The PlayStation 5 has not had a good start in Japan – it is indeed on track to sell the worst-selling Sony console in Japanese history.
The PlayStation 5 is not starting well in Japan. Sony’s next generation system continues to disappoint as the Japanese audience loses interest in the brand. The consequences between PlayStation and the Japanese market are not an unforeseen coincidence. Although the scarcity of the PlayStation 5 plays a role in its mediocre sales figures, Sony has made some decisions that irritate Japanese consumers.
Since Sony moved its PlayStation headquarters to California in 2016, the gaming side of the company has been drifting away from its Japanese roots. The company changed the Japanese DualSense controller’s command button from O to X to be more in line with Western control systems. Japanese gamers were not happy with the change and turned to the internet to express their displeasure.
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The circle and X symbol also have deeper meanings in Japan than in other parts of the world. The circle translates to “ok” or “correct”, while the X is interpreted as “no” or “not available.” The sudden change surprised the Japanese audience, especially since previous PlayStation systems did not have a Westernized control layout.
The unveiling presentation of the PS5 also left Japanese consumers with a bad taste in their mouths. The unveiling video did not contain the Japanese narrative and had several editions with the font of the subtitle and its translations. Many Japanese gamers felt they were being pushed aside to make way for the American and European markets. Sony’s poor handling of the translation may have caused some Japanese gamers to grow contempt for the company, as well as the console itself. Sony and the PlayStation were originally in Japan and were quite popular among Oriental audiences, but now they feel that Sony is making provision in the West, while putting Japan in the background.
There has also been some controversy surrounding Sony’s censorship policy. The game giant has a history of censoring Japanese games, despite their already restrictive ratings. Sony’s strict guidelines have frustrated some Japanese developers, and some have abandoned the platform altogether. Japan tends to accept more popular games that are taboo in the West, and Sony’s decision to apply Western ideals to Japanese games may contribute to the dwindling consumer interest in the PlayStation 5.
The PS5 is currently on track to sell the worst-selling PlayStation system in Japan’s history. Although the system breaks sales records in other parts of the world, it struggles to capture the Japanese audience like previous PlayStation consoles. Sony’s new censorship policy, coupled with the shift in focus to Western audiences, has apparently sent Japanese players to other systems. Sony will soon have to appeal to the Japanese market before excluding it altogether.
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