After Microsoft's strong TGS presence and big gains for its hardware in Japan, exec Aaron Greenberg recently claimed a "shift" in third-party publishers to the Xbox 360 -- but speaking to Gamasutra, Sony stressed its "breadth and power" remain attractive
As the Xbox 360 has historically struggled to gain traction against the PlayStation 3 in Japan, Microsoft surprised many onlookers at this year's recent Tokyo Game Show. Not only did it bring a solid presence, it displayed new relationships with many publishers traditionally associated with Sony, such as Square Enix and Namco Bandai. And in the month of October, Xbox 360 hardware sales have beaten PlayStation 3's for the first time ever. Amid all of these positive signs from the Japanese front, Microsoft director of product manager Aaron Greenberg even suggested, in a recent podcast with Xbox Live programming director Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, that third-parties were making a "tremendous shift" Xbox 360's way. "Never before in the eight years that I've been coming to TGS [have I seen] this shift, frankly, from the PlayStation brand to Xbox 360 among third-party publishers... We're the platform they're looking to to help bring and grow their franchises around the world," said Greenberg. Gamasutra reached out to Rob Dyer, SCEA VP of publisher relations, for comment, and while he didn't directly address Greenberg, he expressed confidence in PlayStation 3's position among third-parties in Japan. "PlayStation is the only company to offer the highest-caliber of third-party titles for three successful platforms in all key regions and continents around the world," says Dyer. "This speaks volumes about our history and solid relationships with the global development community." Dyer noted that he anticipates 350 titles across Sony platforms for the fiscal year -- "including many exclusives from our publishing partners." "As Japanese publishers look to enter into new global markets, they recognize the breadth and power that PlayStation offers across our three platforms," Dyer says. "With over five times the capacity of Xbox 360, PS3's Blu-ray capability enables developers to take their creativity, innovation, and visual presentation to the next level, which simply isn’t possible on any other platform today."
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