English => News => Topic started by: Redaktion on April 14, 2026, 05:34:34
Title: Sony “could punish them”: Ex-Xbox exec on Japan’s PS2-era video game publishing industry
Post by: Redaktion on April 14, 2026, 05:34:34
Former Microsoft publishing executive Ed Fries says Xbox's early-2000s push into Japan ran into a risk-averse PS2-era industry, where many publishers hesitated to publicly support Microsoft despite private interest and negotiations over major franchises. He claims Sony's market power enabled it to "punish" partners (if it wanted to) through tactics like delayed dev kits or reduced marketing, with a few companies, such as Tecmo, backing Xbox exclusives to curb what they saw as a monopoly.