While many Japanese developers are trying to bridge the East-West divide and have their games appeal to a wider audience in America and Europe, certain Japanese publishers are also trying to popularize certain Western games in a region that has traditionally been apathetic to such titles. Square Enix is a publisher/developer dealing with both sides of the issue and is trying to give hit American game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 legs in Japan.
"Even now, there have been people in Japan using the label youge- (Western games) with a terribly discriminatory meaning," said Wada in a Japanese TV interview [thanks Kotaku]. "I'd like them to try it once. If they play it once, they'd realize how incorrect that label is."
Wada noted that Western developers really came into their own in 2005, but that importing these games to Japan has been slow because of prevailing attitudes about the strength of Japanese made games.
While Japan could legitimately claim domination on console systems for the better part of two decades, no region of the world can claim exclusive monopoly on developing all of the best titles –gaming is truly a global medium now.
3 Comments
December 8, 2009
It is nice to see someone mention this largely unspoken discrimination against western games in Japan.
December 8, 2009
It's also an unspoken discrimination against western consoles as well. Granted, most of them haven't been that great but both versions of the Xbox have been superb, especially when compared to the 3DO or Jaguar.
December 15, 2009
i love mordern warfare 2 is the best game in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and i don't care what eny body says