The Xbox One isn't doing well in Japan. To be frank, it never has, and the same thing goes for its predecessors.

With both Nintendo and Sony dominating the market, it's hard for an American-made console with a library built with Western gamers in mind to even get its foot in the door — despite its best efforts, Microsoft just hasn't been able to generate any sort of momentum in Japan.

Things aren't getting any better, either: while E3 may serve as the gaming industry's biggest showcase, there's another show that some will argue is equally important. The Tokyo Game Show is Japan's annual gaming convention, where the country's biggest developers go to show off what they're working on. For years, Microsoft has had some sort of presence at the show — but that's about to change.

For the first time in years, Microsoft is skipping the Tokyo Game Show: no booth, no new demos ... nothing.

First seen by Famitsu (and translated by Gematsu), Microsoft Japan's Masayuki Inoue explained the publisher's absence from one of the industry's biggest shows (in the vaguest way possible):

"2015 will continue to provide an attractive game line-up, exclusive titles included. This year, Microsoft will not exhibit the Tokyo Game Show, but we're making various preparations to deliver the latest Xbox news to fans and media. We will provide an update as soon as we can."

Let's be honest: Microsoft knows that it's failing in Japan. Sending media, tech crews and representatives to a show where its booth might not even receive any attention could end up being a huge waste of money.

That being said, the statement's wording sounds like Microsoft is still dedicated to the Japanese market, and it's possible that it will publish something on its own terms. Nintendo's had huge success with its digital-only Nintendo Directs — could Microsoft be planning something similar?

At this point, there's no way to know for sure — one way or the other, things aren't looking good for Microsoft's console in the Japanese market.

Tokyo Game Show 2015 will take place from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20.

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