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 …
Read More »Ghost of Tsushima has biggest launch week of any first-party PS4 title in Japan
Recently we reported that Ghost of Tsushima was suffering from stock shortages in Japan due to the sheer amount of demand for the title in the country. Now, more specifics on the game’s success has been revealed, with Ghost of Tsushima officially scoring the biggest launch week of any first-party …
Read More »The Japanese ratings board will close for the next month, causing potential game delays
It seems as though the world currently can’t go a day without more news related to COVID-19. The effects of the virus have been global and have affected nearly every single industry. Though a number of games have already been delayed by studios due to COVID-19, it looks like many …
Read More »Nintendo Switch surpasses the Wii’s lifetime sales in Japan
Since its launch in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has consistently outperformed many of the company’s previous consoles. The hybrid console has already outsold the Wii U, Gamecube, N64 and SNES, and in Japan at least, the Switch has now outsold the Wii’s lifetime sales. All this and more has been …
Read More »2019 was the best year in recorded history for Nintendo hardware in Japan
The Nintendo Switch has become one of the company’s greatest success stories. With over 41 million consoles sold in less than 3 years, and the recent release of the Switch Lite, it appears as though the console has no intention of slowing down any time soon. This appears to be …
Read More »The PlayStation 5 will likely launch concurrently worldwide – unlike the PS4
When the PlayStation 4 first launched, it saw a staggered release between the console’s major markets. While the system was released on the 15th of November 2013 in North America, PAL regions had to wait another two weeks (29th of November) to get their hands on the system. In the …
Read More »Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best selling home console game in over a decade in Japan
It goes without saying that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been a great success for Nintendo. With over 15 million copies sold, the game is currently the second best selling Switch title worldwide. With the latest Famitsu chart numbers being revealed however, it would appear that in Japan, Super Smash …
Read More »Shenmue 3 has worst opening of the series in Japan
After 18 years since its last entry, Shenmue 3 finally released earlier this month. The game’s original reveal in 2015 was met with much anticipation, with the Kickstarter becoming the most funded video game campaign ever at the time, having raised over $6.3 million. It appears that an 18 year …
Read More »Death Stranding is the biggest new IP retail launch of the generation in Japan
While Death Stranding may have underperformed in the UK launch sales charts, it seems that the Kojima Productions game hit it big in the studio’s home country. Death Stranding has become the biggest retail launch for a new IP this entire generation in Japan, beating out games such as Sekrio: …
Read More »Sony trademarks future consoles, all the way up to ‘PS10’ in Japan
If you ever doubted Sony’s long-term commitment to the gaming industry, you can now rest easy. Sony Interactive Entertainment have trademarked the names “PS6, PS7, PS8, PS9 and PS10” in Japan, all before the PS5 has even released. While this might simply seem like standard practice for most companies, the …
Read More »THQ Nordic Expands further, opening Japanese subsidiary
THQ Nordic announced yesterday that it was expanding its operations to the Japanese market. The subsidiary, THQ Nordic Japan KK, will be responsible for distribution, PR and marketing of both THQ Nordic, and HandyGames’ line up of video game experiences in the Japanese market. This makes the newly founded entity …
Read More »Japan outlaws the resale of game keys, rendering grey market sites illegal
Grey market key resellers have always proven divisive, coming under fire for their alleged role in depriving developers and publishers of sales. This is no longer a problem in Japan, as the country has opted to outright ban the resale of digital keys in their entirety. Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention …
Read More »Sony is going to end PSVita production next year
While Sony's PSP was a huge success, the company was unable to strike gold once again with the PSVita. The handheld was more of a cult success and became a haven for indie titles, rather than big system-selling releases. We learned earlier this year that Sony would be ending production …
Read More »Toshiba NAND bid hits $30 billion mark. TSMC bows out, leaves Foxconn in the lead
Reports have surfaced in the Japanese press that TSMC has quit on its bid to buy Toshiba's rather precious NAND-flash business, leaving Foxconn in the lead position. Foxconn has offered to pony-up 3 trillion Yen (around $30 billion), or $21.2 billion more than what Reuters had reported as the sought-after …
Read More »Nescafé Japan has a giant, mixed reality, Rube Goldberg instrument
Nescafé is looking to spice up the Christmas season at one of its Japanese coffee shops with the installation of an interactive, mixed-reality, Rube Goldberg machine that plays music while you wait for your coffee to brew. Available in the Harajuka district of Tokyo Nescafé coffee shop, visitors can listen …
Read More »Microsoft Hololens to go on sale in Japan in December
Microsoft is continuing the international roll out of its flagship augmented reality headset, the Hololens, by introducing it in Japan. Set to go up for pre-order in the country on 2nd December, devices are set to ship out in early 2017. This move will bring the number of territories where …
Read More »VAIO, Toshiba and Fujitsu to merge in to PC super group
It seems that Japan could have a new PC giant on the block as word has it that VAIO, Toshiba and Fujitsu are currently planning a huge merger in order to form a new PC-focussed company to rival the likes of Lenovo, the biggest PC maker operating in Japan. This …
Read More »VAIO is releasing a Windows 10 phone
VAIO, the former Sony laptop maker is set to enter the smartphone market later this year with its own Windows 10 phone. This will be the very first smartphone to carry the VAIO brand name and from what we can see so far, it looks like a very nice phone. …
Read More »Hideo Kojima and Sony confirm partnership with new studio
Yesterday was Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima's last day with Konami. The long-time developer has finally moved on from the place that shunned him in his final months at the developer/publisher and now heads up his own company, called Kojima productions. Confirming yesterday's rumours too is Sony, which released …
Read More »Monster Hunter X gets new trailer, Link crossover details
With Blizzcon 2015 having taken place this weekend, there's been a lot of Blizzard-centric gameplay trailers and teasers released about upcoming content, but that doesn't mean all other developers have dropped tools and taken a break. Indeed Capcom took the bold move this weekend of releasing trailers for one of its own upcoming …
Read More »Self-driving taxis will begin trials in Japan next year
While Google has made excellent progress with its self-driving car over the last few years, it seems that Japan is swiftly catching up, as trials of the ‘Robot Taxi' are set to begin in the country next year. These will be entirely automatic, self-driving taxis, picking customers up and driving …
Read More »Dark Souls 3 has a release date in Japan
Dark Souls 3 is on the way, with many having already seen and played the game at trade shows this year. However, now we have our first release date for the game, though it only applies to Japan for now. Dark Souls 3 is set to launch on the 24th …
Read More »Sony’s new speaker doubles as a TV remote
We have known for a while that Sony has been pushing for its Japanese employees to experiment a bit more with product ideas in order to try to turn its company financials around. We've seen Sony drones, paper smart watches and now, we have a speaker that also doubles as …
Read More »Kickstarter launched for a giant robot duel
MegaBots Inc is back again with a new Kickstarter campaign to build a giant fighting robot, following its previously unsuccessful attempt. Last year, MegaBots asked the internet for $1.8 million to construct a team of 15 feet tall robots, which would be piloted by humans and fight in an arena …
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