The first Red Dead Redemption did well in Japan. So now, Rockstar is plastering posters all over the country.
When Red Dead Redemption 1 came out in Japan in October 2010, the PlayStation 3 version debuted at the fourth spot on the Japanese charts, selling 71,000 copies. Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded also debuted that week, coming in at number three with 96,000 copies sold. However, Red Dead Redemption’s Xbox 360 version sold another 26,000 copies, so the combined versions outsold Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded at release!
The numbers weren’t as huge as those in North America or in Europe, but for a Western game in Japan, they were certainly good.
With Japanese gamers playing more and more international games, no wonder Rockstar is making a bigger push for the sequel.
Red Dead 2 isn’t only plastered in locations like Osaka’s Umeda...
Or Tokyo’s Shibuya.
Or Harajuku.
But all over the place, such as near Shinto shrines.
And close to various Tokyo train stations.
Near the Tokyo University of Science’s campus.
And this unnamed college.
Above a real estate agency in Sakai City, just south of Osaka City.
On the way to this Twitter user’s school.
On the way to this Twitter user’s house.
In front of an old house. (This Twitter user questions how effective this billboard is.)
In front of a rice field. (I question how effective this billboard is.)
Somewhere in Aichi Prefecture.
It’s almost like everywhere you look, there’s Red Dead Redemption 2.
In-store displays are impressive.
The game is even being used to show off televisions.
Since living here in 2001, I don’t think I’ve seen a foreign game promoted like this. Gone are the days that the term yougee (洋ゲー) or “Western game” was a vaguely derogatory term. Long gone.