By that logic, though, would PS3 games here in Britain
ever sell? I mean nine out of ten times we have a US version of the game in the same language that we speak available online for cheaper than our domestic one. In fact, the discrepancy is even worse here, as it's not just one of price but of time; any person here in Britain with a credit card can get the US version of a given game cheaper and quicker than they can if they wait for a domestic release. Given what Atlus have said about how many Japanese gamers would import the US version, I suppose European publishers must go under within a year, because it's impossible to sell in those conditions.
Oh wait, no it's not. We have far more titles released here nowadays than we ever did back in the days of universal region locking. Game sales in Britain hit a record high about two or three years ago. And we have companies here like Zen and Ghostlight who work exclusively on publishing obscure Japanese titles, which would have been completely unheard of back in the day. If anything, the market in Britain is stronger than it has ever been, despite the fact that the only completely region locked consoles currently on the market are the 3DS and the Wii. And this isn't even taking into account that there are far more import-savvy people in Europe than in Japan, as we've been importing games since pretty much the stone age.
Sorry, but I just don't buy their reasoning. They might have been looking at a few lost Japanese sales and a few gained US ones, but the potential doomsday scenario that they say forced their hand is flagrantly disproved by sales here in Britain. They can dress it up however they want, but there's no excuse for locking this specific title ahead of most any PS3 game that came before it, and it's an ugly and anti-consumer decision that they had every choice in. I feel sorry for Atlus USA because most of the boycotters will probably be boycotting their version despite the fact that the decision will have come from Japan, but I think people have every right to feel aggrieved with the decision itself. And while I agree with Cola that the boycott will never get enough steam to cause any real damage, I do hope the game fails, because one success and it's very unlikely that this will be the last PS3 game to be region-locked.