Microsoft Japan usually has a surprise or two for Tokyo Game Show. In 2007, they announced a deal with Team Ninja to publish Ninja Gaiden II, Rez HD, and Triggerheart Exelica. Ninja Blade, a game developed by From Software and published by Microsoft, was show in 2008. Their 2009 booth had Mushihime-sama Futari Ver 1.5 from Cave and was the unveiling of Ninety-Nine Nights II.
In 2010, Microsoft announced a few Kinect games developed by partners in Japan like Project Draco, Haunt, and codename D (aka Diabolical Pitch) plus an Xbox Live Arcade version of Fire Pro Wrestling.
All of those are missing from their Tokyo Game Show lineup, which has the following games:
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Binary Doman
Child of Eden
Dance Central
Dead Island
Dragon’s Dogma
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Forza Motorsport 4
Gears of War 3
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Kinect Sports: Season 2
Kinect Star Wars
Lollipop Chainsaw
Michael Jackson: The Experience
Ninja Gaiden 3
Onechanbara Z: Kagura
Ougon Musou Kyoku X
Rage
Soulcalibur V
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
We hear Diabolical Pitch will be revealed during Tokyo Game Show, so maybe Microsoft has something up their sleeves. However, the list is light on initiatives originated by Microsoft Japan, especially after they announced all of those developed Kinect games last year. It’s a stark change from their gung-ho attitude when Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in Japan. They partnered with Mistwalker to create RPGs Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and got Square Enix to make a Final Fantasy XI port. Microsoft even dabbled in localizing Western games for Japan too. Overlord, a Codemasters title, was translated and published by Microsoft Japan.
A few years ago, Microsoft Japan’s mindset was domination. Doesn’t quite seem that way anymore.