With the release of Role Playing Game (RPG) ”Tales of Vesperia” in Japan, Microsoft's Xbox 360 has seen an enormous increase in console sales, but now faces harsh shortages thanks to Tales of Vesperia's success.

“Tales of Vesperia” is the latest in a large plan by Microsoft to cater to Japanese audiences with Japanese-made games, traditionally found on Sony platforms. The Xbox 360, up until now, has been the punch line on weekly released console sales charts in Japan since its original debut in late 2005--on average, selling substantially less than every other console, including the eight-year-old Playstation 2. This is widely believed to be a result of Japanese gamers not caring to buy into a foreign-made console.

Since the release of “Tales of Vesperia,” which saw sales of over 100,000 copies in its first week, the Xbox 360 has been seeing never-before-seen sales of its own, selling over 24,000 consoles during Vesperia's launch. The Xbox 360 could have sold yet even more units, but Microsoft's Japanese stocks were not enough to meet demand. This week, Xbox 360 sales have dropped below 4,000 consoles.

“Tales of Vesperia” is part of a strange turn of events, largely thanks to Microsoft, wherein the Xbox 360 is now the system to own for fans of Japanese RPGs. During the last two console generations, Sony's Playsation and Playstation 2 had been the undisputed home of RPGs, arguably the most popular genre among Japanese video game players. However, since the release of the Playstation 3, allegiances among Japanese RPG makers have seen shocking changes.

There are now more Japanese RPGs on store shelves and in development for Microsoft's Xbox 360 than there are for Sony's Playstation 3. Microsoft's plans with wooing Japanese gamers do not end with “Tales of Vesperia,” however. Microsoft's first substantial foray into JRPGs was “Blue Dragon,” most noted for being designed by famed Japanese game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi originally hailed from Japanese powerhouse developer Square-Enix, and is known as the father of the “Final Fantasy” series, the most popular RPG series of all time. Sakaguchi more recently gave Microsoft its second big JRPG in late 2007, “Lost Odyssey.”

Unfortunately for Microsoft, both games failed to be the blockbusters they had been banking on, but they did the job of getting the ball rolling for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Healthy sales for “Tales of Vesperia” are attributed to the large amount of coverage it saw in Japan, thanks to it being part of the long standing “Tales of” series by developer Namco Bandai. The fan-base of “Tales of” has certainly bought into Vesperia, and thankfully for Microsoft, they have even more JRPG plans soon to hit store shelves in Japan.

The most renowned JPRG developer in the world, Square-Enix, is releasing its latest big title for the 360, “Infinite Undiscovery”. Furthermore, Square-Enix is developing titles “Star Ocean 4” and “The Last Remnant” as timed exclusives for the Xbox 360. With Microsoft now restocking Xbox 360s in Japan and also having announced a 30 per cent price drop, Xbox 360 sales in Japan might just be on the upswing and off the punch line.

Kyle is a new writer for the Interrobang. You can catch his free monthly podcast, the “FXN Final Fantasy XIII Podcast” on the iTunes Store.