In the meantime, there has been an intense discussion about PlayStation’s status in Japan. Sales statistics show that the PlayStation 5 outperforms the Nintendo Wii U, although the console has sold out worldwide. Some believe the small hardware shipment is a lack of interest in its home ground from the Japanese giant, and this sentiment is exacerbated by a spate of high-profile departures from its Japan Studio development team.
However, Atsushi Inaba, boss of PlatinumGames, feels differently: “To be honest, we do not feel it that much, or at least I have not felt the impact of it myself,” he told VGC. “That said, I do understand that the console industry in Japan was not what it used to be, and when that happens, the priorities of these major console manufacturers will change, and that makes perfect sense to me.”
He continues: ‘I do not know if this is an opinion that is there, and I have no personal investment, but just because PlayStation comes from Japan does not mean that it should focus on the Japanese market. I do not feel that way. At the same time, I also do not think it is American: I think it is international and does not really belong to any country. This is how I feel as a developer. ”
In the same interview, however, Devil May Cry designer Hideki Kamiya pointed to Sony’s decision to break tradition with PS5’s standard controls as a sign that things could change internally: ‘My pride is not hurt as a Japanese – it’s just more that there are two camps that had two ways of doing things, and I think they leaned short-sightedly to one side. I do not understand the reasoning behind it. ”
He added: ‘It’s just a little bit of contempt for the gaming cultures that have been around for decades now as part of so many people’s lives. I feel like PS5 disrupted it and I do not know if it made sense to do so. ”
But Kamiya concluded that he did not foresee a avoidance of Sony from the Japanese [game] manufacturers at all ”. He said: “It’s so difficult to get a PS5 right now that I feel we do not yet have enough accurate data on how it will eventually fare in Japan.” Unfortunately, according to AMD, stock shortages are expected until late in the year.