Phil Spencer has taken to Twitter and has said that as of right now, Microsoft plans to support Japanese publishers on stage during their press briefing in June for E3 2018. When asked if they were going to show any JRPGs on stage, Spencer had this to say.
“As of now, yes. Things can change but like last year I wanted to make sure we supported our Japanese publishers on our stage and this year we are working to do the same. It’s important to us.“
As of now, yes. Things can change but like last year I wanted to make sure we supported our Japanese publishers on our stage and this year we are working to do the same. It's important to us.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 29, 2018
This is huge for Microsoft. Initially, the Xbox 360 had an abundance of JRPGs during the beginning of its lifespan, such as Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, having an exclusive deal with Mistwalker, the studio headed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The Xbox One desperately needs more variety. If it were to add JRPGs to the mix, especially exclusive JRPGs, it could compete with the likes of Sony and Nintendo.
Yes, Sony has the hardware numbers, but at this point, Microsoft is playing a long game. Their brand is solid and all they need is exclusives, which have been sorely lacking. While they will never win in Japan, they could win over some American gamers. Spencer understands what Microsoft needs, but the question is, will the company follow through?