With Xbox being the only console manufacturer of the Big 3 to not originate from Japan, Microsoft has struggled in the past to gain any ground within the region. That said, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has made a point of targeting the Japanese market – now revealing that PC …
Read More »Japanese OEM launches Noctua-cooled RTX 4070 and 4060 Ti graphics cards
The ASUS Noctua RTX 4080 is no longer the only RTX 40 series card with Noctua fans. While the Noctua RTX 4080 was created in close cooperation with Noctua, Sycom took a different approach with its Noctua-cooled RTX 4070 and 4060 Ti graphics cards. Sycom, a Japanese OEM system builder, …
Read More »Phil Spencer says there is ‘more work to do’ on bringing Japanese games to Xbox
With Microsoft being the only current console manufacturer to not hail from Japan, it makes some degree of sense that the Xbox has in the past struggled to secure a number of Japanese games. That said, this has been improving significantly in recent years – with Xbox forming partnerships with …
Read More »Sonic Frontiers is the fastest-selling mainline game in almost 20 years in Japan
Despite originating in Japan, Sonic the Hedgehog has always had much wider appeal in the West – with Sonic games typically performing worse in the blue blur’s home country. That being said, Sonic Frontiers seems to have broken this trend, with Sonic Frontiers becoming the fastest selling Sonic game in …
Read More »Animal Crossing: New Horizons recently became Japan’s best-selling game of all time
For many years, Pokémon Red, Green and Blue combined have topped Japan's best-selling games chart. Now, their time at the top has ended, as Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes the lead with 10,450,000 sales in Japan, 200,000 more than the first Pokémon games. The team at Game Data Library has …
Read More »The Japanese PC gaming market has doubled in just 3 years
With each passing year, it seems as though the PC gaming market continues to see a rather significant amount of growth. This is no more true than in the case of Japan, where the PC gaming market has reportedly doubled in just the past three years alone. According to Japanese …
Read More »Sony has surpassed 2 million PS5s sold in Japan
The PS5 has been a fast seller ever since its launch. Even now, almost two years later, the console is still difficult to pick up at retail and requires some planning on the customer's part. With the console selling out as fast as they can be made, we've seen Sony …
Read More »The Callisto Protocol will not release in Japan due to content rating
While fans eagerly anticipate the release of the upcoming survival horror action game The Callisto Protocol, those living in Japan will unfortunately be unable to play the game, as Callisto has failed its certification in the country – with there being no plans to alter the game. Making the announcement …
Read More »Microsoft have reportedly “talked with major Japanese publishers about acquisitions”
While the legalities surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to be figured out, the console manufacturer has not been keeping its eggs in one singular basket, with Microsoft reportedly looking to the East for potential studio acquisitions. As part of the latest episode of the Giant Bombcast podcast, industry …
Read More »Watch Dogs is back as a manga
The Watch Dogs franchise is one of Ubisoft’s most frustraiting, not due to its quality, but simply due to the fact that it’s a series with a great deal of potential being hampered by typical Ubisoft gimmicks. It is therefore interesting to see that a manga based in the world …
Read More »PlayStation State of Play announced with focus on Japanese games
With the PlayStation 5 firmly in its second year on the market, many fans have been wondering what is next for the console and its manufacturer. It seems these questions may be revealed very soon, as Sony has announced a State of Play stream set for tomorrow, the 9th of …
Read More »The Xbox Series S and X have individually outsold the Xbox One in Japan
With Sony and Nintendo both hailing from Japan, there has been little space in the market for Microsoft’s Xbox system. Historically, Xbox has performed very poorly in the nation, however, a new report has revealed that both the Xbox Series X and S have individually outsold the Xbox One in …
Read More »TSMC and Sony team up to build new chip factory in Japan
Following on from reports earlier this year, today TSMC and Sony are making their new partnership official. The two companies will jointly launch a new chip factory in Japan in an effort to address the growing demand for processors. The new factory will launch under a new subsidiary, Japan Advanced …
Read More »Xbox Series X/S on track to surpass Xbox One lifetime sales in Japan
Microsoft has consistently struggled with Xbox consoles in Japan, with last generation's Xbox One only selling 115,000 units in the country over its lifetime. With the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft is making a much bigger push, not only to get more Xbox consoles in the hands of Japanese gamers, but …
Read More »Xbox has partnered with over 200 Japanese developers
While Sony and Microsoft have gone back and forth over the generations when it comes to succeeding as the top platform, one country where the winner has always been predetermined is Japan – with Xbox’s presence nearly non-existent in the country. According to Xbox’s Phil Spencer however, Sony’s home turf …
Read More »Scarlet Nexus and AI: The Somnium Files join Xbox Game Pass
Xbox held its Tokyo Game Show livestream earlier this morning and while the event was light on new reveals, it did bring some exciting announcements for Xbox Game Pass. To cap off September, Game Pass subscribers will be getting two excellent Japanese games – Scarlet Nexus and AI: The Somnium …
Read More »Sony rumoured to be building a AAAA studio in Japan
While Microsoft has been snapping up video game development studios left and right, Sony has taken a much more methodical approach, acquiring studios which have been closely aligned with the console manufacturer for years. It seems the latest shake-up by the company may involve the creation of a new studio …
Read More »Tencent is looking to acquire more Japanese studios
Recently we reported that NetEase was in final talks with SEGA’s Toshihiro Nagoshi to poach the Yakuza creator, bringing him under the Chinese company's wing and giving him the freedom to create a new studio and IPs. It looks like NetEase isn’t the only Chinese-based company with an eye on …
Read More »Sony officially announces their latest 1st-party studio Team Asobi
Sony recently announced that it had significantly reduced the size of its long-running Japan Studio, instead putting more focus on Asobi Team – the team within Japan Studio responsible for Astro Bot and Astro’s Playroom. Sony has now officially announced Team Asobi, the latest first party PlayStation studio. Making the …
Read More »Nintendo is building its own museum
The video games industry may have a shorter history than most entertainment mediums, but it still has a long and storied history. One of the most interesting companies in the industry is Nintendo, and in celebration of this, the console manufacturer has announced that it will be officially opening its …
Read More »Square Enix confirms it is not looking to be acquired
Earlier this week, a report citing “multiple banker sources” claimed that there were several parties exploring an acquisition of Japanese mega-publisher, Square Enix. Of course, while Square Enix might be in the sights of a number of companies, there was nothing to suggest Square Enix was in active talks to …
Read More »Multiple parties interested in acquiring Square Enix
Square Enix has been a key pillar in the games industry for decades now with huge historical gaming franchises under its belt. A major change could be coming though, as sources claim that “multiple parties” are exploring an acquisition of the publisher. According to Bloomberg Japan in a report citing …
Read More »Silent Hill creator is “collaborating with a famous creator in Japan”
Ever since the cancellation of Silent Hills back in 2015, fans have been clamouring for a new entry in the Silent Hill franchise. While there have been rumours abound regarding the return of the series, there has yet to be any official confirmation. That being said, the creator of Silent …
Read More »Ghost of Tsushima’s developers will become ambassadors for the island
Ghost of Tsushima took many by surprise when it launched last Summer, offering a beautiful open world and introducing players to the island of Tsushima. While feudal Japan has been a desired destination for many video game players, taking people to Tsushima offered a unique twist – one that resonated …
Read More »First gameplay footage of Demon Slayer game shown off
Demon Slayer is currently one of the hottest media properties to come out of Japan. As with many popular anime releases, Demon Slayer was announced to be getting a video game adaptation. A first look at the game has now been shown off, revealing interesting comparisons to other titles. As …
Read More »Super Nintendo World officially opens in February 2021
Ever since it was first announced, fans have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Nintendo’s first theme park, dubbed ‘Super Nintendo World’. Despite the current global circumstances, it would seem that the theme park is now complete and ready to open, as it has been announced that Super Nintendo World …
Read More »PS5 had second-lowest PlayStation console launch in Japan
Though the video game industry is bigger than it's ever been, on a purely statistical basis, the PlayStation 5 has surprisingly had a rather tepid launch. In Japan, the console managed to shift 118,085 units in its first four days, making it the second lowest PlayStation console launch in the …
Read More »Microsoft continues acquisition talks with Japanese developers
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are both launching this week, officially kicking off Microsoft's next-gen campaign. One particular area of focus for Microsoft recently has been attracting Japanese gamers and developers, something that is expected to continue as Microsoft considers new acquisitions. As reported by Bloomberg this …
Read More »Japanese PS5s will now use ‘X’ button for ‘confirm’, breaking 25-year tradition
Ever since the first video game consoles, competing manufacturers have disagreed on the correct button placements, button faces, as well as the functionality of these buttons. While the ecosystem is perhaps more uniform than ever, the next generation PlayStation 5 is set to take this a step further. While Japanese …
Read More »Nintendo is now Japan’s richest company
While the video games industry is certainly a major player in the global market, bringing in 10s of billions of Dollars each year, the interactive entertainment market has in many ways surpassed traditional industries. Such is the case with Nintendo, which recently became the richest company in all of Japan …
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