the Xbox One is ready to go the distance, just not in the Land of the Rising Sun, as the figures show.

Xbox One sold barely over 30k units in Japan

Over the course of the four weeks that the device was available in Japan, it managed to sell barely in excess of 30k units, 25k of which were sold during launch week.

Microsoft, naturally, isn't very happy about the console's performance, as a recent interview with Takashi Sensui, the head of Xbox Japan revealed.

"It's not as though we're satisfied with the current sales state," Sensui told Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, as quoted by Kotaku.

"We hope to continue through taking user feedback and improving [the Xbox One] and offering content that everyone can enjoy. We are also aware that reaching out to let more people know about the Xbox One is vital," he continued.

Microsoft will keep trying to appeal to Japanese consumers

Phil Spencer, the global chief of the Xbox division, also mentioned that Japanese developers and Japan as a whole are very important to Microsoft, and that the company intends to keep working at promoting the Xbox One in the region.

The company already mentioned that there is a large number of Japanese developers currently developing games for the platform, but for the time being, everyone is left to their own devices and no announcements are being made.

"The current console generation has become very long. We hope to lay out a long-term vision and to focus on publicity for our console. Taking the first step was very important, and as for how to permeate the market from here, we hope to continue to do our best," Sensui concluded the interview.

The last official sales data dates back to April this year, when Microsoft said that it had pushed 5 million Xbox One units globally. On the other hand, the PlayStation 4 Sony, revealed last month, is doing much better, having crossed over the 10 million units sold mark.