Japan may orbit around LittleBigPlanet, says analyst

Analyst Michael Pachter thinks LittleBigPlanet could ignite PlayStation 3 hardware sales in Japan.

In a note to investors Monday, Wedbush Morgan analyst Pachter said he was particularly impressed with consumer reaction to Sony's LittleBigPlanet, Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed at the recent Tokyo Game Show.

"Each game appears to be well positioned to resonate with the Japanese audience," he said of the three titles.

He added, "...We think that LittleBigPlanet will be a console seller in Japan."

The PS3 is currently lagging behind the Nintendo Wii in Japan. A new report from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain said that the less expensive Wii outsold the PS3 by more than four to one in Japan during the first fiscal half ending in September. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is performing well behind both consoles in the region.

Above: If the Japanese are half as sensitive about their flag as Americans, we apologize in advance

LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation 3 is under development by UK-based Media Molecule, which was founded in 2006 by former Lionhead designer and Rag Doll Kung Fu developer Mark Healy. The game incorporates a charming yet technically impressive style, backed up with emergent gameplay and concepts taken from user-centric websites such as YouTube and MySpace.

The game is expected to release in early 2008 in the US.

Courtesy ofNext Generation

CATEGORIES
Latest in Platformer
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Donkey Kong in newly shared gameplay of what seems to be mario kart 9
"This is unlike Nintendo": Former marketer thinks Mario Kart being a Switch 2 launch game isn't as ideal as OG Switch's Breath of the Wild combo
Animal Well screenshot, captured on PC
After his excellent debut Metroidvania took 7 years, Animal Well's solo dev says his next game shouldn't "take nearly as long"
Crash Bandicoot PS1
Former Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida says the PlayStation marketing team had to completely redesign Crash Bandicoot in PS1 commercials because he was too ugly for the Japanese market
Astro Bot
Astro Bot director says precisely what the industry needs to hear: "It's OK to make a small game" because "players today have a backlog of games" they can't complete
Sonic and Shadow clash in front of the moon in Sonic X Shadow Generations
Sonic gets an official lore timeline that goes "tens of thousands of years" into the past and 200 years into the future, and somehow canonizes a party game spin-off
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong