Former PlayStation executive Mena Kato has said that video game publishers in Japan can no longer grow without Xbox. Kato worked as Sony Interactive Entertainment‘s vice president of business development before departing the company after eight years of service. She now oversees Xbox’s Japanese partnerships for Microsoft.
Nintendo and Sony continue to dominate Japan
Microsoft has historically struggled in Japan — a country dominated by Nintendo and Sony. However, Kato believes that neither Sony nor Nintendo can beat Microsoft when it comes to global reach. Speaking to Bloomberg (via ResetEra), Kato said that “Japanese publishers will definitely need us in expanding their business.” “It would be difficult to do that just with the PlayStation” she claimed.
Kato pointed out that there’s “virtually no country” without Windows PCs. She added that it’s because of this that Sony and Nintendo can’t compete with Microsoft when it comes to reaching emerging markets. “Microsoft offers huge scalability to Japanese publishers as there’s virtually no country without Windows PCs,” Kato explained. “When it comes to access to game fans in emerging countries, Sony and Nintendo just can’t compete with Xbox.”
Microsoft has been making an active effort to gain ground in Japan, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer reaching out to companies like Square Enix in a bid to have big franchises like Final Fantasy return to Xbox.