With Xbox Series X, Microsoft have finally managed to start as strong in Japan as in the rest of the world, and Phil Spencer wasn't joking when he said this was just the first step.
Which is not to say that they've been flopping all this time, far from it, but traditionally, initial batches of Microsoft's next-gen consoles haven't been flying off the shelf either. Until Xbox Series X , that is, which prompted the company to tweak their shipment figures and plan their next moves towards entrenching their position.
As reported by Bloomberg , Microsoft are looking to facilitate this process by shopping around for prospective members of Xbox Game Studios. It is said that Koei Tecmo is one of these, but the company didn't confirm or deny it.
Microsoft Asia's head of Xbox operations Jeremy Hinton merely said that the company is always looking for "creators that are a good fit", but that's as far as he went.
Of course, Sony and Nintendo aren't exactly resting on their laurels waiting for Xbox to come around, so it'll take time. Then again, Microsoft aren't in a hurry either, and they might even get some help from the unlikeliest of allies.
It turns out that Sony's increased interest in global markets, most notably the US, has taken some attention off of the domestic one, which could cut the Xbox maker some slack, as long as they make the right moves.
SONY
Following the move to relocate PlayStation's headquarters to California, and ironically enough - their US headquarters reportedly haven't been impressed with PS4 marketing efforts in Japan. Bloomberg argues that there's been some pointing of fingers over the resulting sales, which ultimately limited their input in PS5's promotion.
Xbox Series X and S, Microsoft's next-gen console aces
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