Tag: Japan
News SNK Announces ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 9 And Vol. 10 For Switch
Arriving in Japan this December
SNK has announced it's releasing the ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 9 and Vol. 10 for the Switch. It will arrive in Japan on 18th December 2025. There's no local release mentioned but the previous collections have also included English-language support. Here's what each volume will contain (via Gematsu): ACA NEOGEO...
News Genre-Bending 'Baroque YA' Collection Headed To Switch In Japan
Multiple genres in one easy-to-store package
Japanese dev outfit Sting has just announced Baroque YA, a collection of four games from the genre-spanning series, will release on Switch (in Japan only, for now) on 18th December. Originally released for the Sega Saturn all the way back in the Spice Girls-heady days of 1998, the first Baroque is a...
News Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment 'Treasure Box' Set Revealed For Japan
Featuring all sorts of goodies
The upcoming release Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment got a little bit more time in the spotlight during the latest Direct. Apart from the title's Switch 2 box art, it's also been revealed Japan will be getting a special "Treasure Box" release featuring all sorts of goodies. This retails for 17,780 Yen and comes...
News Sunsoft Has A "Major Announcement" To Share Next Week
Sunsoft really is back
The Japanese video game company Sunsoft (known for releases like Blaster Master, Ufouria and Trip World) is teasing something big... In a brief post on social media today, it revealed plans to share some important news. There will be a "major announcement" taking place next week on 16th September 2025 (
News "Everyone Is A Director" At Nintendo, Says Former Dev, But Don't Make Excuses
Or you're outta here, pal
Motoi Okamoto, a former developer at Nintendo and now steward for the Silent Hill franchise at Konami, has taken to social media to comment on whether game directors might be considered "incompetent" if they're unable to judge new ideas without first implementing them. As covered by Automaton, Okamoto – who worked on...
News Brownie Brown's GBA Title 'Magical Vacation' Returns This Week (Japan)
Joining the 'Nintendo Classics' library tomorrow
Nintendo's Switch Online + Expansion Pack service in Japan is this week adding Brownie Brown's 2001 Game Boy Advance RPG, Magical Vacation. This Japanese exclusive will show up for the service on 4th September 2025. That's the same date as the release of Forsaken 64 on the mature N64 app locally. In...
News Nintendo Subsidiary 'Warpstar Inc.' Has Been Renamed To 'Nintendo Stars Inc.'
Will focus on expanding Nintendo movie adaptations into other mediums
Nintendo has announced that it is renaming its subsidiary company 'Warpstar Inc.' to 'Nintendo Stars Inc.' following its consolidation earlier this year. Warpstar Inc. – founded on 31st July 2001 – had previously been a joint venture between Nintendo and Hal Laboratory to...
News Hideaki Itsuno Hires 'Devil May Cry' And 'Street Fighter' Legends For New Studio
A huge blow for Capcom
From left: Bingo Morihashi, Hideaki Itsuno, and Daigo Ikeno Lightspeed Japan Studio, a subsidiary of the Tencent-owned company Lightspeed Studios, has announced a key expansion with the opening of a new office in Osaka. Under the leadership of Hideaki Itsuno – who perhaps most famously spearheaded the development of the...
News Nintendo's New 'Hello, Mario!' App Is Now Available On The Switch
A free download on the Japanese eShop
Following an announcement earlier this month, Nintendo's free Switch eShop and smart device application Hello, Mario! is now available to download. This game is designed for parents and their children and is only available in Japan right now. If you want to download the game on your Switch or Switch 2, you'll...
News Mario Kart World Announces 'Summer Vacation Skill Test' Event
Summer fun for Japan
Mario Kart World is running a Summer Vacation Skill Test event in-game later this month, but only in Japan. Announced on social media by Nintendo — and translated by OatmealDome — you'll be able to participate in 150cc races with others to try and become one of the top 100 players. The event takes place on 23rd August 2025...
News McDonald's Japan Pulls Happy Meal Pokémon Cards Early, And Fans Blame Scalpers
But will they learn from their McSteaks?
McDonald's restaurants in Japan seem to have got a little more than they bargained for over this past weekend, as a promotion between Pokémon and the company's Happy Meals had to shut down early. The reason? "Higher-than-expected sales". However, it appears there's more going on here — and, as you can...
News Nintendo's Share Price Is Now Double The Height Of The Wii Era
Huge gainz
Nintendo's share price is continuing to skyrocket following the early success of the Switch 2. According to the latest data from Google Finance, the company's share price currently sits at a staggering ¥14,355. For context, this is now double Nintendo's value at the height of the Wii era. On 31st October 2007, the markets closed with...
News SNK Announces ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 7 And Vol. 8 For Switch
Vol. 5 and 6 launched this week
Alongside the release of SNK's ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 5 and 6 in Japan this week, Vol. 7 and Vol. 8 have now been announced for the Switch. Both of these collections will launch on 6th November 2025 in the same location. There's no mention of a local release, but like previous collections, English-language...
Gallery Nintendo Shows Off Its New 'My Mario' Product Line
Rattles, plush and much more
Nintendo today announced a whole range of themed products as part of its new 'My Mario' campaign for parents and children. Apart from a new smartphone and Switch app as well as wooden amiibo blocks, it's also announced a bunch of other stuff. This includes products like clothing, rattles, tableware and much more! Here's...
News Nintendo Announces New 'Hello, Mario!' App For Switch And Mobile Devices
Wood Block amiibo also revealed
Nintendo has today announced it's releasing a new line of Mario-themed products, videos and even an app designed for parents and their children. The free smart device and Switch app is officially titled 'Hello, Mario!' and allows kids to interact with Mario's face. Based on the description and footage so far, it...
Mari no cart
Japan's largest speedrunning event, RTA, is set to kick off later this week on 9th August, and will see some of the speediest gamers in the biz ploughing through the likes of Cuphead, Nier: Automata and Skyrim, all in aid of Doctors Without Borders. We learnt a few months ago that Nintendo games would not be included in the lineup, and...
News Ys X: Proud Nordics Allows Switch Players To Transfer "Clear Data" To Switch 2
The game launches in Japan today
Ys X: Proud Nordics launches for the Switch 2 in Japan today, and while there's still no word about a local release, some new details have now emerged about this experience. As highlighted by RPGSite, an early review from Japanese outlet Dengeki has revealed some key details about how the Switch 2 version connects...
News Pokémon Legends: Z-A Reveals Another Pre-Order Distribution
Update: You can obtain the items through "normal gameplay"
It's been an exciting week on the Pokémon front with multiple new announcements shared in the recent broadcast. Following this, more details about the Pokémon Legends: Z-A physical and digital pre-order goodies in select regions have been surfacing online. Now, we've got an update about...
News Japanese Variety Show Ranks Nation's Favourite Games, Mario & Animal Crossing Miss Top Spot
Mining for data
A new survey conducted by Japanese variety show Ariyoshiiieeeee! – Oh yeah! Wanna play games at your place now? has revealed Japan's favourite video games, both overall and by age rating, and while the likes of Mario, Splatoon, Pokémon, Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Dragon Quest all make frequent appearances, none of them made the...
News Another Code Director's Gorgeous Interactive Adventure Comes To Switch 2 Next Week
Just weeks after being announced
Arc System Works, the studio most famous for Guilty Gear but who also worked on the recent Another Code: Recollection remake, is releasing Switch 2 exclusive Dear me, I was... on 31st July 2025 (thanks Gematsu!) The game was spotted on the Japanese eShop earlier today and will retail for around 850 yen. That
Round Up 10 Switch 1 & 2 Games We Played BitSummit 2025 - Here's What We Thought
So many Bits to Summit, and not enough time
BitSummit has once again come and gone, and unlike last year where it was a bit difficult to find indie developers committing to a Nintendo Switch release well before the Switch 2 was announced, we found a renewed enthusiasm for Nintendo as we pursued the two floors BitSummit took over in Kyoto’s Miyako...
News Nintendo Is Seeking Player Feedback On Game-Key Cards In Japan
How much time have you got?
Game-Key Cards, it's safe to say, haven't gone down too well with the Nintendo community. With rumours heavily indicating that the only Switch 2 cartridge currently on offer to third-party developers is the full-fat 64GB model, the vast majority of games so far have arrived on Game-Key Cards. This means that you need to...
Random It's Civil War As One Pokémon Trading Card Store Robs Another
"Underoos!"
We've had stories previously in which shops specialising in trading cards have found themselves the unfortunate victims of robberies, but this one really takes the cake. As reported by Automaton, a 35-year-old Japanese man was arrested on suspicion of robbery on 9th July 2025 and is alleged to have stolen 123 items at knifepoint worth...
News Ys X: Proud Nordics Reportedly Includes 120fps Performance Mode On Switch 2
Launching in Japan this month
The Switch 2's packing a lot more horsepower than the original system, and as a result, a lot of games and series can now ship with higher resolutions and improved performance. With this in mind, the upcoming release Ys X: Proud Nordics will apparently support up to 120fps on Nintendo's new hybrid system. This...
Japanese Charts Switch 2 Storms Past 1.5 Million Units Sold
And Mario Kart World holds firm at number one
Famitsu has provided the latest look at the Japanese boxed charts, and all things considered, it's a pretty familiar scene. Mario Kart World is once again at the top of the pile with a further 114,106 units sold, putting the total at almost 1.3 million. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is climbing the top...
News Fantasy Life i Switch 2 Physical Release And Photo Mode Update Announced
As global cumulative sales surpass one million
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time got off to a positive start in May, and it seems we've now got an official update from Level-5 – with the company announcing today the "global cumulative sales" for the title have now surpassed 1.2 million units. This figure combines all version sales including...
News Switch 2 Users Are Reporting Instances Of Their Consoles Overheating
"Without a fan, you can’t play for long"
With the addition of a fan in the Switch 2's dock, we all knew that Nintendo's new console would probably kick out a bit more heat than its predecessor in order to manage the more technically demanding games. According to some folks in Japan, however (thanks, Nintendo Soup), their consoles are actually...
Japanese Charts Tamagotchi Plaza Serves Up A Staggering Debut
But there's no shaking pole position
We are back with an updated look at the Japanese physical charts, courtesy of Famitsu, and while pole position has remained ever-steady, a couple of newbies have shaken up the rest of the proceedings. Surprising nobody, Mario Kart World is still in first place after having put up an additional 145,069 sales in...
Gallery My Goodness, Superdeluxe's Castlevania Anniversary Collection Is Proper Lush
Deluxe indeed!
When Japanese physical publisher Superdeluxe Games announced it was giving Castlevania Anniversary Collection the physical release treatment earlier this year, I immediately sat up and took notice. Having already seen how exce
News Star Fox Designer Was Relieved To Leave The "Amazing People" At Nintendo
"I had been released from the inferiority complex I’d carried for years"
It should come as no surprise that Nintendo is quite the haven for talented individuals. Given the sheer quality of its products and the dedication of its development teams, we imagine Nintendo must be a pretty intimidating place for anybody. And indeed, according to Star...
Japanese Charts Mario Kart World Speeds Past 1 Million Physical Sales
No slowing down
Another week of Switch 2 sales has come and gone, and Famitsu is here to give us the rundown on the physical figures from Japan. Unsurprisingly, Mario Kart World is still in pole position, shifting an additional 122,578 units in its third week, and pushing its total sales past the one million mark. Elsewhere, RAIDOU Remastered...
News The Nintendo Museum Is Opening An Art Gallery This September
"Explore a wide range of game artwork"
Nintendo has been branching out with movies, theme parks and last October it launched the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan. This venue features multiple historical exhibits, eight interactive experiences, a shop where you can purchase merchandise and much more. Now to add to this, the museum will be opening an...
You could say it's off to a good start, then
The Switch 2 is off to an amazing start all over the world, but in Japan, its success has been especially remarkable; it's already the fastest-selling console in the nation's history, outperforming even the mighty PS2. With 947,931 consoles sold at launch, the Switch 2 overtook the 630,552 set by Sony's...
Japanese Charts Switch 2 Won't Slow Down, Surpasses 1 Million Consoles Sold
And it's only week 2
The Switch 2 is still going strong over in Japan, and thanks to Famitsu, we have the lowdown on the week's physical and console sales. Unsurprisingly, for the second week in a row, Mario Kart World takes pole position by shifting another 134,900 copies in the week of 9th to 16th June. That's over 120k more than the next closest...
News Nintendo Reconfirms Its Attendance At BitSummit Expo Next Month
Don't expect first-party games
Nintendo has reconfirmed that it will be attending BitSummit 2025 to showcase select indie games on the Switch 2. This year's event, dubbed BitSummit the 13th: Summer of Yokai, will take place at the the Miyako Messe in Kyoto City from Friday, 19th July to Sunday, 21st July. Tickets are on sale now for Japanese...
Japanese Charts Switch 2 Crushes PS2 To Become Fastest-Selling Console Ever
Nearly 1 million consoles sold!
The latest Japanese boxed charts are here, courtesy of Famitsu, and golly gosh, would you believe it, Mario Kart World has stormed to the top with a total of 782,566 copies sold. That's simply incredible. The next in line is the Switch 1 version of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma with 45,703 copies sold. Truth be...
News Mario Kart World Invitational Announced For 'Nintendo Live 2025 Tokyo'
Get ready to race this October
Mario Kart World is now officially in the hands of Switch 2 owners around the globe, and with this in mind, Nintendo has today announced its new 'Invitational 2025 tournament'. This event will be taking place at Nintendo Live 2025 Tokyo later this year between 4th and 5th October. Nintendo hasn't shared any other...
News 'The World Ends With You' Director Leaves Square Enix After 29 Years
"I’m truly grateful"
Tatsuya Kando, the director of The World Ends With You and NEO: The World Ends With You, has announced he has left Square Enix after 29 years with the company (thanks, Nintendo Everything). Speaking on X, Kando expressed his gratitude to the fans and states that he hopes to "continue creating fun and enga
Japanese Charts Fantasy Life i Caps Off The Switch 1 With A Big Win
This is the life
Famitsu has published the latest boxed charts for Japan, and it's a huge win for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Okay, we say "huge", these figures don't exactly look great compared to what we might have seen a few years back, but hey, it's a solid start. The Switch version is the king here, of course, but PS5 has also...
News Nintendo Is Taking Even More Steps To Prevent Switch 2 Scalping In Japan
Firm joins forces with three marketplace sites
Nintendo has announced that it is taking extra steps to prevent Switch 2 scalping in Japan by joining forces with three marketplace sites. As announced on its official website, Nintendo states it is working with Mercari Inc, LINE Yahoo Japan Corporation, and Rakuten Group "in an effort to prevent...
News Mario Kart World For Switch 2 Tops Famitsu's "Most Wanted" Games List
The hype is real
It's hard to believe but the Switch 2 is out next week and naturally, excitement for Nintendo's new kart racer Mario Kart World is on the rise. The famous Japanese video game outlet Famitsu has shared its latest "most wanted" games list based on reader votes and this new entry in the Mario Kart series is now in the top spot -...
Japanese Charts Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Brawls Its Way To The Top
Finding its groove
Famitsu is back with its latest look at the boxed games chart in Japan, and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 for the Switch has deservedly stormed to the top with a total of 7,801 units sold in its debut week. The PS4 version also entered the top 10 at number 6, selling an additional 4,275. Konami's Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With...
Random Do You Recognise This Obscure Nintendo Console From The Switch Online Icons?
Deep Fami-cuts
The Nintendo Switch Online Missions & Rewards program has been trucking along since its launch back in April 2022 with a wide variety of icons, from beloved Nintendo characters to game consoles. And, in the run up to the Switch 2's launch, Nintendo is running a new series of icons based on its library of consoles in the run-up to...
Random Is This The Best Piece Of Final Fantasy Merch Ever?
Hats off, Vivi
Square Enix has been steadily feeding us with a bunch of new Final Fantasy IX merch over the past few months. From plushies of the main cast to black mage hats and figurines of Zidane and Garnet, there's no shortage of new items. All in aid of the game's 25th anniversary this July. We weren't prepared for yesterday's merchandise...
News Nintendo Is Opening Its Fourth Store In Japan This Year
Say hello to 'Nintendo Fukuoka'
Nintendo has announced that it is opening its fourth store in Japan by the end of 2025 in Fukuoka. Further details are scarce at the moment, but Nintendo says the store will be located in JR Hakata City (Amu Plaza), a large shopping mall consisting of clothing stores, furnishing retailers, restaurants, and more...
Japanese Charts Konami's New Visual Novel Triumphs In The Pre-Switch 2 Lull
Counting the weeks until launch
Famitsu is back with another look at the Japanese gaming charts, and, with Switch 2 edging ever closer, the quiet spell continues. Konami's new Japanese visual novel, Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You Emotional, made the most of the sales slump and came out on top in its debut week with 21,032 Switch sales under...
News Square Enix Details Plan To 'Reboot And Awaken' Its Business
With a focus on quality over quantity
Square Enix has released its financial results for FY2025, detailing a rather middling performance for the company with a distinct lack of major releases. The good news is that its HD Digital Entertainment sub-segment (i.e. the big games we're all interested in) turned a profit, but only because a combination...
News Monster Hunter And Resident Evil Help Capcom Achieve A Record-Breaking Year
"Highest consolidated sales and operating income in Capcom history"
Capcom has posted its financial results for FY2025, and it's been another remarkable success for the iconic Japanese publisher. In short, it's earned record profits across all relevant categories for the eighth consecutive year. It's also achieved over 10% operating income growth...
Japanese Charts The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Storms To The Top
But it's been a very quiet two weeks
Golden Week is over, and that means it's time to check out the physical game sales charts in Japan over the past few weeks, courtesy of Famitsu (via Gematsu). Between 21st April to 4th May, Too Kyo Studio's strategy RPG/visual novel hybrid, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy has emerged on top, shifting...
News SNK Announces ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 5 And Vol. 6 For Switch
Update: Multi-language release confirmed
[Thu 8th May, 2025 04:30 BST]: SNK has announced another two ACA NEOGEO collections. ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 5 and ACA NEGO Selection Vol. 6 will be coming to the Nintendo Switch on 7th August 2025 in Japan. There's no mention of a local release. Each collection will contain 10 previously released games...
