While most of the world is already enjoying Sony’s next-gen console, Japan still has over a month in waiting for their turn. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia president Hiroshi Kawano gives us a little insight on the subject and more during a recent interview with Famitsu.
“As for the release timing [in Japan,] we put a lot of serious thought into it,” Kawano tells Famitsu. “We very well understand that many of you were disappointed by the fact that the Japanese release date would be later than other regions. Our staff members, who love the PlayStation and are also considered a group of players themselves, strongly suggested ‘let’s release it in Japan first’.”
“It was a decision that came after a lot of brainstorming from everyone,” continues Kawano. “However, since it was decided, we need to prove with our own actions that we care deeply for our customers in Japan. I believe it will be an effort that we will continue to work on from this point on.”
Famitsu then points out that the release date of 2/22 being a repdigit number is quite characteristic of Sony.
“Actually, we decided on the release without being aware of the number’s order,” says Kawano. “Firstly, we wanted to definitely release it within the year, and then have it released on a Saturday, which was our main premise. It would have been tough to prepare for release right after New Year’s in January, and we also didn’t want to make it too much later. After narrowing it down and deciding on February, it just happened to be on that date.”
Next, Famitsu asks Kawano to share his thoughts on the lineup of launch titles Sony has in store for Japan.
“We have 26 titles that are set to be simultaneously released, but what I’m looking forward to seeing is the rich variety of titles between the Japanese publishers we regularly meet and titles from Europe and America,” answers Kawano. “Lately, games from the west have been really heating up, so I’m very interested in seeing how you all will select your titles.”
Launch titles aside, Famitsu asks if it’s safe to assume that we’ll be hearing announcements of new titles afterwards.
“We plan on having releases on a constant basis,” responds Kawano. “In March, we’ll have Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes from Konami’s director Hideo Kojima, and after that, well, we haven’t been able to announce them yet, but we have all kinds of titles lined up. At the moment, we’re currently reviewing how we should be announcing them, so please look forward to it.”
That said, since the PlayStation 3 is still Sony’s main console, we’ll still see new titles being announced consistently for it, despite it being considered a previous generation console. Famitsu asks Kawano to share his opinions on how long the period of “co-existence” will last between PS3 and PS4.
“It’s really hard to say,” shares Kawano. “When you think about the hardware and software separately, the PS3’s popularity is really spread out, so for the game creators to offer a new title for it, comes naturally. As for the hardware, they’ll still sell as part of bundles, so it’ll really be up to the players and their decisions.”
“However, as for us, it’s safe to say that we’ll be strategizing with the PlayStation 4 as our main focus.”
