Xbox One will see several full retail games launch from Japanese studios, according to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer.
Spencer has discussed Microsoft’s next-gen progress in Japan so farKotaku and explained, “I’ve been a big fan of our partnerships in Japan. 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.”
Aside from established partnerships, Spencer added that Microsoft has signed up several Japanese studios, and that they will be working on “full Japanese games, not just digital titles.
He explained, “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,” and added, “The creative teams in Japan have always been top notch.
“And yeah, you’re right that we’ve 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. 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.”
