Tag: Japan - Page 23
News PlatinumGames' Third Piece Of Big News Is A New Tokyo Studio
"At PlatinumGames, everyone’s a creator"
2020 is shaping up to be a big year for Japanese studio PlatinumGames. The company has already successfully crowdfunded a remaster of The Wonderful 101, and yesterday announced Project G.G., a new IP which it aims to publish itself. Those were the first of four
Only a few say they won't
One of the more memorable segments of last month's Pokémon Direct was the reveal of a mighty expansion pass for the latest entries, Pokémon Sword and Shield. Rather than a third entry or 'Ultra' version, this two-part DLC add-on will allow players to continue to their adventure within the Galar Region and uses the same...
Japanese Charts Persona 5 Scramble Dominates As The Coronavirus Sinks Switch Sales
OG Switch only sells 10,000 units
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 17th - 23rd February, revealing that the Switch is still being heavily impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. New release Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers has managed to take both first and second place in the charts this week following its launch on both...
News Nintendo Customer Support Goes Above And Beyond For 95-Year-Old Grandma's Busted Game Boy
A heartwarming tale
A story has surfaced online over the past few days telling the story of a 95-year-old grandmother in Japan who received a pretty heartwarming response from Nintendo's customer support team. The grandmother's daughter, seventy-year-old Kuniko Tsusaka, has shared the story in a recent print edition of Japanese newspaper, Asahi...
Japanese Charts Switch Lite Sales Soar As Coronavirus Impacts Original Model Production
Hatsune Miku debuts at number one
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 10th - 16th February, revealing that the original Nintendo Switch model has been significantly impacted by the coronavirus, as warned by Nintendo. Before we get into hardware sales, let's take our usual look at the software chart. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva MegaMix...
News Feast Your Eyes On The Official Japanese Zelda: Link's Awakening Soundtrack
Be still our (last) beating heart!
Over in the West we don't tend to enjoy as many video game soundtrack releases as lucky Japanese gamers do, although there's always the option to import something particularly special. Well, a candidate has just turned up for pre-order in the form of the absolutely love OST set for The Legend of Zelda: Link's...
News Production Of The Animal Crossing Switch Bundle Has Been Affected By The Coronavirus
Update: New Japanese pre-order date confirmed
Update (Tue 18th Feb, 2020 11:00 GMT): Following on from the news that the coronavirus outbreak had impacted the production and pre-order dates for the Animal Crossing-themed Switch console in Japan, Nintendo has now confirmed a new reservation date for those looking to get their hands on one...
News Switch Online Subscribers Will Soon Be Able To Play Dead Cells For Free In Japan
Following in Fire Emblem Warriors' footsteps
Starting later this month, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan will be able to check out and complete Dead Cells at no extra cost as part of a new offer. The promotion is the latest in a new(ish) trend from Nintendo, where Online subscribers can play entire games for free for a limited time. Last...
News On-Rails Shooter Assault ChaingunS KM Hits Japan This Month
Reminds us of Gunblade NY...
Fans of Sega's on-rails shooters – like Virtua Cop, Ghost Squad and Gunblade NY – might want to take notice of QZK's forthcoming Switch-based effort, Assault ChaingunS KM, which hits Japan on the 20th of this month. Based on the iOS an
News GBA Classic Yggdra Union Is Coming To Switch Next Month
In Japan, at least
Sting's Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone, which originally launched on the Game Boy Advance way back in 2006, is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The tactical RPG by Sting will launch on March 5th in Japan, and is part of an effort by the veteran company to tap into its back catalogue of titles. Yggdra Union and Baroque:...
Japanese Charts Ring Fit Adventure And Pokémon Are Still Doing The Business For Switch
But a PS4 title takes top spot
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 3rd - 9th February, revealing that Ring Fit Adventure is still serving as Nintendo's strongest effort this week. The game sold another 23,149 copies this week, just beating Pokémon Sword and Shield for a second consecutive week which managed 23,114 sales. This week's...
News We Really, Really Hope M2's New Shooter Comes To Switch
Pretty please?
If you appreciate Japanese retro games, then chances are you're already familiar with the work of Japanese studio M2, which has been the industry leader when it comes to adapting vintage games for modern systems. It worked with Nintendo on the original Wii Virtual Console, and has also been involved with Sega's recent efforts to open...
News Atlus Says Its Survey Asking About Switch Ports Exceeded Expectations
Can we have Persona 5 now?
Last week, as you might have heard, Atlus – responsible for series like Persona and Etrian Odyssey – rolled out an online survey in Japan. One question that stood out for Nintendo fans was focused strongly on the Switch – asking users about the possibility of ports for the hybrid system. H
News Atlus Wants To Know If You'd Like Persona, Etrian Odyssey And Other Past Games On Your Switch
Atlus shrugged? Far from it!
Each year, Atlus runs an online survey in Japan, and 2020 is no exception. The key difference with this year's survey is that it has one question that is focused strongly on the Switch – more specifically, which Atlus titles fans would like to see come to Nintendo's hybrid console. The survey is obviously in Japanese,...
Random Banjo-Kazooie Was Actually Named After A Nintendo President's Grandchild And Son
Case closed
Last year in March, there was a story doing the rounds about Rare's famous bear and bird from the 1998 Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie being named after the grandchild and son of the former Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. History suggested that Banjo's name was based on a musical instrument of the same name, and Kazooie's name was...
Japanese Charts Ring Fit Adventure Returns To Number One In Another Solid Week For Switch
Switch takes eight of top ten
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 27th January - 2nd February, revealing that Ring Fit Adventure has managed to leap back into number one. The game sold another 30,111 copies to narrowly keep Pokémon Sword and Shield from the top spot (the latter sold 29,429 copies this week). Eight of the top ten games...
News Three Years After Launch, Switch Is Still Experiencing Stock Issues In Japan
Demand remains high
Switch may be three years old now, but the stock shortages that plagued the console’s early life in Japan don’t seem to have gone away. Reports have been coming out of Nintendo’s homeland that the console is currently sold out at retailers like Amazon and Rakuten. Stores such as Nojima Online, Yodobashi and BicCamera still...
News Pokémon Developer Game Freak To Relocate To Same Area As Nintendo's New Tokyo Offices
Both will move to Kanda-Nishikicho
According to a new report, Pokémon developer Game Freak will join Nintendo in relocating to Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Just last week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that the company is currently planning to consolidate its four offices in Tokyo into one, presumably much larger office...
Random Nintendo's Selling Empty Boxes Of The Animal Crossing Edition Switch
Just the box, no console...
If you've been anywhere near the internet over the past few hours, we imagine you've already seen the recently-announced Animal Crossing-themed Switch console. Isn't it just the loveliest thing you've ever seen? Anyway, if you can't quite afford this latest model, or if you want to pretend you have one without having to...
News Animal Crossing: New Horizons Joy-Con And Switch Dock To Be Sold Separately In Japan
Fingers crossed for a western release
We've woken up to news of a rather lovely Limited Edition Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch that will be released to coincide with the launch of the game in March, and now we can't help but eye our boring standard Switch with contempt. The Animal Crossing bundle sure looks lovely, and we're doing out best to...
News Nintendo Will Turn Its Four Tokyo Offices Into One Big One, To "Boost" Operational Efficiency
And it's making a change to its governance system
Not pictured: Nintendo's new Tokyo office Towards the end of Nintendo's most recent financial results briefing, president Shuntaro Furukawa touched on two matters linked to the current company operations in Tokyo, Japan. The Nintendo group within this location is divided across four separate...
Japanese Charts Ring Fit Adventure Climbs Above Pokémon, But Yakuza Takes Number One
Switch takes eight of top ten games
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 20th - 26th January, revealing that Ring Fit Adventure is the best-selling Nintendo game of the week. The title sits just behind Yakuza: Like a Dragon this week, with the PS4 title selling just a few hundred more copies than Nintendo's fitness RPG. Pokémon Sword...
News Nintendo Just Applied For 39 Trademarks
No generation gets left behind
We're used to hearing news every once and a while about a prominent video game company applying for a handful of trademarks, but this time it's a little different. Instead of just a couple of games, Nintendo Co., Ltd has just applied for 39 – yes, 39 – video game trademarks in Japan, based on various older titles...
News Nintendo Will Stop Repairing Wii Consoles In Japan This March
Farewell, old friend
The Nintendo Wii is quite a machine – not only did it usher in a new era of motion-based gaming and turn millions of non-gamers into dedicated players (only for them to arguably drift away towards smart devices not long afterwards), it also sold a staggering 101.63 million units globally, making it Nintendo's most successful...
News Nintendo Reveals Top 30 Best-Selling Switch eShop Games In Japan For 2019
And you might not have heard of number one
Nintendo has shared a list of the best-selling games from the Switch eShop in Japan throughout 2019. You can see the full list below, and while it contains some of the big names that you'd expect to see, the best-selling game of the year is one that plenty of western fans may not have heard of. Nyanko...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Lifetime Sales Overtake Splatoon 2, And Smash Is Next
But it didn't get number one this week
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 13th - 19th January, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield has lost its first-place position after nine straight weeks at the top. The two titles lost out to new Yakuza and Dragon Ball Z releases this week, but it's not all bad for the monster-catching beast...
News Take A Peek Inside Japan's Pikachu-Filled Pokémon Train
'Pokémon With You'
We're used to seeing Japan get all the cool stuff - like adorable Kirby Cafes and amazing Pokémon stores - but sometimes even the country's public transport gets in on the action. The video above, shared by Japan's national rail service, shows off the '
News Animal Crossing's Former Co-Director Isao Moro Is Now Teaching Children How To Program
Life after Nintendo
For a lot of individuals, being employed by Nintendo and helping create a series like Animal Crossing would probably be a dream job that they would want to keep doing for as long as possible. Not everyone at the company necessarily sees out the remainder of their working years there, though. Isao Moro is one of these people who...
News CoroCoro Comic Teases Animal Crossing: New Horizons "Scoop"
Something significant?
It's crazy to think just how close we are to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch and still don't know all that much about the game. We've seen a number of screenshots and the Nintendo Treehouse presentation at E3 last year showed off a small portion of the game, but other than that, we haven't...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Dethrones Diamond & Pearl In New Famitsu Sales Chart Record
The ninth week in first
Since the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch last November, both games have appeared at the top of the Japanese charts every single week. The latest chart data from 6th - 12th January, was no different. Pokémon took out the top spot for the ninth week in a row. If that wasn't already impressive...
News Switch Takes Nine Of Japan's Top Ten Best-Selling Games Of 2019
Here's the full list
With 2019 well and truly out of the way, it's time to look back at the best-selling games of the year in Nintendo's home country of Japan. The following list comes from Famitsu's estimated sales tracking data. As you can see, Pokémon Sword and Shield romped home to victory with a whopping 2,988,134 estimated sales. The games...
News Konami Is Developing A Switch-Exclusive Monster-Battling Strategy Game
Update: And here's what it looks like in action
Update: The demo for Soloman Program is available in Japan, so footage has started appearing online: Original Story [Mon 13th Jan, 2020 14:30 GMT]: Konami was once the toast of the video gaming world thanks to franchises like Gradius, Contra, Metal Gear, Castlevania and Ganbare Goemon, but in...
News Switch Sales Rose By 29% In Japan In 2019, PS4 Sales Dropped By 29%
Pokémon Sword and Shield sell nearly 3m copies
If you follow our regular Japanese chart updates, you'll probably already be aware that the Nintendo Switch had a fantastic 2019 in its home country. The console was consistently on top in terms of both hardware and software, and we can now start to analyse its performance in comparison to previous...
News Bandai Namco Could Be Reviving The Japan-Only GameCube Exclusive Mr. Driller: Drill Land
Will we finally see a localisation?
Towards the end of last year, Bandai Namco filed trademarks in Japan for multiple classic titles including the puzzler Mr. Driller. Now, in the latest update, the video game publisher and developer has gone and trademarked Mr. Driller Drill Land in Europe. As explained by Gematsu, Drill Land is the name of a Mr...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Is Still Killing It, Takes All Top Ten Positions
Pokémon takes first for 9th week
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 6th - 12th January, revealing that Nintendo has once again managed to snag all top ten positions. Pokémon Sword and Shield are still sitting comfortably at number one, making this the ninth consecutive week in a row the two titles have held the position. It was a...
News Joker Costume Spotted On The Back Of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Box Art
Update: Nintendo makes it official
Update 2 - Wed 15th Jan, 2020 05:00 GMT: Nintendo's Japanese social media accounts and YouTube channel have now confirmed this as well. Above is a trailer showcasing the many costumes and features in the game. Here's the costume list, courtesy of Gematsu: New Costumes: “Rebellious Joker” (from Persona 5) for...
News Universal Creative CCO Says Super Nintendo World Is A "Living Video Game"
"You become one of the characters"
Yesterday, Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan revealed a new music video titled 'We Are Born To Play' for the upcoming Japanese theme park, Super Nintendo World. In the same trailer, we also got a brief glimpse of the wristband and app that will apparently "redefine" theme parks. A Universal press release
News Super Nintendo World News Is Imminent, Says Universal Japan
Update: It's a music video
Update - Tue 14th Jan, 2020 03:30 GMT: USJ has revealed a new promotional trailer for the park in the form of the music video 'We Are Born To Play' by Galantis ft. Charli XCX. The video has been shared on the official Nintendo YouTube channels in both Japan and North America and shows off the Switch, and the Super Mario...
News Switch Online Users In Japan Will Soon Be Able To Play Fire Emblem Warriors For Free
Promo starts next week
Remember that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker promotion Nintendo ran last year that was exclusive to Switch Online subscribers? In case you forgot, it allowed users of the service to play the game for free for a 10-day period. Well now, a new game for this very same program has been
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Scores Eighth Consecutive Week At Number One
Hits 3 million physical sales
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 30th December - 5th January, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield is still at number one as we enter the new year. Pokémon's latest entry has held top spot ever since it launched in mid-November, comfortably holding off the competition each week. The two titles have...
Gallery Unboxing Samurai Shodown's Japanese Limited Edition
To call it "awesome" is an understatement
There's not long to wait for Samurai Shodown's Switch release in the west, but if you're willing to pay a little more over the odds and like getting limited edition junk, then you might want to invest in the Japanese version – known as Samurai Spirits – which comes with full English language support (it...
News Here's Your First Teaser Of The New Pokémon Movie Starring Ash And Pikachu
Introducing Pokémon Coco
It's been quite a big week for the Pokémon series. The Pokémon Direct revealed Pokémon Sword and Shield would be getting an expansion pass and 200 old monsters, and we also found out the original
News 2019 Was Nintendo's Best Year In Japan For Two Decades
76% of Japanese hardware sales were Switch last year
Japan has traditionally been a something of a stronghold for Nintendo, but the latest 2019 sales data from Famitsu shows just how dominant the company has become in its homeland. The stats – pulled together by Twitter user Oscar Lemaire – show that a staggering 76% of Japanese hardware sales...
News Nintendo's Old HQ Is Being Turned Into A Hotel
Complete with a bar gym and spa!
One of the most famous buildings in Nintendo's long history is to be converted into a hotel, it has been confirmed. The ‘Kabuyama Project’ will turn the ‘Yamauchi Nintendo’ headquarters – a Kyoto building which has become something of a mecca for Nintendo fans visiting Japan – into a 20-room hotel...
"I feel like a lot of people are getting worried"
Bayonetta has been in the headlines a lot recently. At the end of last year, PlatinumGames' founder Hideki Kamiya was asked when fans could expect to hear more about the next entry, Bayonetta 3. He responded by saying "development's going really well" but didn't offer any extra insight. Now, in the
News Level-5 Realises Fans Don't Like Delays, But Does It To Make Its Games Better
The president wants to "properly build up titles"
The developer and publisher behind series like Inazuma Eleven, Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch had a relatively busy year in 2019 – announcing and localising a bunch of games while experiencing some troublesome delays at the same time. In the late
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Grabs All Top Ten Positions Over Christmas
Pokémon gets Christmas number one
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 23rd - 29th December (a little later than usual), revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield managed to stay at number one over the Christmas period. The two titles sold an estimated 243,476 physical copies over the period mentioned above and are showing absolutely no...
News Top Japanese Developers Vote For Their Favourite Games Of 2019
From the horse's mouth
We've already shared our very own 2019 Game of the Year choice, and you lovely lot have done the same in our Nintendo Life reader GotY poll, but what about the super talented folk who actually make the blessed things? Well, thankfully a recent Famitsu feature has gathered the thoughts of those very people, with a total of 132...
News Nintendo Tokyo Store "Sorry To Keep Customers" Waiting In Line For So Long
Playing the waiting game
Last month, Nintendo opened the doors of its official Tokyo Store in Japan. The company says there are around 1,000 items on sale, and half of them are reportedly exclusive to this particular venue. You can get t-shirts, phone cases, backpacks, plushies based on a number of iconic video game series and much more. Of course,...
News New Labo VR Mini-Game Arrives On Switch News Channel In Japan
Fortune fun
If you've been looking for a reason to dust off your Labo headset, Nintendo has just released its 15th free mini-game for Labo VR Kit on the Japanese Switch News Channel. This new game titled Omikuji – which translates to "Fortune" – requires players to shake the Joy-Con and then draw a fortune with the A or R button. Here are the...
