Takashi Sensui is resigning from his role as head of Xbox Japan, according to Kotaku’s translation of a report from Famitsu. Sensui has held his status since 2006, but rather than departing from Microsoft entirely, Kotaku reports he will support Xbox Japan and serve as General Manager for the Interactive Entertainment Business from Microsoft’s US headquarters.
Replacing Sensui’s role will be a collaborative effort between Yoshinami Takahashi, general manager of the Consumer and Partner Group, and Nobuyoshi Yokoi, boss of the Consumer and Partner Group Retail Business. Kotaku notes this is part of a reorganization effort within Xbox Japan.
The Xbox One only managed to move 23,562 units during the first week of its September debut in Japan, and adding up Media Create’s weekly hardware sales data (as compiled in our weekly Stiq Figures series) puts the console at more than 38,000 for lifetime Japanese sales. In comparison, the PlayStation 4 cleared 322,000 units within its first two days in Japan, while the Wii U moved 308,570 during its Japanese launch.
The Xbox family has previously faced uphill battles in the region – for example, it took the Xbox 360 almost six years to surpass 1.5 million units in Japan.
