Tag: Japan - Page 6
News Nintendo Is Raising Its Employee Pay By 10% In Japan
Furukawa: "It's important for our long-term growth"
Despite a downturn in sales and profits for Nintendo in its third quarter, it's reportedly raising the base salaries of its employees by 10% in its homeland. A report by Reuters reveals the Japanese video game giant is taking action to secure the "long-term growth" of its workforce. It follows...
News These Lovely EarthBound Plushies Are Getting A Re-Release On Valentine's Day
PK Love-ly
The Hobonichi MOTHER Project is bringing back those rather adorable EarthBound plushies next week in Japan! And no, the basket isn't included. The toy set will be restocked on Valentine's Day, 14th February, the company announced on Twitter. (Thanks, Nintendo Wire!) Originally launched in 2020 by series creator Shigesato Itoi, The MOTHER...
News New Pokémon Scarlet & Violet TCG Set Revealed, Along With Some Utterly Adorable Art
The starters shine
The Pokémon Company has revealed the next official Trading Card Game set for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, called Triple Beat. As you would expect from a name like this, the set focuses on Paldea's three starter Pokémon — Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly — along with their evolutions. The cards were revealed via a stream...
News Platinum Celebrates Metal Gear Rising's 10th Anniversary Later This Month
One to watch
One of the standout developers throughout the lifespan of the Nintendo Switch has been PlatinumGames. Not only has it delivered some amazing games like Bayonetta 3 and Astral Chain, but it's also released a number of past hits on the popular hybrid system including The Wonderful 101 and more recently NieR:Automata. If you're wondering...
Japanese Charts All Switch Models Outsold By PS5, Story Of Seasons Remake Is On Top
Top of the crops
It's a week of mixed fortunes for the Switch in this week's Famitsu charts (via Gematsu). The big story is that the PlayStation 5 has outsold all Switch models to be the best-selling hardware of the week of 23rd - 29th January. Sony's console sold an impressive 53,256 units this week, edging past the combined sales of the Switch...
Random Japan's 'Licca-chan' Doll Range Is Getting An Adorable Super Mario Model
It's-a me, Licca-chan!
Japanese toy mannufacturer Takara Tomy has revealed a new model in its popular 'Licca-chan' doll range based on Nintendo's Super Mario franchise (thanks, Automaton). The release marks an official collaboration between Takara and Nintendo and features the doll wearing Mario's iconic red and blue overalls and hat. Also included...
Reminder A Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Demo Is Out Today On Switch eShop
Download it from the Japan's eShop right now
Later this month, Square Enix will be releasing Theatrhythm Final Bar Line on the Nintendo Switch. If you're eager to see what the game is like ahead of release, later today you'll be able to download a free demo from the North American and European eShops. If you can't wait any longer, you can actually...
News Capcom Expects To Sell A Record 40 Million Game Units By End Of Fiscal Year
Driven by Monster Hunter and Resident Evil
Capcom has today released its latest financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year ending March 2023. In it, the publisher states that it expects to reach a record 40 million in unit sales by the end of the period, driven in large part by the Monster Hunter and Resident Evil franchises. The...
News Square Enix Survey Asks About Team Asano's Future Games
Would you like more remakes and remasters?
It seems Square Enix is once again calling on fans to have their say about what games they would like to see next. In a recent Japanese survey, the company known for the Final Fantasy series asked local residents of Japan what games and genres they would like to see from Team Asano in the future. Team...
Feature Best Japan-Exclusive 3DS Games - 13 Titles We Wish Had Come To The West
From strategy tributes to puzzle RPGs...
With the closure of the 3DS eShop fast approaching, it's got us feeling a little bit nostalgic here at Nintendo Life — particularly for games that we never got our hands on here in the West. It's a tale as old as time at this point. Many Japan-only games never get localised, and that's been the case for a...
News The First Patch Notes For Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Are Already So Weird
Out now in Japan
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is out now in Japan, although English-speaking players will have to wait until 27th June to get on board as well. After its Japanese eShop launch, the first patch has also been released, which fixes a number of bugs in the game — bugs that are quite entertaining to read about. Here's a Google...
News Players Are Already Getting Their Hands On Story Of Seasons: A Wonderful Life In Japan
The game is out now on the Japanese eShop
Today, 25th January 2023, Marvelous announced the release date of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life in the west — just as the game came out on the Japanese eShop at 12am on the 26th January in Japan. That means that some players have decided to whip up a Japanese eShop account (
News Edia Crowdfunding Telenet Shmup Collection For Nintendo Switch
Targeting a June 2023 release
Update [Tue 24th Jan, 2023 00:30 GMT]: Edia has now confirmed this collection will be arriving in Japan on 8th June 2023. It has also shared a new trailer: Original story [Tue 22nd Nov, 2022 04:45 GMT]: We've got some exciting news for fans of the shoot 'em up genre, with Edia announcing a themed collection for...
Random Luxury Animal Crossing Chocolate Sets Exist, And They're Super Cute
'A modest sum of 50,000 bells, hm?"
Have you ever wondered what the villagers of Animal Crossing taste like? Nah, can't say that we have, either. But, thanks to a collaboration between Nintendo and luxury chocolate brand Godiva, residents in Japan can now purhase boxes of chocolates featuring the adorable mugs of Tom Nook, Isabelle, Timmy and Tommy,...
Random Forget Something? New Pokémon Center Merch Is About Amnesia
Sorry, what was that?
Themed merchandise? We love it here at Nintendo Life. but Amnesia-themed merch has got to be one of the most amusing sets we've seen from the Pokémon Center Japan. Nintendo Soup shared the announcement (from the official Pokémon Japan website) and, as daft as the set is, it's actually utterly adorable. Featuring Psyduck,...
Random Official Pokémon TikTok Account Accidentally Posts Swear-Filled Video
Update: Original video has been taken down
Update [Fri 13th Jan, 2023 10:00 GMT] Well, that didn't last long! It appears the offending video has now been taken down, however you can still view the content via an alternative source below. Well folks, you really can't make this up. On the official Pokémon TikTok account, which currently boasts...
News New 'Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe' Website Shows Off More Screenshots & Video
Move over Fire Emblem
We're now at the tail end of Fire Emblem Engage's marketing push - with the game arriving next week, and it seems Nintendo is already turning its attention towards the return of the pink puffball, Kirby. After the successful release of his first ever 3D platformer in March last year, Nintendo now has Kirby's Return to Dream...
News Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Is The Best-Selling Game In Japan In 2022
Switch is also the top-selling hardware
Famitsu has released its annual sales charts for 2022, and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet — unsurprisingly — has topped the year's sales, selling an incredible 4,338,931 units since its release in November (thanks, Nintendo Everything!). If you've been following the headlines and the weekly Japanese...
News Pokémon Cards Targeted In Series Of Trading Card Store Burglaries In Tokyo
Damages estimated at "tens of millions of yen"
A number of burglaries at trading card stores have been reported in Tokyo, Japan, as a result of the rising popularity and value of Pokémon cards. Since last summer, Japan Times reports that damages from these burglaries are estimated to be around tens of millions of yen. According to an investigative...
News PokéDoko Teases Special "World Premiere" Video To Celebrate 1,000+ Pokémon
Airing on the Japanese variety show later this week
The Pokémon series has come a long way and as of the ninth generation (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet), there are now more than 1,000 Pokémon. As part of this milestone, the Japanese variety show PokéDoko apparently has a special "world premiere" video scheduled to air during its upcoming episode...
News Story Of Seasons, Rune Factory Producer Developing Brand New Action RPG For Switch
'Rear Sekai' will launch 2023 in Japan
Publisher Bushiroad has revealed a brand new action RPG, coming to Switch in Japan in 2023, with Story of Seasons and Rune Factory producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto developing the game. Reported by Nintendo Everything (via Famitsu) the new game is titled Rear Sekai, and was teased at the Bushiroad New Year Grand...
PSA A New Limited-Time Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid Battle Is Now Available
Update: Hydreigon and Dragapult available until 8th January
Update [Fri 6th Jan, 2023 11:45 GMT]: Get your best Pokémon ready, as the limited-time Hydreigon and Dragapult Tera Raid event has now begun. Pokémon Scarlet players will be able to encounter Hydreigon, while Violet players will have a higher chance of encountering Dragapult in four and...
News Fire Emblem Engage Gets A Nine Minute Overview Trailer
Take a look
Nintendo's marketing campaign for Fire Emblem Engage is now well and truly underway. Following previews going live, it's now released a brand new overview trailer that runs for close to nine minutes. One catch is it's only been uploaded to Nintendo's YouTube channels in Japan, so you'll have to watch the whole thing in Japanese. It...
PSA A Free Sonic Frontiers Demo Is Now Available On The eShop
Update: Available in America and Europe
Update #2 [Fri 6th Jan, 2023 01:25 GMT]: This same demo is now available on the Switch eShop in America and Europe. Sonic Frontiers is also currently on sale in select locations. Update [Sun 18th Dec, 2022 04:30 GMT]: Sonic Frontiers game director Morio Kishimoto has announced on social media this same demo...
Random New Super Mario Bros. Wii Arcade Game Music Has Been Uploaded Online
Let's-a dance!
If you cast your minds back to 2016, you might remember that we did a little piece looking at the rather mythical New Super Mario Bros. Wii Coin World arcade game, created via a special collaboration between Nintendo and Capcom and released in Japan in 2011. <related ids="63003"> Well, assets from the game were recently made...
News Xenoblade Chronicles Dev Monolith Soft Provides Employee Headcount Update
A numbers game
The Japanese developer Monolith Soft has been growing in size year after year. In a previous update - dating back to 2021, the company revealed its employee headcount had jumped from 261 (in December 2020) to 272. As highlighted by Twitter user and gaming enthusiast Stealth, the latest update for 2022 is slightly different - with new...
Gallery Monolith Soft Shows Off Stunning Artwork From Annual "In-House Illustration Contest"
Feast your eyes on these amazing creations
Monolith Soft has just had another successful year with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It also provided assistance with the development of Splatoon 3. To wrap up 2022, it's held its regular "in-house illustration contest" where graduates can let their creativity run wild. According to a rough...
News Taito Corporation Preparing For 70th Anniversary Celebrations In 2023
One of the oldest game companies still in operation
The famous video game developer Taito Corporation - known for legendary arcade hits like Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble - will celebrate its 70th anniversary on 24th August 2023. To prepare for this epic milestone, the company has already kicked things off by opening a commemorative website and a...
Feature Why Is Splatoon So Popular In Japan?
Nintendo is squids in
It happened almost overnight. One day in May 2015, Splatoon merch appeared everywhere in Japan. Baby inklings dangled from kids’ backpacks. Squid-girl stickers adorned pencil cases. Convenience stores advertised raffles for figurines, coffee cups, and Splatoon-branded bags. This explosion of Splat-swag was perhaps more of a...
News Square Enix Teases Plans For Dragon Quest X In 2023
How about a local release?
One game many Dragon Quest fans here in the west would love to see released on the Switch locally is Dragon Quest X. While there's been no mention about a possible localisation, there does seem to be an end-of-year update about the existing version, exclusive to Japan. During an interview with Famitsu (via Siliconera),...
News Here Are Japan's Top 30 Best-Selling Switch eShop Games For 2022
Unsurprisingly, Splatoon and Pokémon dominate
Nintendo has shared its annual Switch eShop sales rankings for Japan earlier today, and if you've been keeping an eye on the news over the last 12 months, then there will be no surprises here. Splatoon 3 is 2022's best-selling game on the eShop, which shouldn't be a shock given that it broke records in...
News Yuji Naka Has Now Been Formally Indicted Over Insider Trading Offenses
Developer was previously arrested twice
Update [Wed 28th Dec, 2022 12:15 GMT]: Following on from the arrests of Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka and former Square Enix employee Taisuke Sazaki, the two have now been formally indicted over alleged insider trading offenses. As reported by NHK (thanks, VGC), the two were charged for conducting insider...
News Japan Poll Reveals Nation's Favourite Pokémon In New Gen Scarlet & Violet
Fairy/Steel type Tinkaton takes out the top spot
With more than 1,000 Pokémon in existence nowadays, it's probably hard for a lot of trainers to narrow down a list of their favourites. Japan made it a little bit easier recently with a poll exclusively focused on the new releases Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. In the top 10, there were old favourites...
Feature Remembering The Newest Nintendo IP You'd Forgotten All About
We've been expecting you, Buddy Mission BOND
Did you know that every year Nintendo publishes at least one new IP? It’s true, they haven’t missed a year since 1983, the year the Famicom launched in Japan. [Editor's note. Except for 2022, it seems. You were on a roll, Nintendo!] In 2020 we had Good Job!, Astral Chain in 2019, Sushi Striker in...
News N64 Classic Yoshi's Story Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary Today
What's your favourite memory of it?
The Nintendo 64 era was loaded with plenty of exciting first-party releases, but one that you might not always consider when reflecting on this generation is Yoshi's Story. This delightful side-scrolling platfomer was first released in Japan in 1997 and today marks a special milestone. Yes, believe it or not, but...
News Pokémon And Mario Will Headline Upcoming 'No Limit Parade' At Universal Studios Japan
Let's-a float
Parades are rapidly becoming a mainstay of theme park culture. What once began as a chance to see Mickey Mouse and a bloke with a trumpet walk along a street has since turned into a huge attraction of intricate floats, dance routines and *shivers* audience participation. Now, Universal Studios Japan is getting in on the hype and it's...
News A New Limited-Time Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Distribution Event Has Begun (Japan)
Grab a Ground Tera Type Gyarados
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have already hosted a number of distribution events, but this latest one is a bit different. As part of Jump Festa 2023 this weekend, The Pokémon Company is distributing a special Ground Tera Type Gyarados. Unfortunately, the catch here is you'll need to actually be located in Japan to...
News Pokémon Scarlet And Violet's Lechonk, Pawmi And Smoliv Plushies Are Coming To Japan
Gotta hug 'em all
There were a few things that we could say for certain about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet prior to their release: the games would be a commercial success, Nintendo would push tie-ins wherever it could (hi Splatoon fans!) and at some point, we would be 100% guaranteed a Smoliv plushie. Well, now the latter of these has also come true,...
News Strategy RPG Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord Arrives In The West Spring 2023
Update: Fang and friends return
Update [Tue 13th Dec, 2022 19:30 GMT]: Idea Factory International has announced that Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is coming to the west next year! The upcoming strategy RPG, and the newest entry in the Fairy Fencer F series, reunites fans with protagonist Fang after he meets two muses called Glace and Fleur. The...
Japanese Charts Pokémon And Nintendo Continue To Dominate
There's just no stopping them
We've got the latest Japanese charts for you and it's another strong week for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with the latest generation bringing in another 310,235 sales, contributing to a running total of 3,424,806. This puts it just behind Splatoon 3's current total of 3,446,339, though it's probably safe to say that...
News Splatoon 3 Is Yahoo! Japan's Most Searched Video Game Of 2022
Pokémon Legends: Arceus was runner-up
We've already heard a lot about the success of Splatoon 3 in Japan this year, and now it's taken out another award. The third entry in the popular team-based squid shooter has officially been crowned the top searched game in the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards. Yes, it's a thing. Yahoo! Japan shared multiple...
News Nintendo's Official Magazine For Winter 2022 Gets English Digital Release
Featuring exclusive Deep Cut interview
We saw the cover of this season's Nintendo Magazine a few weeks back now - a gorgeous 3D render of a Splatoon 3 Inkling and Smallfry - but with the content only available in Japanese, we had to be content with just looking at the pictures. Fortunately, a digital copy of the mag is now available in English,...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Are Gaining On Splatoon 3's Total Sales
Another half a million in the bag
The latest Japanese Charts data is here and it's another strong week for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with the duo achieving another 577,279 sales over the course of the week to put them at a total of 3,114,571. Splatoon 3, meanwhile, added another 39,322 sales to make up a total of 3,407,477. What this means is...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Dominate With Over 2.5 Million Units Sold
What a performance!
We have the latest Japanese Charts data and, as expected, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have absolutely demolished the competition, selling an astonishing 2,537,292 units in the duos first week of sale. This milestone was more than enough to knock Splatoon 3 off the top spot, but Nintendo's shooter still pulled in some respectable...
Feature Poké Ball Onigiri: A Review - Which Poké Ball Tastes Best?
Made with real Pokémon!*
Pokémon – both the games and the anime – have always featured food prominently. Moomoo milk, sodapops, slowpoke tails, and more recently curry mixes and sandwiches – there’s no end to the edible and drinkable in the Pokéworld. We’ve even covered Pokéfood before on Nintendo Life, both reviewing Japan-exclusive...
Video Here's An Extended Look At Fire Emblem Engage For Nintendo Switch
Update: English trailer now available
Update [Wed 23rd Nov, 2022 13:30 GMT]: Previously available in Japanese only, Nintendo has now published the new five minute trailer for Fire Emblem Engage in English, titled 'Engaging With Emblems'. The trailer gives us a little more information on how the series' returning characters will play a part in...
News Surprise! Hamster Is Bringing The Hardest Tetris Series To Switch eShop Next Week
Tetris: The Grand Master joins Arcade Archives
If you think you've played all the Tetris games, think again! The Japan-only 1998 title Tetris: The Grand Master will be receiving a Switch eShop release next week on December 1st. Hamster Corp will be adding this Arika title to its well-known Arcade Archive series, so there's a good chance there'll be...
News Japanese Switch Bundle Containing Nintendo Switch Sports Tees Up For December Release
'Tis the season to be golfing
A new Nintendo Switch bundle is heading out for retail in Japan next month, combining the console and a digital copy of Nintendo Switch Sports. Right in time for the addition of the hotly-anticipated golf mode to the game, the bundle will be swinging for shelves from 16th December for ¥37,980 (around £226). On top...
News Team Ninja Denies Ninja Gaiden & Dead Or Alive Reboot Rumours
Update: Excitement over
Update [Tue 22nd Nov, 2022 16:15 GMT]: Having heard of the reports surrounding potential reboots for Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja has stepped forward to say that there are no such plans as of yet. Speaking to VGC, the studio's creative director, Tom Lee, made clear that last weekend's keynote presentation at...
Random Super Nintendo World Japan Gets Festive Makeover For The Holiday Season
Let's-a Snow
At this point, we were pretty sure that there was nothing which Universal Studios Japan could do to make us want to go to Super Nintendo World more. Alas, the park is now full decorated with a festive makeover and we have once again been proved wrong. As shared by Chris in a recent TDR Explorer video, the Nintendo theme park has been...
