Regulations
Tag: Japan
Market Growth
Japan and Korea games market to hit $30bn by 2029
Revenue Race
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby makes 50.3% revenue outside Japan in first global month
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Spending Surge
Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond daily revenue spikes 786% with first new card set Infinity Evolved
Cygames’ latest card game has generated $66.7m in its first six weeks on mobile
Staff Stats
Nintendo hires at least 455 full-time staff as total headcount surpasses 5,600
Nintendo has 3,855 male full-time employees while 1,775 are female, with the largest disparity in Japan
Revenue Race
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby trots to $6.6m outside Japan after 18 days
Cygames’ flagship was Japan’s top-grossing mobile game in 2021 and 2022, and expanded into the West on June 26th, 2025
Marketing Merge Mansion
How Metacore cracked Japan's mobile market with Merge Mansion
Shuhei Watanabe discusses advertising campaigns, cultural differences in Asia, and Merge Mansion’s successful marketing strategy
Hot Five
Hot Five: Kingshot and SD Gundam G Generation Eternal shoot past $100m, and Grow a Garden hits 21m concurrent users
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Marvel Mystic Mayhem, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, Lego Fortnite Expeditions and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Horse Girls Are Here
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby launches globally today after racing to $2.6bn on mobile in Japan
Cygames’ horse girl game has launched in English more than one year on from reveal, and four years after release in Japan
Sequel Strategy
Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond surpasses $20m in first week
Cygames’ strategy card game sequel quadrupled the original Shadowverse’s week one earnings
Eternally Earning
SD Gundam G Generation Eternal surpasses $100m in two months
Bandai Namco’s recent release peaked at $3.5m in daily player spending
Podcast | Episode 52
Tim Sweeney's epic App Store win and Tripledot's transformational AppLovin deal | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 52...
Week In Views
Epic spends $100m fighting Apple and Pokémon TGC Pocket rules Golden week | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Golden Week Glory
Golden Week 2025: Pokémon TCG Pocket dominates, Fate/Grand Order falls, and a 2012 title makes a surprising rise
The 10 best-performing mobile games in Japan generated $81m this Golden Week, up from $44.9m in 2024
Translation Teamup
DeNA and Alconost partner to localise international games for Japanese market
The partnership will see DeNA’s AndApp platform leverage Alconost’s localisation experience
Ready To Race
$2.5bn maker Uma Musume: Pretty Derby opens pre-registrations, cantering towards English release June 26th
Cygames’ Japanese horse girl hit is changing lanes with an English localisation launching this summer
Monster Milestone
Monster Strike surpasses $11bn in 11 years with Japanese dominance
Mixi’s flagship has surpassed $1bn in annual player spending five times, twice since Western shutdown
Racing Revenue
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gallops past $2.5bn in Japan alone
Cygames’ hit horse girl racing game is still awaiting its English release
Shares Synchrony
Trump tariffs hit Japanese games companies as shares in Nintendo, Sony, DeNA and Capcom fall
US president Donald Trump’s latest 20% tariff on Chinese imports to the US appear to be having a knock-on effect on shareholders’ confidence in Japanese game makers
Valiant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke hits $1bn on mobile during Romantic Valentine event
More than half of that player spending has come from the game’s Japanese players
Leadership Change
Koei Tecmo appoints Hisashi Koinuma as new CEO
He will replace co-founder Yoichi Erikawa as president and CEO effective from April 2025
Polar Night Pulled
Atelier Resleriana to end global services after just 14 months
The latest entry in the Atelier series has earned almost $57.7 million on mobile worldwide 90% of which has come from players in Japan
Global Goals
Square Enix’s global growth strategy too often overlooks mobile
After shutting down multiple mobile games in recent years, Square Enix launches Emberstoria - another Japan exclusive
New Studio
Tencent’s Lightspeed Studios opens new Japan studio
Experienced game director Hideaki Itsuno will helm Lightspeed's Japan studio
In The Zone
Zenless Zone Zero surpasses $150 million, but it’s no Genshin Impact…
HoYoverse’s latest RPG has achieved a mighty milestone but much slower to the mark than its forebears
Double Jump
double jump.tokyo raises $10 million to bolster web3 games development
The Series D funding round was led by SBI Investment
Jujutsu Out Of Japan
Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade is going global with a 10 million pre-registration goal
SumZap’s mobile RPG launched in Japan in November 2023, and is planned for worldwide release by the end of 2024
Simulation Star
Gakuen Idolmaster got 1.5x Squad Busters’ downloads during its launch month
The idol title earned 40% of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s domestic mobile revenue during the period
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Zenless Zone Zero to Zen Koi Pro+
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Acquisition Ahead
CyberAgent to acquire NitroPlus in $104 million deal
Digital advertising firm and games publisher will support new subsidiary's efforts for global IP expansion
Mobile Manoeuvre
Pokémon developer Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive is new IP, Pand Land
Game Freak and WonderPlanet "sometimes clashed" during development but ultimately "achieved balance" with this seafaring RPG
To The Races
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gets an English version - is a Western release imminent?
Cygames’ racer has seen huge success in Japan with over 21 million downloads and $2 billion in revenue
Hot Five
Hot Five: Japan’s newest stars, Nordic numbers, and Tripledot Studios’ acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Golden Genre
RPGs dominated Japan's Golden Week thanks to Fate Grand/Order, Monster Strike, Genshin Impact and more
Golden Week 2024 generated less mobile revenue than in 2023, but RPGs continued to excel with 9 out of 10 top ten placings
Platform Party
Eggy Party to expand onto console with crossplay Nintendo Switch release
NetEase’s hit party game is releasing on Nintendo Switch on July 19th
Jumping In Japan
Wuthering Waves, Gakuen Idolmaster, Squad Busters: Which new mobile games won Japan over this May?
Plenty of new mobile hits launched last month, from Supercell, Kuro Games, Bandai Namco and others
Legislation Looming
Fortnite and The Epic Games Store will be arriving on iOS in Japan in 2025
The Epic Games Store will be available as an alternative to Apple’s App Store in Japan next year, based on new legislation
A Taste Of The Top
The top games for downloads are shifting as new stars rise and puzzle games conquer Japan
Royal Match, Ludo King, Wood Nuts & Bolts Puzzle and others ascended the download charts in Q1 2024
Casual Comedown
As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge
Sensor Tower and data.ai’s latest report reveals a 24% revenue decline for RPGs in Japan
Financials
Nexon banks on $22bn IP Dungeon & Fighter being a mobile hit in China as Q1 revenue declines
Franchise has generated more than $22 billion to date, as publisher eyes as much as a 90% boost to China earnings with mobile release
Nintendo Numbers
Nintendo made $10.8 billion in FY24 with mobile and IP income up 81.6%
It’s been another successful year for Nintendo, but mobile victories are harder to find
Vibrant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke reaches $750 million in 1.5 years
Shift Up is celebrating Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s latest milestone with new characters and free gacha pulls
Honkai Hoorah
Honkai: Star Rail zooms beyond $1 billion on its first anniversary
Honkai: Star Rail generated $1.3 billion in its first 12 months, with 25% from 6% of players…
Indie Game Devs
Japan launches So-Fu accelerator to support indie game developers
The program will provide indie devs with mentorships, create business connections in the industry and even cover expenses.
Monster Milestone
Six months of Monster Hunter Now: A well-earned celebration as Niantic catches lightning twice
Monster Hunter Now has generated $150 million in its first six months, making it Niantic’s second-biggest game behind Pokémon Go
Fun At The Fest
Pokémon Go Fest 2024 will span three continents across three months
Pokémon Go Fest is the game’s biggest event of the year, with dates announced in Japan, Spain and the US for 2024
Japan Generation
Japan generates 50% of worldwide geolocation game spending
Niantic and Square Enix lead the way for player spending in location-based games
Rallying Relief
Capcom and Square Enix donate millions in relief funds to support victims of Japan earthquake
Donations of ¥120 million and ¥50 million from two of Japan's gaming giants will support victims of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts
The Greatest Genres
RPGs dominate consumer spending, generating 30% of all 2023 mobile game revenue
data.ai’s new report reveals reveals that the genre generated $24.5 billion - a huge 30% of revenues - from only 3% of total game downloads