Today, our team at Xbox celebrated Japanese gaming culture in a showcase stream for Tokyo Game Show Online 2020 – a virtual celebration of the latest in video games, technology and games culture in Japan. The Xbox Tokyo Game Show Showcase was delivered in Japanese language as we celebrated the richness of Japanese gaming with local players. Our ambition to deliver experiences that delight our Japanese fans has never been more clear and today’s showcase included some surprises alongside updates that the Japanese community have been asking of us for some time.
As we bring more games to more devices than ever before, we hope to see more gamers enjoy playing Japanese-developed titles and reintroduce iconic Xbox franchises to Japanese players.
Since launching in Japan this April, Xbox Game Pass has helped Japanese gamers play on more Xbox devices, experience more games, and explore more of our services than in any time in the brand’s history in the region. Monthly Active Users on Xbox Live in Japan grew 82 percent year over year during the summer, with acclaimed Japanese franchises like Yakuza and Dragon Quest available on Xbox Game Pass. We’ve also seen that players around the globe love Japanese-developed titles, with close to one third of global Xbox Game Pass members playing a Japanese title every month. Arigato!
Here is a roundup of all the news and content we shared with our fans for Xbox Tokyo Games Showcase:
Cloud gaming coming to Japan in early 2021!
Xbox has a vision that places the player at the center of everything: You decide if you play on a Xbox console, PC or a mobile device, and where you want to play. As part of our next-gen promise, we’re continuing to provide more choices than ever before.
We’ve listened to fans and today announced that cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be available to Japanese gamers in the first half of 2021. There will be more than 100 titles to play directly from the cloud on any Android mobile or tablet device at no additional cost, giving fans the freedom to choose when and how they want to play. We’ll have more details to share on our launch plans in the coming months.
Xbox Series X Launch Date Reconfirmed for Japan
The Xbox Series X (¥49,980) is our most powerful console ever made, while the Xbox Series S (¥29,980), offers next-generation performance in our smallest console at a more affordable price. Both will be available in Japan from November 10, with pre-orders opening on September 25.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Reveals Japan World Update
The teams at Xbox Game Studios and Asobo Studio shared a World Premier trailer for the first free content update for Microsoft Flight Simulator – World Update I: Japan.
The update features an upgraded digital elevation map across the entire country, high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for six prominent Japanese cities (Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya and Yokohama), and six handcrafted local airports (Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima). Additionally, players will also be able to try their hand at executing a trio of exciting new Landing Challenges set at Japanese airports.
Players are encouraged to take to the skies above the land of the rising sun and see the beauty of Japan on Xbox Game Pass for PC, Windows 10 and Steam on September 29, this is the ultimate way to explore Japan from the comfort of home!
A Celebration of the Japanese Minecraft Creator Community
At Xbox, we believe that gaming is for everyone. We want to help our diverse set of players worldwide believe that our games feel “like home” to them with images, characters and stories that resonate and feel relevant for their culture and community. Today, we were proud to celebrate Japan’s growing Minecraft community with a scene from Obon, Japan’s summer festival. Dr Bond, a Japanese-American local content creator, created a magnificent build to earmark this special occasion.
Dr Bond’s incredible build, inspired by Japanese folklore and the stories of the Yokai, is a work of Minecraft art, showcasing not only Japanese culture through a pixelated Minecraft lens, but also showing the amazing visual fidelity of Minecraft RTX on Windows PC. Creating reflections, luminescence, environmental effects and more through Minecraft’s first venture into raytracing, here we see how the yet-unreleased feature adds new dimension to Japanese cultural heritage through the art of one of its most talented creators.
For players on Windows 10 PC who want to try RTX for themselves, the beta is ongoing and there are twelve stunning creator worlds downloadable for free from the in-game Minecraft Marketplace right now, including one from Dr Bond.
Japanese games with the power of Xbox
Xbox Series X is designed to deliver a new level of fidelity, feel, performance and precision never seen before in console gaming. All games will look and play best on Xbox Series X, whether it’s from our Xbox Game Studios or world-class developer partners.
The Xbox Showcase at the Tokyo Game Show 2020 included an exciting montage of upcoming first party exclusive games coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Game Pass in Japan. This included a showcase of Halo Infinite, Avowed, Psychonauts 2, Grounded, Fable, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Tell Me Why, As Dusk Falls and Forza Motorsport.
This wasn’t all. We featured trailers and announcements from some of Japan’s most loved developers too, both at home and across the world. These icons of the Japanese gaming joined Xbox’s local gaming celebration to share their games and best wishes as we approach the launch of our next generation consoles. A celebration of Japanese games followed, with some of the most anticipated locally made games from Japanese developers that will be arriving on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S:
Balan Wonderworld, Square Enix (launching March 26, 2021)
Developed by The Balan Company, a new action-game brand under the Square Enix umbrella, Balan Wonderworld is a 3D platformer that hinges on mysterious musical theatre.
Samurai Spirits, SNK (launching ‘Optimized for Series X/S’ on November 10, 2021)
Optimised for the Xbox platform for the very first time, arcade fighter fan-favourite Samurai Spirits is coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S from next-gen console day of launch.
Resident Evil Village (VIII), CAPCOM (launching 2021)
The next generation of survival horror rises in the form of Resident Evil Village, the eighth major instalment in the Resident Evil series. Years after the tragic events of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, join Ethan Winters as his life is disrupted by legendary Resident Evil hero, Chris Redfield, and is thrown into a new twisted nightmare in search of answers. Available on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in Japan from day of launch.
Pragmata, CAPCOM (launching 2022)
We were given a sneak peek at PRAGMATA, a mysterious new title from the acclaimed team at CAPCOM, featuring astronauts, apocalyptic settings and … holographic cats. Available on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in Japan on day of launch.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, SEGA (launching December 8)
A direct sequel to Puyo Puyo Tetris, Japan’s beloved puzzle game series has teamed up with the Tetris game franchise, to bring Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 to the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X platforms via Smart Delivery.
Tetris Effect: Connected, Resonair, Monstars and Stage Games (launching ‘Optimized for Series X/S’ on November 10, 2021)
Tetris Effect: Connected is Tetris you’ve never seen it, or heard it, or felt it before. An incredibly addictive, unique and breathtakingly gorgeous reinvention of one of the most popular puzzle games of all time, available to play co-op or competitively online with players around the world. Launching optimised for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S from November 10.
Bright Memory v1.0, FYQD Studio (launching ‘Optimized for Series X/S’ on November 10, 2021)
A lightning-fast fusion of FPS and action genres, Bright Memory v1.0 depicts the maiden adventure of a woman named Shelia in the year 2020, an agent for the Supernatural Research Organization (SRO). Follow Shelia as she’s transported to the Floating Island, an airborne content near the North Pole, to fight off the beasts and corpses of those who once populated the island and have been reborn.
Bright Memory Infinite, FYQD Studio (launching H1 2021)
Set in a sprawling, futurist metropolis in the year 2036, a strange phenomenon for which scientists can find no explanation has occurred in the skies around the world. The Supernatural Science Research Organization (SRO) has sent agents out to various regions to investigate this phenomenon. It is soon discovered that these strange occurrences are connected to an archaic mystery – an as-of-yet unknown history of two worlds, about to come to light…
R-TYPE FINAL 2, Granzella Inc (launching Spring 2021)
The cult arcade side scrolling shooter franchise is coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S via Smart Delivery for the very first time, with R-TYPE FINAL 2.
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright, DESK WORKS (launching ‘Optimised for Series X/S’ on November 10, 2021)
School’s out! Join Japanese indie developers DESK WORKS in an empty classroom for a grand adventure with an aspiring game developer and his very own hand-drawn RPG journey. Forget about homework, come play on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S exclusively with Smart Delivery.
We look forward to welcoming even more Japanese players and creators to Xbox this holiday and beyond!
Related:
Xbox Family Settings App Available Now on iOS and Android to Help Manage Children’s Gaming
Explore a Stranger, Richer, and More Diverse Universe Today in No Man’s Sky: Origins
Start Your Engines for Llama-Rama: A Fortnite-Rocket League Crossover Event
