GTA: San Andreas - Coming Soon To Japan

15
Nov
2006
By Chris | 15th Nov 2006 at 00:04 GMT in San Andreas | 12 Comments

Rockstar Games has today announced a partnership agreement with Capcom Co., Ltd. to localize, publish and distribute the blockbuster title Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system in Japan. The game is currently scheduled for release in the Japanese market in January 2007.

Japan has always been late getting localised GTA games compared to the rest of the world, GTA3 and Vice City were both released in the country almost 2 years after the rest of the world, San Andeas' January release pushes this gap to over 2 years. Some prefectures choose to ban the games, due to the belief that they promote violence and are harmful to today's youths. You may remember our previous stories of GTA3 getting banned in various prefectures, with retailers facing hefty fines if caught selling the game to under-18's.

Link: Take 2 Press Release

Kitsune Inferno's photo
Kitsune Inferno 15th November, 2006 @ 00:25 - Permalink

Hmm. With the PS3 being out, I doubt they'll be impressed by SA. I thought SA was already out in Japan, for some reason. I was wrong.

Harwood Butcher's photo
Harwood Butcher 15th November, 2006 @ 01:01 - Permalink

I think it is...I saw the SA 21 minute intro with Japanese subtitles.

Kitsune Inferno's photo
Kitsune Inferno 15th November, 2006 @ 02:31 - Permalink

That video was on YouTube with Japanese subtitles. I saw about the first two minutes, then got bored to shit because I wasn't gonna wait two hours for it to fully load. Not to mention the frame rate.

Nate10's photo
Nate10 15th November, 2006 @ 02:38 - Permalink

Ya.I thought it was out already to in Japan;I thought most games come out in Japan first...Guess I was wrong.Well,good info then for me and good news for Japan.Thanks Chris :)

Artur's photo
Artur 15th November, 2006 @ 05:59 - Permalink

Yeah I don't it's that important for us since I don't recall seeing anyone from Japan here but I could be wrong and if so good news for them. Wow they'll probably have to wait until 2009 or maybe even 2010 (since it's being released late next year October I think because all GTA games have been released like that) until GTA4 then.

TG187's photo
TG187 15th November, 2006 @ 06:46 - Permalink

I really dont know why Japan is getting games with 2-3 years after they are realesd in Europe and America.But other thing that i dont know is why(example) new games appears first in America and England and few months later in Europe? :erm: Can someone please tell me.

Ciaran's photo
Ciaran 15th November, 2006 @ 15:33 - Permalink

2 years :wtf: why is it so late, but i guess that there is alot of problems over there because of all of the video games violence issues.

Chris's photo
Chris 15th November, 2006 @ 16:38 - Permalink

Japanese games are usually only released in Japan, only the really popular ones ever see release in NA and EU countries.

AFAIK Rockstar don't have a Japanese localisation team, and don't publish games in Japan, therefore needing a lot of time to find a new publisher, and one which can translate the entire game into Japanese - I would guess this also involves in game voiceovers, but maybe not.

Games, like films, are released first in the country where they are produced, or have the largest market.

Examples of films released in Europe before America: Every James Bond film ever made, 28 Days Later, Shawn of the Dead, The Business, The Football Factory, Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels... etc.

Examples of games released in Europe first: James Bond games, virtually all racing games apart from Gran Turismo and NASCAR, and many others which I personally have no interest in

- Most American's don't actually know any other motorsports exist, and would rather watch cars drive in circles for over 500 laps (I can't believe there's even such a "sport" as NASCAR - the concept is ridiculous yet somehow popular)

basically America get GTA games first because there is a far larger market over there. On a completely pointless and unnecessary sidenote, America is the only country in which the phrase "Grand Theft Auto" actually means something.

The second half of my post contains many exaggerations and is written satirically, if you can't realise this you are too young to be here.

Ciaran's photo
Ciaran 15th November, 2006 @ 17:42 - Permalink

Ok well that clears everything up, i also agree on that NASCAR thing,I guess it would take alot of time to translate the whole game into japanese. So that explains it.

mvi's photo
mvi 15th November, 2006 @ 18:25 - Permalink

Ah well it's the Japanese turn to start blowing up Americans it seems

Kitsune Inferno's photo
Kitsune Inferno 15th November, 2006 @ 23:20 - Permalink

The only reason NASCAR is popular around here because some of us are patient enough to see a crash. I'm not. I need a fast forward button to sit through NASCAR. Drifting and drag racing are also popular forms of racing here. But I digress. Japanese games are weird.

mvi's photo
mvi 16th November, 2006 @ 14:11 - Permalink

aye but generally good fun in their quirky sort of way

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