DriveClub Released in Japan Amid Market Uncertainty

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

DriveClub Released in Japan Amid Market Uncertainty

Added: 09.10.2014 16:20 | 2 views | 0 comments

The auto racing genre can be huge in Japan, as proven by PS3-exclusive Gran Turismo 5's launch to almost half a million sales in its first week in 2010 (430,707 units sold according to Media Create). When GT5 did so, it also proved a system seller, with the PS3's sales for that week more than double its previous week (about 69,000 units sold versus 29,000 the week before).
In 2013, Gran Turismo 6 had a proportionally comparable effect despite smaller numbers, raising the PS3's weekly sales from 13,000 to 24,000 during its launch week. It was no match for 5's software totals, however, shifting 204,784 copies — less than half its predecessor's mark. Selling 200k is great, but shy of expectations for a big series like GT and I'm guessing not quite fitting befitting the budget.
Microsoft has tried and failed to tap into this market with Xbox One. Neither Forza Motorsport 5 nor Forza Horizon 2 have sold well on Xbox One, as the hardware and its software struggle to manage four-digit sales numbers from week to week. You and I weren't surprised by this, as we knew Xbox One was swimming an uphill battle backwards in the snow when releasing the X1 in Japan, but Microsoft Japan's executives seemed to genuinely believe that they had some kind of ace up their sleeves when I sat down with them a year ago.