Tag: Japan - Page 18
News Nintendo's Servers Haven't Been Hacked, It Was All An April Fool's Joke
Another fake identified
Update: Like the Flipnote Studio rumour, this one also appears to be an elaborate fake. You can listen to the eight fan-created tracks on Video Game Music Resources (the YouTube channel behind the joke). On the plus side, it means Nintendo's internal development servers haven't been breached. Phew! Original Story [Wed 1st...
News Nintendo Files Patent For The Switch Lite
Better late than never
Companies are always filing patents for new product designs, but this time it's a little different. Nintendo Co., Ltd. recently registered a design at the Japanese patent office for the Switch Lite – a handheld system which launched in September last year. The description notes how the device is "an electronic computer...
News Bandai Namco Announces The Namcot Collection For Nintendo Switch
Launching in Japan this June
During the Japanese Nintendo Direct, Bandai Namco revealed it would be releasing the Namcot Collection for Switch on 18th June 2020. No, it's not a typo, 'Namcot' was the name Namco used for its console publishing business between 1984-1995. This upcoming collection will be available as a physical release and as a free...
News Switch Has Now Surpassed Wii's Lifetime Sales In Japan
But Wii's worldwide total remains on top
The Nintendo Switch had a hugely successful week in Japan last week, shifting a massive 392,576 units according to Famitsu data. This places the console at an estimated 12.8 million sales over its relatively short lifetime, which means Nintendo's latest machine has just hit a new, significant milestone. As...
Japanese Charts Switch Sales Soar As Animal Crossing: New Horizons Dominates
Records broken left, right and centre
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 16th - 22nd March, reconfirming Animal Crossing: New Horizons' huge debut success. As had been reported earlier today, the game has managed to sell a phenomenal 1,880,626 physical copies in its first three days on sale in Japan. It's the strongest launch for any...
New Horizons is a hit
The success Nintendo has seen thanks to the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is truly off the charts, with new data now revealing that more Switch consoles were sold in Japan last week than at the console's launch. The game, which has just had the most successful launch of any Switch title ever in the region, has...
News Animal Crossing: New Horizons Sold A Whopping 1.88 Million Copies In Three Days In Japan
Switch's best ever launch
Update (Wed 25th Mar, 2020 09:45 GMT): The reports were true, as new Famitsu data (thanks, VGC) confirms that Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold a phenomenal 1.88 million copies in just three days in Japan alone. As mentioned in our original article below, this means New Horizons has had the best l
News Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is Already Selling Out In Japanese Stores
Crazy scenes
With all of the crazy stuff going on in the world right now, it's perhaps unsurprising to hear that even video game stores are seeing unusually high levels of demand. Early reports coming in from Japan suggest that a number of retail stores have experienced particularly lengthy queues during midnight launches for Animal Crossing: New...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Games Land In Second And Third As Nioh 2 Debuts On Top
My Hero One's Justice 2 debuts in fourth
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 9th - 15th March, revealing that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX has slipped down to second place after topping the charts in its opening week. The game managed to shift an estimated 46,391 units this week, not managing to fend off the brand new PS4...
News New Pokémon Anime Appears On YouTube In Japan For A Limited Time
As self-isolation takes over
For a limited time, the new series of the Pokémon anime currently airing in Japan is being uploaded for free viewing on YouTube. The episodes are reportedly being shared online in response to the coronavirus outbreak, giving all of those stuck inside the opportunity to check out the show in their spare time. At...
News Trials Of Mana Demo Releases On Japanese eShop Tomorrow, Will Include English Language Support
Update: It's now available!
Update: The demo has gone live across all regions. Once again, it includes English Language support (voice and text) and your save data will transfer across from the demo to the full version. There's also a few limitations: You can only level up to Level 7 and can only access the beginning of the story. Enjoy! Original...
News New Splatoon Artwork Celebrates White Day In Japan
A gift from the Squid Research Lab
Nintendo wrapped up its regular Splatfests in Splatoon 2 some time ago, with Team Chaos (led by Pearl) taking out the grand finale. Since then, there have been some minor patches for the game, and from time to time, new official artwork has released on the Splatoon social accounts. Today is one of those days: To...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Debuts In First, Switch Sales Go From Bad To Worse
A mixed week for Nintendo
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 2nd - 8th March, revealing that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX has managed to debut in first place. The game managed to shift an estimated 138,548 units in its opening week, comfortably leading the way in a week otherwise lacking new releases. Fellow Pokémon titles...
News Amazon Japan Is Doing Its Part To Defeat Coronavirus By Offering Free Pokémon Anime
Binge while you self-isolate
Like other countries worldwide, Japan is entering a period of lockdown at the moment to combat the spread of the coronavirus – and Amazon Japan is doing its part to help this effort. Lots of Japanese residents are currently undergoing a period of self-isolation to prevent the virus from spreading, and that means...
News Pre-Booking Tickets For Pokémon The Movie: Coco In Japan Will Get You 2 Mythical Pokémon
Sword and Shield codes for Japanese moviegoers
We've already been introduced to the 'Rogue Monkey Pokémon' Zarude in the trailer for the upcoming Pokémon movie and it seems that Japanese movie fans who pre-book tickets for the Pokémon the Movie: Coco will be able to get their hands on the beast, in addition to an old favourite. The movie is set...
News The First Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review Is In, And It Might Surprise You
Japanese magazine Famitsu gives its verdict
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is days away now, and the wait is proving to be unbearable for some fans. Will this latest instalment in the long-running series live up to the incredible hype? Can it possibly top the superb New Leaf on the 3DS? Will it be the Switch's must-have title for 2020? We can't...
Random It's OK, We Didn't Know There Was An Animal Crossing Movie Either
You learn something new every day
Animal Crossing fever has gripped the world of Nintendo thanks to the impending arrival of New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch. But did you know that an animated Animal Crossing movie is a thing that exists? We're ashamed to admit we didn't know either until today; we'd better hand in our 'Diehard Nintendo Fan'...
News Darius Cozmic Collection 2 Confirmed, Existing Collection Getting New Games Today
New content is approaching fast!
Taito has revealed that it is working on Darius Cozmic Collection 2, with a release expected this winter. No games have been confirmed at present (one would assume 1997's excellent G-Darius will make the cut), nor has it been specified which consoles it will be launching on. The company has also revealed that the...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Sword And Shield Return To The Top, Switch Sales Still Suffering
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection takes sixth
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 24th February - 1st March, revealing that Pokémon Sword and Shield have returned to the top of the pile. The two games shifted an estimated 24,886 units between them this week, overtaking last week's number one, Persona 5 Scramble. Mega Man Zero/ZX...
News Japan Picks Its Favourite Final Fantasy Game And Character
FFX and Cloud win
Japan's National Broadcaster NHK recently ran some fan polls focused on Square Enix's long-running and much-loved Final Fantasy series. One asked participants to name their favourite game and received a total of 468,654 votes, and the other asked them to pick their favourite Final Fantasy character of all-time. The best game award...
News Sora Named "Most Wanted" Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Fighter In Recent Japanese Poll
Dante was the runner-up
Earlier this month, there was a rumour Nintendo had previously approached Disney about adding the Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and was rejected by the American company's Japanese branch. Even if Disney isn't necessarily keen on the character's inclusion in Ninten
Video Heartwarming Animal Crossing: New Horizons Trailer Shows How The Game Brings Friends Together
Go island-hopping with pals
Nintendo has just released a new promotional trailer for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in Japan, which is aimed at showing how the game can bring together busy friends. In the clip, a quartet of schoolfriends is shown working, training and studying, all of which is making it hard for them to find time for one another in...
News Here's Your First Look At The Mythical Zarude In The Upcoming Pokémon Movie
Introducing the 'Rogue Monkey Pokémon'
After teasing the silhouette of the new mythical Pokémon for weeks on end, yesterday The Pokémon Company finally revealed the new Dark/Grass-type pocket monster Zarude in the Nintendo Switch games, Pokémon Sword and Shield
News Picross Developer Jupiter Reveals Working Zombies, A New Non-Picross Project
Update: "Coming Soon" according to reveal trailer
Update: And here's the trailer! Original Story: After years of being chained to their desks churning out Picross game after Picross game after Picross game, developer Jupiter has teased and subsequently revealed a new game that doesn't involve steadily solving puzzles to reveal pixel art pictures...
News The Pokémon Company Cancels Multiple Store Events In Japan As Coronavirus Cases Rise
Confirmed cases in Japan now number more than 200
As news emerges that Japanese schools are to close until April due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, The Pokémon Company has stated that it will be cancelling a series of live events at its Pokémon Stores across the country. As of February 29th, 2020, the following events have been called off...
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...
