Xbox history: How Team Ninja helped legitimize the console in Japan

In a retrospective piece marking the 25th anniversary of Xbox, the platform's historical significance in the Japanese market is examined. While Halo: Combat Evolved established the console's industry presence, the platform initially struggled to gain respect from Japanese developers who viewed Microsoft primarily as a software company.

Key to changing this perception was Tomonobu Itagaki, head of Tecmo’s Team Ninja. Itagaki championed the Xbox's hardware capabilities, bringing Dead or Alive 3 as a launch title in 2001. This move, followed by the development of Ninja Gaiden, helped legitimize the American console among Japanese developers by demonstrating its power relative to competitors like the PlayStation 2.