EA Sports exec has stated that the company is working to appeal to Japanese gamers. That works appears to have paid off: FIFA 10 is a hit in Japan. But could that be for a deeper reason?
https://lastchance.cc/moore-ea-sports-working-to-appeal-to-japanese-gamers-5397351%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This paradigm does not hold true to sports game, the article notes. So when Japanese developers depict real teams and real players, the only option is to depict them realistically — and the vast majority of professional athletes are not small pretty boys!
Thus, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer franchise is a big hit in the West, and ditto for EA Sports title FIFA 10. Neither title carries the cultural baggage pervasive in other genre games.
Fantasy and Football [AltJapan]
