Japan Isn't Getting the Xbox One Until 2014

Microsoft's Xbox One might not have a solid release date just yet but the company has said it plans to launch the console in time for the holiday season. Unfortunately, if you're living in Japan, the Xbox One actually won't be available before the end of the year. In fact, Microsoft has confirmed that Japanese gamers will be waiting until early 2014 before the Xbox arrives in their country. And they're not alone.

According to Games Industry, Microsoft Japan President Yasuyuki Higuchi has said Japan is "tier 2 country," which means it won't be getting the Xbox when it initially launches. Higuchi confirmed the news when speaking in an 4 Gamer, but Japan-based Xbox fans would already have known something was up when their country didn't appear on the list of launch countries Microsoft had at E3.

The very presence of a 'tier 2' (along with the fact that there are only 21 countries on the launch list) suggests that Japan isn't alone . So who else will be tier two? It's anyone's guess. GI says other countries in Asia will see the console in late 2014, so that leads us to believe there's actually a third tier. Only Microsoft knows the finer details, so we'll have to wait to find out the specifics. For now, we know that Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are on the launch lsit. Everything else is kind of up in the air.

  • Aljosha Breimer
    They don't need Xbox hey got Sony ;)
    Reply
  • gsxrme
    whenever Japan releases something we have to wait for US release and now when We release something they need to wait. good! I'm still waiting on PSO2! fookers!
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    I might be tempted to get an Xbox one straight away this time... . Their digital stance, which they've since dropped, didn't really bother me as I mainly use Steam anyway.
    Reply
  • tabrion
    Well let's see. Total Xbox 360 sales in Japan 1.64 million. PS3 sales are at 9.35 million. Seems that Microsoft are just digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole.
    Reply
  • StrelokS
    Xbox can't sell well in Japan because of Sony and Nintendo.

    And honestly MS has already lost its reputation of being good developers and so on...

    This will highly boost the Sony and Nintendo console sales.

    So yea ... MS is dead.
    Reply
  • ojas
    Yeah the Indian subcontinent is in the third tier.

    Of course, not for Sony.
    Reply
  • Cataclysm_ZA
    South Africa is part of wave 4 or the fourth tier, which is apparently in te same tier as India which has been confirmed to have a very late 2014 launch. Wave 1 is 21 launch countries and the rest follow on from there, although Microsoft won't detail how many waves there are or who exactly is in them. Our local TV and satellite providers haven't even been approached about partnering with Microsoft for the XO channel guide thingamabob, let alone certify Xbox Video to work here (thanks, ICASA, for being a big fat slob).
    Reply
  • JJ1217
    11092394 said:
    Xbox can't sell well in Japan because of Sony and Nintendo.

    And honestly MS has already lost its reputation of being good developers and so on...

    This will highly boost the Sony and Nintendo console sales.

    So yea ... MS is dead.

    MS is dead? Are you a moron? You know, Xbox's aren't the only thing they sell. They sell computers, tablets, operating systems, many different types of software, all of which are constantly bought all day every day. And you just said MS is dead. Jesus Christ your post reeks stupidity.

    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    So basically Europe, North America and English speaking Oceania, traditionally their best markets - so what's the news?
    Reply
  • Cataclysm_ZA
    Reply