Want to be big in Japan? Go digital

British publisher System 3 is making waves in Japan – by going digital.

The firm’s new Japanese office – headed by Takeshi Shimizu – launched Ferrari: The Race Experience late last year.

It was the publisher’s first release in Japan, it shot straight to No.2 in the PSN charts for December, and is still hanging around at No.4. That’s despite big name competition from Metal Gear, Daytona, King of Fighters and Metal Slug.

And the company believes digital networks like PSN are key to cracking the difficult Japanese market.

2012 marks System 3’s 30th anniversary and you can’t get much better than our first Japanese release doing so well,” said System 3 boss Mark Cale.

No other independent publisher has ever been able to move into a new territory and have such a success, so quickly. To do this you need to set up a Japanese company, and Takeshi Shimizu and his team have done us proud in making our entry into the marketplace so smooth.”

SCEE studio boss Michael Denny added: PSN has proved to be a fantastic distribution channel. And the lower barriers for entry makes it a great way for developers and publishers to launch in new territories.”