Even though it may not have needed saving, Microsoft executive Aaron Greenberg has claimed that Project Natal could help revive the Japanese gaming market.
“The reality of the Japanese gaming market is that it is not the size it once was and at the same time we have seen gaming become the largest form of entertainment around the world,” Greenberg told Destructoid.
“However, I don’t think this means that Japanese creators should be trying to come up with the next Halo or Call of Duty. I think there are ways to leverage their creativity with new tools like ‘Project Natal.'””
According to Greenberg, Microsoft recently held a Project Natal Creators Panel with three of Japan’s leading creators, Kojima-san of Konami, Inafune-san of Capcom and Nagoshi-san of Sega.
“All of the leading Japanese publishers have announced that they are actively working on games for ‘Project Natal’ and I can’t wait to see these come to life. I truly believe the future is bright for Japanese creators and publishers.”
The Natal concept, which uses cameras and microphones to track player movements, was revealed at E3 2009 in Los Angeles.
A number of game studios, including Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Disney, EA, Konami, MTV, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft, have committed to developing Natal-capable titles.
