Microsoft Studios boss teases Japanese Xbox One support
'We have some things we'll announced in 2014.'
Microsoft Studios is “committed” to Xbox One development in Japan, studio boss Phil Spencer told Kotaku. And there are some Japanese announcements planned for 2014, too.
“We have signed some things in Japan that we haven’t announced that we’ll announce in… ’14 so that people get to hear about support in Japan,” Spencer said.
These would be seen as “full Japanese games,” he said—bigger than download titles.
“I’ve been a big fan of our partnerships in Japan,” Spencer continued. “Futatsugi just finished Crimson Dragon, and I’m proud of what he was able to do.
“We’re talking to him about what we might want to do next with him. There’s some interest out there in some older [intellectual property]. Phantom Dust has come up around whether we would want to reboot that franchise. It’s a discussion right now; there’s nothing’s signed. But we’re talking. It does seem like there’s a lot of interest around that. And we have a good long relationship with him and I think that would be good.”
Spencer labels Japan’s development teams as “top notch,” and acknowledged that Xbox has “never been the top console in Japan.”
“But the support that we’ve received, either from publishers like with Capcom and Dead Rising or developers is always great,” Spencer said. “We kicked off our independent developer program when were at Tokyo Game Show and saw some top talent walk through the door, so I think you’ll see some indies too … I’m committed to the development there.”