Category Archives: Japan

Enterbrain’s 2011 report shows the Japanese domestic market generating revenues of ¥454,380 million over 12 months, a marked decline on 2010, with Mario Kart 7 the year’s best-selling release.

More »

PlayStation Vita sales have suffered for a second week, seeing another decline and even beaten by PSP again.

More »

Media Create’s sales figures for the week ending December 25, 2011 -released over the holiday break – paint a grim picture for Sony’s new hardware.

More »

Nintendo has sold over 4 million units in Japan, nearly a year after the handheld first launched in the country, Famitsu publisher Enterbrain announced over the Christmas break.

More »

Ahead of its official data release tomorrow, Japanese sales track firm Media Create has released a preliminary report.

More »

Sony’s initial shipment of Vita consoles for last weekend’s Japanese launch falls about one-third short of pre-launch retailer reports.

More »

Reports out of Japan put the Vita’s launch figures well ahead of the PSP’s debut, but significantly below that of the rival 3DS.

More »

Sony will have shipped 700,000 units of PlayStation Vita in Japan ahead of the handheld’s launch in the country tomorrow, one Japanese media outlet is saying.

More »

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has launched a new service almost certain never to reach anywhere else. Andriasang reports users of mobile music streaming services can now access the PlayStation Game Music Service. It provides tunes from popular games, ranging from Final Fantasy XIII-2 to Dynasty Warriors to the Yakuza series – there’s even a range of sound effects, for all those situations when you really have to hear the PS3 start-up chime. Um. Well, it could be useful in D&D games when you really need to rock that chocobo vibe. PlayStation Game Music is available through NTT Communications, MTI, Enterbrain, Oricon and Dwango, with other portals expected to get on board soon.

Media Create’s weekly release of Japanese sales figures revealed the titan that is Monster Hunter still has the power to wow, propelling the 3DS to new heights. Meanwhile, the most Western of Western RPGs won local hearts.

More »

Aquire has released a new video for Sumioni, showing off the first level of its “ink-themed” action title for Vita. You’ll notice various obstacles you’ll overcome by drawing platforms with the touch-screen. You can even use the controls to call upon a giant bird to help destroy a well-defended pagoda. Watch the video below, courtesy of Andriasang. Sumioni releases in Japan on February 9.

More »

Square Enix has filed a trademark in Japan for a title called Gunslinger Stratus. A search through the USPTO found no trace of it, but that doesn’t mean anything just yet. The trademark, dug up by Andriasang, doesn’t really state much, but we’re betting it’s one of the “two to three” new IPs the firm said it’s working on. Last week, the firm listed recruitment ads for a new action RPG for PS3 and Vita, as well as another action-RPG in development, which featured teaser artwork. We’ll send a mail, but we don’t expect Square to give up any secrets just yet.

SEGA has announced via Famitsu that it’s developing an action-simulation hybrid title called Samurai & Dragons for Vita.

More »

Media Create has released its weekly sales chart, and unsurprisingly, Mario Kart 7 is king of the software chart with 423,619 units moved. It also contributed to almost a doubling of 3DS sales over the prior week.

More »

Koei Tecmo has announced that Atelier developer Gust will become a subsidiary of the firm once it acquires 495 shares of stock from shareholder Keiken Holdings, which holds 100%. A deal for the stock purchase was finalized today, and the transfer is planned the middle of December. The purchase price for the stock will be ¥22 million. Koei Tecmo said that Gust’s Atelier series, which it publishes, is a popular IP with fans, and it hopes to raise the value of the IP with the acquisition. Thanks, Andriasang. [pic]

Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata has said the firm expects 3DS to sell 4 million units by its first anniversary on the market, as the system gets closer to the 3 million sold mark.

More »

Konami’s confirmed it’ll release a free download game for Vita’s launch.

More »

The Final Fantasy collaboration between Sqaure Enix and mobile social game provider DeNA has been unveiled as a PvE and PvP title Final Fantasy Brigade.

More »

Capcom, Namco Bandai, Konami and Square Enix are yet to indicate their participation in the Vita’s UMD Passport scheme, which assists players in porting their PSP collection to the new hardware.

More »

Media Create has released its weekly sales chart, and unsurprisingly, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword topped the software chart with 194,978 units moved. The game’s debut also contributed to the doubling of Wii sales, but it still wasn’t enough to pull the console out of the number four spot.

More »