Tag: Japan - Page 2
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...
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...
News Nintendo Appoints Doll Company Executive As A New Outside Director
Pending shareholder approval
Nintendo has announced that it is appointing a new outside director to the company who will also take a seat as a member of the board. Subject to approval on 27th June 2025 as part of the annual shareholder meeting, Kazuhiko Hachiya will join Nintendo as a director, effective immediately upon approval. You might not...
News With Switch 2 Looming, Nintendo Has Surpassed Another Monster Financial Milestone
Now Japan's 7th largest business
Regardless of the drop-off in Switch sales in recent years, we knew that this generation had been a good one for Nintendo's financials. It has been so good, in fact, that the House of Mario has just surpassed another massive milestone in its latest Japanese market valuation (thanks, NintendoWire). According to the...
News 'The Hundred Line' Dev Too Kyo Games Is Still "On The Brink Of Going Under"
Update: "No plans" for a port on other consoles
During the development of The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy for the Switch and Windows, it was revealed that studio Too Kyo Games had fallen into debt after taking out a loan. Subsequently, in our pre-release interview with Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, the former confirmed that
Random Hideki Kamiya Joins Masahiro Sakurai In Securing A Switch 2
Okami 2, please
Just recently, we reported that developer Masahiro Sakurai had been successful in the Switch 2 lottery system in Japan, thus receiving an invite to purchase the upcoming console. Now, another legendary developer has announced his own success, and that's Hideki Kamiya. Famous for his work on Resident Evil 2, Bayonetta, and Okami,...
News Switch Online Teases Four Mystery Game Trial Surprises (Japan)
The fun begins with Undertale
Nintendo's Switch Online game trials aren't always the biggest reveals, but in Japan this month, Nintendo will be doing something a little bit different. Between 2nd May until 25th May, there'll be four surprise trials released. The first one has been revealed as Toby Fox's Undertale game, with his next lot of chapters...
News Switch 2 Exclusives Join Famitsu's "Most Wanted" Games Chart For The First Time
Here are the games readers are most excited about...
The famous Japanese video game outlet Famitsu regularly releases a list of its readership's "most wanted" games, and in the latest April update, it's added Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives for the first time based on the latest round of votes. In the top 30 "most wanted" games, Mario Kart World was...
News Nintendo's Official Magazine Gets A Special Switch 2 Edition
Update: Japanese edition is now live
'Switch 2 Edition' is a phrase that we've got used to throwing around over the last few months. Heck, we're going to throw it out there again now, but not in the sense of the upcoming lineup of enhanced games. Yes, Nintendo has announced that its official magazine is getting a 'Special Edition' all about Switch...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Finds Success In Switch 2 Lottery
"I what…?"
If you've entered the lottery to get a Switch 2 in Japan, then you may well be hearing back from Nintendo relatively soon. Many have been receiving emails from Nintendo to confirm that they've been successful in securing a Switch 2 pre-order over the past day, with one of the successes coming from none other than Smash and Kirby creator...
Japanese Charts A Quiet Week Sees Japanese Visual Novel Grab The Gold
So OVER it
It really feels like game sales are crawling towards the 5th June Switch 2 release date at the moment, but Famitsu has given us an updated look at the Japanese charts, and despite sluggish numbers all around, there are a couple of newbies this week. The Japanese visual novel OVER REQUIEMZ has walked away with the win in its debut week,...
News Nintendo Warns Of Phishing Email For Switch 2 Lottery In Japan
It's rough out there
Japanese Switch 2 hopefuls were hoping today was going to be a smooth ride, with lottery results due to be announced, allowing many to finally put their pre-orders in on the My Nintendo Store. However, not only has the online store been struggling — at the time of writing, it's still in maintenance mode — but Nintendo has...
News Japanese My Nintendo Store Goes Down Amidst Switch 2 Lottery Frenzy
Man down!
It's a big day for Switch 2 hopefuls. Pre-orders finally went live in America after landing a last-minute delay, and today's the day that the pre-order lottery winners are announced in Japan. While the former has already seen consoles appear on eBay at ridiculous prices, the latter has broken the region's My Nintendo Store. Japanese...
News Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Won't Make It Easy For Physical Collectors In Japan
Third-party titles are being sold on game-key cards
Nintendo's Switch 2 will support both regular game cards and game-key cards. Game-key cards don't contain the full data and are instead used as a "key" to download the full game to your system via an internet connection. It's not the best news for physical collectors when it comes to specific...
News Nintendo Won't Have Enough Switch 2 Consoles To Satisfy Demand In Japan
Around 2.2 million people applied for the launch lottery
Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, has announced that the company will not be able to satisfy demand for the Switch 2 on launch day in Japan. According to a post on social media, approximately 2.2 million people in the region had applied for the pre-order lottery system via the My...
News Nintendo Museum Has A Surprise If You Bring Your 3DS
A new kind of MuseumPass
If you're in Kyoto and happen to be paying a trip to the Nintendo Museum, make sure you have your 3DS on you, as there are a couple of exclusive StreetPass Miis you can grab. Nintendo Dream Web's Editor-in-Chief Rifa has paid a visit to the museum and shared a few photos of her time there. But one of them has caught the...
News We're Getting An Official Pokémon Encyclopedia Written By Animal Behaviourists And Ecologists
Pokécology launches in Japan in June
In one of the most novel ideas we've seen from The Pokémon Company, the media giant has revealed Pokécology, an official book that focuses on the behaviours of the fictional creatures. Reported on my Automaton Media, Pokécology will be released in Japan on 18th June 2025 by publisher Shogakukan, with no...
Opinion Cult Classic 'Tokimeki Memorial' Hits Switch - But 30 Years On, It’s Still Out Of Reach
Forever with you; never with us
True love lasts forever – and so do some games. Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You, the legendary dating sim from 1995, is hooking up with Switch next month to celebrate 30 years on the scene. Immaculately presented but bewilderingly complex, TokiMemo is a foundational piece of video game history that defined a...
Japanese Charts Mario Party Jamboree Rolls Its Way To Another Victory
You got a star!
Sorry, everyone! We were a little distracted by yesterday's Mario Kart World Direct and had to push the latest numbers from Famitsu aside for a little while. But have no fear, we're back to provide the latest look at the Japanese charts. Much like last time, it has been a pretty quiet week in the wake of Nintendo opening the...
News Nintendo Kicks Off Mario Kart World Marketing In Japan With A Trio Of New Trailers
Start your engines
Well folks, it looks like Nintendo is officially off the start line with its Mario Kart World marketing in Japan. The upcoming racer has just scored three new trailers, showcasing some of the new characters, courses and tricks you'll be able to see in action from 5th June. A lot of the footage might not seem all that new after...
News MicroSD Express Cards Are Selling Out Thanks To Switch 2 Fever
Stop the Express!
With the announcement that the Switch 2 requires a new type of microSD card, the microSD Express, it seems that stockists are beginning to have some issues keeping up with Nintendo fan demand. You should have known we were a frenzied bunch of gamers! Yes, as reported by the fine folks over at Tom's Hardware, news from Japan...
News Japan's First Switch Modder Court Ruling Ends With A Fraction Of Nintendo's Full Wrath
It's fine time
It's not unusual to see Nintendo track down anyone who messes with its products — be that through mods, emulation, or copyright issues — but the outcome of a recent Japanese court ruling feels like a comparative slapped wrist when compared to some of the wrath we've seen from The House of Mario in the past (thanks for the heads...
News Japanese Retailer Is Asking The Public How To Combat Switch 2 Scalpers
Take 'em down
Despite some notable concerns around pricing for the Switch 2, folks are nevertheless anxious about the impact that scalping may have on the upcoming console launch. Scalpers have been a plague on recent console releases, buying systems at their RRP before flogging them online at severely inflated values; a practice made exponentially...
Gallery Here's A Sneak Peek Of The Nintendo Switch Online Menu UI For Switch 2
Take a look
In case you didn't already know, the Nintendo Switch Online service will carry over to the Switch 2 when it launches this June. If you are wondering what the menu UI might look like when it eventually shows up on the new hybrid system, Nintendo's official Japanese website has now shared a sneak peek. As you can see, there'll be a huge...
Japanese Charts Not Even The Impending Switch 2 Can Stop This Mario Party
Party on!
Hello, yes, we're back with the boxed charts over in Japan. Apologies for missing last week, it was quite a busy one for Team NL, as I'm sure you can imagine. This week, Super Mario Party Jamboree is once again at the top, selling another 11,487 copies. It's not the biggest increase we've ever seen, but we suspect that sales in general...
News Nintendo Appears To Have Given Its Game Cases A Makeover On Switch 2
Say goodbye to red spines
We've had an absolute overload of information about the Switch 2 this week and somehow fans keep finding all sorts of new and exciting details. If you haven't already noticed, Switch 2 game cases are now slightly different (and seemingly a bit bigger). Instead of transparent plastic borders, they're now red. Perhaps most...
News Nintendo Museum Expands Its History With A New Exhibit
Timed in with Switch 2's big reveal
Nintendo this week marked another major milestone in its history with the full reveal of the Switch 2. After years of incredible video game history, this new system is easily the Japanese firm's most cutting-edge piece of tech it's ever released. Of course, the Nintendo Museum is all about the company's history,...

















































