Subj : Company explains why no Xbox ports
To   : All
From : Blue White
Date : Fri May 01 2026 08:55:24

Japanese developer says they don't make games for Xbox because the console is 
'not even stocked in major retail stores'

Date:
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:07:45 +0000

Description:
An indie game developer has explained why many smaller companies don't create 
Xbox ports.

FULL STORY
A developer who worked on farming action role-playing game (RPG)
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin has said that some smaller companies "can't afford" 
to spend their precious resources creating Xbox versions of titles when there 
is limited demand. 

The remarks come after y-koichi (who is credited as working in character and 
environment modelling in addition to planning assistance and writing) teased 
a potential Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin sequel. In an X post that we have 
machine translated, they stated that " Sakuna 2 will come out someday." This 
prompted a fan to ask about the possibility of an Xbox port of any potential 
sequel. The original game only released for PlayStation 4 , PC, and Nintendo 
Switch .

"Xbox, well... Personally, it's a console I have strong sentimental 
attachment to," y_koichi replied. "But honestly, with our company's manpower 
we just can't afford to spread ourselves across multiple platforms like that. 
In Japan, it's not even stocked in major retail stores." 

The comments reflect Microsoft 's struggle to gain a foothold in the region's 
console market, evidenced by poor sales of both the Xbox Series X and Series 
S in recent years. Japanese outlet Famitsu reported that overall Xbox Series 
sales had dropped roughly 75% year-on-year in 2025, with barely more than 
31,000 units shifted in 12 months. 

In contrast, more than 1,500,000 Nintendo Switch and 879,000 PlayStation 5 
consoles were sold in the same period. 

This recent decline is easy to attribute to a string of price hikes, with 
both systems becoming significantly more expensive in both 2023 and 2024, but 
Xbox consoles have been unpopular there well before these came into effect. 

As detailed in 2019 by CNBC , the original Xbox was disliked by local 
consumers thanks to its bulky design. The same report outlined that Microsoft 
was struggling to convince developers to create games for the platform, an 
issue that evidently persists today.

Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/gaming-industry/japanese-developer-says-they-
dont-make-games-for-xbox-because-the-console-is-not-even-stocked-in-major-reta
il-stores

$$
--- MultiMail/DOS
 * Origin: SFnet Mission Control (42:1/100)

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