GameSpy: Xbox ports of the Chihiro games (VC3, Outrun 2, etc.) have been ruled out in Japan, however, since the Chihiro hardware is very close to the Xbox. Do you think you could port these games for foreign markets (where the Xbox is performing better)?
Mr. Osaki: Hmmm, well, you know, we're actually really scared of the rental markets that exist in the West. (Game rentals do not exist in Japan - ed.) You see, games like Outrun 2 and VC3 are really designed with arcade play in mind. They're something you put your coins in and amuse yourself with for a little while. This arcade-centric design idea is different from something like GTA3, which was made to keep you playing at home for long periods at a time. As a result, you could probably just rent the games, play them a bit until you're done, say "That was fun," and take them back. This would no doubt cut into potential sales.
Still, the Xbox is doing very well in the West. A port from Chihiro to the Xbox probably wouldn't be too difficult. But we'd need to get input from the Western Sega branches (SoE, SoA) first before we make any decisions.
