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"If Japanese developers are successful and profitable in their own region, is this a problem?" Very few of them are, so yes it is a problem. Even the giants are losing money. Nintendo, as successful as they have been, are deep in the red right now.
I would argue that few if any game interviews are "hard-hitting," but I do believe that Chris framed his questions with regards to the the many other interviews that preceded his. He asked for specifics. To call him out for not doing that is unfair (full disclosure: I work for Chris, but I think his work speaks for itself)"
While it's true that Western games don't sell as well in Japan as domestic games, they are consistently among the top-selling games worldwide. This is what Mr. Inafune is refering to. He is rejecting the idea that Japanese game developers should focus on catering to Japanese customers (which they are doing) because that market is shrinking. Nevermind "winning," Japanese game developers will start dying if they fail to break out of their current line of thinking.
You call out journalists for not asking "a single hard-hitting question, let alone a clarifying one." Yet the very first question in Chris Kohler's interview (which you link to!) is "What specific pieces of advice do you have for the Japanese game industry?" He also asks a number of follow-up questions seeking specific answers regarding Japan's strengths and weaknesses.
No one has to agree with Inafune, but don't act like he's Chicken Little crying that the sky is falling. And on behalf of writers everywhere, don't accuse us of being unprofessional."
One, Sony seems to have learned nothing from Nintendo's difficulties launching a $250 handheld console because Sony's offering consumers a choice between $250 and $300 PLUS a proprietary memory card that is very, very expensive.
Two, Sony has shown surprisingly little initiative in getting more downloadable PSP games for Vita owners to enjoy. Major publishers like Konami & Capcom do not support the UMD Passport program at all, so the 4 million+ people who bought the last Monster Hunter on PSP are left sitting in the cold.
Three, there's no surefire hit waiting in the wings. I bought my 3DS last February knowing that Mario would come later. He did, and it was AWESOME. Meanwhile, I bought a Vita last month and while there's games I'm looking forward to, I don't see anything that's going to get the general public excited for Vita. That concerns me, because without the masses showing interest there will be fewer companies willing to develop for the platform. Look at the 3DS software delays/cancellations that popped up when that console was struggling. That's going to be the Vita circa April and May unless something big changes."
Play more handhelds! That's where the Japanese developers are focusing their energy now."
Chase, it is a shame that Streetpass is so perfectly suited to Japan and only a few other places. Though I did OK walking around New York City in August."
