Tag: Japan
News Assassin's Creed Shadows Gets Positive Reviews In Japan as Bayonetta Director Speaks Out
Open world, characters, writing all praised
There's been much debate over how well Assassin's Creed Shadows would be received in Japan. After all, the game's set in the country's feudal 16th century, and its open world map attempts to recreate a vast swath of the island nation. In the months prior to release, there were reports that various...
News Japan's Game Industry on Impressive Rise as Western AAA Development Struggles
Sony and others hitting record highs
Five of Japan's biggest video game companies have just posted record-breaking share prices, strongly suggesting that the country's industry is actually strengthening amongst the global unrest that surrounds AAA development. As reported by analyst Dr. Serkan Toto on Kantan Games, Japan hasn't really felt the...
News Disrespectful Foreign Tourists Force Closure of Japanese Shrine Fixed by Ghost of Tsushima Fans
"Those who consider this place a theme park are not worshippers"
This is the kind of story that makes our blood boil. The Watazumi Shrine on Tsushima Island has been closed to all tourists following “a grave and unforgivable act of disrespect by foreigners”. There’s no information on what exactly occurred, but the incident which forced the...
News A Song About PlayStation Is Topping the Charts in Japan
YOASOBI strikes again
A song dedicated to PlayStation’s 30th anniversary is topping the charts in Japan. You may recall Sony signed local artist YOASOBI to write a song celebrating its console’s 30th anniversary. Players were encouraged to share their memories about the brand, and those have been immortalised in a distinctive electropop ditty...
News Iconic Game Maker Says Japanese Devs Should Stop Trying to Appeal to Westerners
"Keep pursuing the things Japanese people like"
There was a period, perhaps prominently during the PS3 era, where Japanese developers seemed to lose their way and started trying to appeal to Western tastes more and more. This is something we’ve seen a lot less of lately, as franchises such as Like a Dragon and Monster Hunter and Persona thrive on...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Sells Over 100k Consoles in a Week as Monster Hunter Wilds Explodes
Wild stuff
For the first time in a long, long time, PS5 has sold over 100k units in its native Japan. The console, powered by Monster Hunter Wilds and a temporary price drop, moved an impressive 108,978 units, with the base disc model PS5 making up most of the numbers. In terms of the splits, the PS5 sold 75,070 units, the PS5 Digital Edition sold...
News Japan Sales Charts: A PS5 Game Finally Rules the Roost as Like a Dragon Plunders
A pirate's life
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has shot straight to the top of the latest Japanese sales charts, having launched on the 21st February. As you may have noticed, we don't write about the charts too often these days — and that's primarily because there's hardly ever anything going on that's relevant to PlayStation. It's nice...
News Cheap PS5 Rental Service Rolls Out in Japan, Just in Time for Monster Hunter Wilds
Playtime
One of Japan's most popular retailers is rolling out a new rental service for the PS5 console itself — and it's actually quite cheap at just 980 yen (around $7 or £5) for a full week. The PS5 has sold fairly well in Japan up until this point, but there's no question that the region's home console market has shrunk significantly over the...
News PS5 Prepares for a Massive Month in Japan with Montage Video
Monstrous
PS5 has been doing fine in Japan, but it’s obviously common knowledge that Nintendo Switch is dominating the market in Sony’s homeland. In truth, there’s probably not a lot the PlayStation maker can do to reverse this situation, but the months ahead will be important for the PS5 domestically, as evidenced by this montage trailer...
News Compile Heart Is Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup for PS5, PS4
Shooters! RPGs! More
Niche Japanese publisher Compile Heart has revealed its lineup for 2025, and it’s got a good mixture of titles in the works for PS5 and PS4. We’ve already written about Returnal-esque third-person shooter Scar-Lead Salvation, but if you missed the news, you can find it through here. The other upcoming rele
News Japan Sales Charts: There Are Just Two PS5 Games in the Entire Top 30
Living in a Nintendo world
Nintendo's total domination in its home turf of Japan continues with the latest physical sales information (thanks, Gematsu). In the final weeks of 2024, the top 30 games almost exclusively comprise Switch software, with just a couple of exceptions. In the week ending 5th January 2025, Astro Bot appeared in 20th and...
News Japan Sales Charts: Dragon Quest 3 Is an Absolute Monster, PS5 Pro Falls Off
Japan + Dragon Quest = Profit
Japan loves Dragon Quest. The country's obsession with the age-old RPG series has rarely ever waned, and it remains an absolute sales juggernaut across the nation. Indeed, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has sold stupidly well upon its Japanese debut, shifting a colossal 822,000 copies. We don't know whether you keep up...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Pro Gets Stronger Start Than PS4 Pro Despite Being Twice the Price
A Pro move
The first sales figures for PS5 Pro in Japan are in (thanks, Gematsu), and it's a very healthy start for the beefed-up console. In its launch week, the machine has sold 78,086 units, which is far and away the best-selling hardware for that period. This is a pretty impressive number, especially when you start thinking about its price. PS5...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Software Actually Sells for Once
But hardware remains dire
Famitsu has published the latest Japanese software sales charts, and it’s a rare week of software wins for Sony. While much has been made of PlayStation’s inability to sell games in its home territory, this week sees it occupy four of the top five spots. Atlus’ anticipated RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio started strongest,...
News Sony Fights Scalpers in Japan By Demanding PS5, PS4 Playtime
For the players only
Inevitably, pre-orders for the limited edition 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro are being flogged for a huge markup on auction sites like eBay. But in Japan specifically Sony is fighting back by requiring 30 hours of PS5 and PS4 playtime since 14th February, 2014. If you haven’t logged that amount of time on your account, then you...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Continues to Tank in Japan Following Price Increase
Astro Bot hanging in there
The latest weekly Japanese gaming charts have arrived, and it seems Sony is still struggling in its homeland. The good news is that Astro Bot is holding fairly steady in the physical software chart, currently in third place. The less good news is that it's only managed 28,521 copies to date; the current number one game,...
News Astro Bot Introduces PS5's Killer Lineup in Unflinchingly Japanese Trailer
Headache inducing in all the right ways
You may want to prep some paracetamols, because Sony’s new Tokyo Game Show montage trailer goes hard. The theme this time revolves around Astro Bot, who’s inexplicably become a DJ and is rapping about all the great games coming to PS5. To be fair, this is one helluva lineup, and we’re sure everyone can...
News Japan Sales Charts: Astro Bot Barely Registers at Retail, PS5 Numbers Plummet After Price Hike
Astro Bottom
The latest Japanese hardware and software charts are in, and they don't make for particularly positive reading if you're sitting on the Sony side of the fence. To start with, Astro Bot has entered in second place, but with just under 12,700 copies sold at retail, that's hardly worth bragging about. It's an incredibly low debut for a...
Star Wars Outlaws, too
It's been a long time coming, but the PS5 has finally topped six million sales in Japan. The current-gen console's been heading towards that milestone for months, but a lack of notable system sellers has meant slow progress. Still, it's something for Sony to celebrate in its native country. For reference, the PS4 has sold...
News Japan Sales Charts: SMT 5: Vengeance Tops, Still Sells Best on Switch
The only PS5 game present
The latest Japanese sales charts are in, but we're struggling to find any talking points outside of the newly released Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance. An enhanced and expanded re-release of Shin Megami Tensei 5 — previously a Nintendo Switch exclusive — it made the jump to PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series last week. However,...
News Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade Is on Top Again, Sells 10,000+ Copies
Beats out three Nintendo Switch games
Stellar Blade has recorded another week at the top of the Japanese gaming sales chart, this time selling 10,935 copies to beat out competition from a trio of Nintendo Switch exclusives. The PS5 exclusive has now sold 91,099 units in total since its release in Japan. It's taken top place three weeks in a row now...
News Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade PS5 Sales Hold Strong
Beli-Eve
We all know retail PS5 software sales are pretty poor in Japan right now, so it’s a testament to Shift Up’s character action outing that Stellar Blade’s actually doing decently. The Korean outing tagged another 13,033 units to its total for the week ending 12th May, lifting its lifetime sales up to 80,164 units overall. With digital...
PS5 creeps closer to 6 million
The latest Japanese software charts are in, giving us a look into the sales figures of recent releases like Stellar Blade and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. To start with, Stellar Blade, the PS5 exclusive from South Korean developer Shift Up, debuted at the summit, selling just over 67,100 physical copies...
News Japan Sales Charts: Rise of the Ronin Rides Again, Refuses to Leave Top 3
All rise
Rise of the Ronin has once again done reasonably well for itself in the latest Japanese sales charts. The current PS5 exclusive launched a few weeks back, but unlike fellow action RPG Dragon's Dogma 2, it's been able to stick in the top ten since its release. It sold an additional 12,000 copies at retail, bringing its physical total up to...
News Despite Flagging Physical Software Sales, PS5's Retail Presence Is Still Strong in Japan
We visited Yodobashi Akiba to find out first hand
During a recent trip to Tokyo, we were eager to observe PlayStation’s retail presence. A lot has been made of PS5’s flagging physical software sales, which look downright embarrassing compared to the biggest hits on Nintendo Switch. Titles like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Dragon’s Dogma 2 have...
Keep ronin, ronin, ronin
Despite Dragon's Dogma 2 boasting marginally better launch sales than Rise of the Ronin (with both titles releasing on the same day), it's Team Ninja's PS5 exclusive that's managed to stand stronger in the latest Japanese charts. Indeed, Ronin has actually done quite well for itself, shifting an additional 20,000 retail...
News Japan Sales Charts: Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin Can't Beat Princess Peach
Feeling pink
Three relatively big games all released on the same day last week: Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin, and Princess Peach: Showtime!. But as we all know, Japan absolutely adores its Nintendo Switch exclusives — and so perhaps it's no huge surprise to see the latter title top the latest charts. To be fair, there wasn't a big gap...
News Japan Sales Charts: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 Sales Slip 91% at Retail
Cloudy
One of the big stories this year so far has been Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s relative underperformance in its home territory of Japan. Historically one of the region’s most popular franchises, the Square Enix sequel couldn’t even outsell fellow PS5 console exclusive Final Fantasy 16 in its first week on the market – a surprise...
News Japan Sales Charts: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Tops, But Doesn't Even Come Close to Remake
Behind Final Fantasy 16, too
We've said it once and we'll say it again: direct sequels are a harder sell than most people realise. The latest Japanese sales numbers are in, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the big talking point. Unsurprisingly, the RPG has immediately topped the charts with 263,000 copies sold — but that total, which may seem fairly...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Games Dominate as Persona 3 Reload, Granblue Fantasy: Relink Arrive
JRPG heaven
Well this is a rare sight indeed. The latest sales charts for Japan are in, and for the first time in a long while, the software rankings are dominated by PlayStation titles. Persona 3 Reload enters at number one on PS5, and number three on PS4, while another new release, Granblue Fantasy: Relink, takes second on PS5, and fifth on PS4...
News Recent Steam Concurrent Player Data Suggests Japanese Games Are Thriving
Big in everywhere
It would appear all is well when it comes to recent Japanese games. We've had a great run of big new releases from Eastern teams lately and, if Steam player numbers are anything to go by, it seems they're all making a decent splash right now. Last weekend saw big concurrent player counts for the likes of Persona 3 Reload, Like a...
News Square Enix to Absorb Subsidiary Tokyo RPG Factory and All Its Assets
Closing the production line
Tokyo RPG Factory was established by Square Enix approximately a decade ago in order to recapture the magic of the “golden age” of role-playing releases. However, following the launch of three titles – I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear, and Oninaki – the subsidiary has been absorbed into its parent company, and will...
News PS5 Had Sony's Best Year in Japan for Almost 20 Years
Hardware strong, software not
Sony managed to sell an enormous 2.6 million PS5 consoles in Japan last year, representing a colossal 124 per cent increase year-over-year. Of course, the dramatic upswing was to be expected following the dismal hardware shortages that plagued the platform in the post-pandemic period. This result, however, represents...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Can't Quite Topple 100k in Final Weeks of Year
But a solid year for Sony in its home nation
All in all, Sony had a decent year in Japan in 2023 – although it couldn’t topple 100k in the final two weeks of December. The system instead settled for a total tally of 81,943 units, less than half that of ageing rival Nintendo Switch. Obviously, the House of Mario’s role as market leader in its...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Still Flying Off Shelves Despite Switch Software Dominance
Riding the wave
The PS5 has topped the Japanese hardware charts for a second week in a row, following on from the recent arrival of the PS5 'Slim' model. Sony's current-gen console claimed the number one spot (second in combined sales) with around 51,300 units sold; an expected drop-off from its previous tally, but still a good showing for a system...
News PlayStation's Prepared a Massive PS5 Marketing Push in Japan
Return of the King (Gnu)
Earlier this week, a tease from PlayStation Japan had people speculating over some kind of secret announcement — but as we pointed out in our news coverage, the company was just hinting at a collaboration with popular Japanese band King Gnu. As it turns out, though, this promotion is actually a much bigger deal than we...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Rockets to the Top as 'Slim' Model Arrives
Like a Dragon Gaiden also sells well
Just in case there was any doubt about why PS5 sales plummeted in Japan over the last few weeks, Sony's current-gen console has now rocketed to the top of the hardware charts thanks to the arrival of fresh stock. The new PS5 model, commonly referred to as the 'Slim', is now readily available in the region, and...
News Star Ocean The Second Story R Sells Reasonably Well at Japanese Retail
R-tfully done
Recently released remake Star Ocean The Second Story R is enjoying a decent physical debut in Japan, the latest Famitsu sales charts reveal. It's not remotely surprising, but the classic RPG revival sold best on Nintendo Switch, followed by PS5 and then PS4. In total, the title moved just over 50,000 copies — which obviously isn't...
News Stop the Presses: Xbox Actually Outsold PlayStation in Japan Last Week, But There's a Big Catch
Calm before the storm
It's no secret that Xbox has historically struggled in Japan — especially when it comes to moving hardware. This generation has been no different for the team in green, with the Xbox Series X|S barely registering on the sales charts week after week. But in a shocking twist, Microsoft's current-gen systems actually outsold...
News Of Course Baldur's Gate 3 Will Be Heavily Censored in Japan
Careful now
Baldur's Gate 3 might have a high fantasy backdrop, but it certainly doesn't shy away from adult themes. In particular, the RPG is packed with intimate cutscenes and sexually-charged character interactions — to the point where the title's reputation practically hinges on such content outside of our more hardcore sphere. The game also...
News Elden Ring, Dark Souls Dev FromSoftware Beefing Up for Multiple New PS5 Games
Webinars to introduce roles in December
FromSoftware may have a long history dating all the way back to 1994’s King’s Field on the PS1, but it’s become an industry darling in more recent years. The veteran developer has unexpectedly discovered mainstream success with titles like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, and even the sixth instalment in its...
News PlayStation Japan Hype Trailer Brings PS5, PS4's Biggest Names
Final Fantasy! Tekken! Granblue Fantasy!
PlayStation Japan has released its bi-annual hype trailer for a bunch of upcoming PS5 (and PS4) games, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth understandably occupying the headline spot. It’s flanked by an eclectic slate of software, including Armored Core 6, Tekken 8, and Like a Dragon Gaiden
News Demand for PlayStation Portal Sky High in Japan, Pre-Orders Reportedly Sold Out
Thinking with portals
The PlayStation Portal has been met with raised eyebrows and shrugged shoulders among enthusiasts in the West, but it seems as though Japan is very much onboard with the Remote Play handheld. Pre-orders for the device recently went live at various retailers, and over in Sony's homeland, demand is reportedly high; PS Portal is...
Feature I Visited Yakuza's Real-Life Kamurocho, And Somehow Avoided an Ass Stomping
The armpit of Tokyo
In the latest trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, protagonist Ichiban Kasuga describes his home town of Kamurocho as the “armpit of Tokyo”. During a recent visit to the capital, I wanted to see if the real-life location the virtual sandbox is based on lived up to that description. There was no point in visiting during...
News There's a Lot to Look Forward to At Tokyo Game Show This Year
And it's happening soon
Tokyo Game Show is coming back with a bang this year, and it looks like there’ll be a lot to look forward to throughout the extended weekend. Scheduled to start on 21st September through 24th September, organisers the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association have been billing this as the biggest TGS in some time,...
News PS5 Quietly Crosses 4 Million Units Milestone in Japan
And rising
Contrary to reports suggesting otherwise, the PS5 has quietly been on the upswing in recent days, particularly in Sony's home region of Japan. Famitsu's latest report (thanks Gematsu) records that the PlayStation 5 family sold 53,211 units during the week of 24th July to 30th July 30, 2023 (with little brother PS4 notching up a...
News Japanese Final Fantasy 16 Sales Plummet by 90% in Second Week
Beaten by Master Detective Archives too
Japan really doesn't seem as hot on Final Fantasy titles anymore, as after the 16th mainline entry failed to hand the PS5 a chart-topping position, sales of the game have dropped considerably by 90 per cent. In its first week on the market, Final Fantasy XVI sold just over 336,000 physical copies. However, in...
News Even with Final Fantasy 16, PS5 Can't Outsell Switch in Japan
Game sells 330,000+ copies
If you need any more evidence the Nintendo Switch has Japan on complete lock, then here it is: even with Final Fantasy XVI backing it, the PS5 couldn't outsell the hybrid system last week. Famitsu statistics reveal (via Gematsu) the PS5 — disc console and digital edition combined — sold 85,385 units. Meanwhile, the...
News Final Fantasy 16's Painterly Japanese Commercial Is Epic
Packing a punch
The Japanese commercial for Final Fantasy 16 goes hard – alarmingly so. This extended television spot features several renaissance (?) style paintings, which are animated in a kind of stop-motion style to bring them to life. While dramatic music plays in the background, a voiceover speaks in Japanese, presumably spouting deeply...
News Jim Ryan: Japanese Market Still Very Important to Sony
It's the "birthplace" of PlayStation
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has reinforced Sony's commitment to the Japanese gaming market in a new interview with Famitsu, where he states it continues to be an important region for the company. Ryan explains (via Google Translate): "The Japanese market has been and will continue to be one of the most important...
