fbpx
Wikipedia

Video games in Japan

August 19, 2023

Video games are a major industry in Japan, and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming.[4] Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games, including Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi, Sega during the same time period, Sony Computer Entertainment when it was based in Tokyo, and other companies such as Taito, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, NEC, and SNK, among others.

Sega Akihabara Building 2, known as GiGO until 2017,[1] a former[2][3] large 6 floor Sega game center on Chuo Dori, in front of the LAOX Aso-Bit-City in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, in 2006

The space is known for the catalogs of several major publishers, all of whom have competed in the video game console and video arcade markets at various points. Released in 1965, Periscope was a major arcade hit in Japan, preceding several decades of success in the arcade industry there. Nintendo, a former hanafuda playing card vendor, rose to prominence during the 1980s with the release of the home video game console called the Famicom or "Family Computer", which became a major hit as the Nintendo Entertainment System or "NES" internationally. Sony, already one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers, entered the market in 1994 with the Sony PlayStation, one of the first home consoles to feature 3D graphics, almost immediately establishing itself as a major publisher in the space. Shigeru Miyamoto remains internationally renowned as a "father of video gaming" and is the only game developer so far to receive Japan's highest civilian honor for artists, the 文化功労者 (bunka kōrōsha) or Person of Cultural Merit.

Arcade culture is a major influence among young Japanese, with Akihabara Electric Town being a major nexus of so-called otaku culture in Japan, which overlaps with video gaming heavily. Japanese video game franchises such as Super Smash Bros., Pokémon, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear, Devil May Cry, Animal Crossing, Kingdom Hearts, Persona, Resident Evil, Dark Souls, Kirby and Monster Hunter have gained critical acclaim and continue to garner a large international following. The Japanese role-playing game is a major game genre innovated by Japan and remains popular both domestically and internationally, with titles like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest selling millions. The country has an estimated 67.6 million players in 2018.[5]

History

See also: History of video games, Arcade game, and History of Eastern role-playing video games

Background

In 1966, Sega introduced an electro-mechanical game called Periscope[6] - a submarine simulator[7] which used lights and plastic waves to simulate sinking ships from a submarine.[8] It became an instant success in Japan, Europe, and North America,[9] where it was the first arcade game to cost a quarter per play,[6] which would remain the standard price for arcade games for many years to come.[9]

Sega later produced gun games that used rear image projection in a manner similar to the ancient zoetrope to produce moving animations on a screen.[10] The first of these, the light-gun game Duck Hunt,[11] appeared in 1969;[12] it featured animated moving targets on a screen, printed out the player's score on a ticket, and had volume-controllable sound-effects.[11] Another Sega 1969 release, Missile, a shooter, featured electronic sound and a moving film strip to represent the targets on a projection screen.[13]

1970s to early 1980s

The first arcade video game, Atari, Inc.'s Pong, debuted in the United States in 1972, and led to a number of new American manufacturers to create their own arcade games to capitalize on the rising fad. Several of these companies had Japanese partners and kept their overseas counterparts abreast of this new technology, leading several Japanese coin-operated electronic games makers to step into the arcade game market as well.[14] Taito and Namco were some of the early adopters of arcade games in Japan, first distributing American games before developing their own. Nintendo which at this time was primarily manufacturing traditional and electronic toys, also entered the arcade game market in the latter part of the 1970s.[14]

As in the United States, many of the early Japanese arcade games were based on the principle of cloning gameplay established by popular titles to make new ones.[14] However, several new concepts came out of these Japanese-developed games, and performed well in both Japan and in re-licensed versions in the United States, such as Taito's Speed Race and Gun Fight in 1975. Gun Fight notably, when released by Midway Games in the U.S., was the first arcade game to use a microprocessor rather than discrete electronic components.[14] Sega's black and white boxing game Heavyweight Champ was released in 1976 as the first video game to feature fist fighting.[15] The first stealth games were Hiroshi Suzuki's Manbiki Shounen (1979)[16][17] and Manbiki Shoujo (1980), Taito's Lupin III (1980),[18] and Sega's 005 (1981).[19][20][21]

 
Epoch's TV Tennis Electrotennis, Japan's first home video game console
 
The Color TV-Game Block Kuzushi

Separately, the first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, had been released in the U.S. in 1971, of which Nintendo had partnered to manufacture the light gun accessory for the console, while Atari began releasing home console versions of Pong in 1975. Japan's first home video game console was Epoch's TV Tennis Electrotennis. It was followed by the first successful Japanese console, Nintendo's Color TV-Game, in 1977 which was made in partnership with Mitsubishi Electronics. Numerous other dedicated home consoles were made mostly by television manufacturers, leading these systems to be called TV geemu or terebi geemu in Japan.[14]

 
Tomohiro Nishikado, creator of the shooter game Space Invaders

Eventually, the 1978 arcade release of Space Invaders would mark the first major mainstream breakthrough for video games in Japan.[22] Created by Nishikado at Japan's Taito, Space Invaders pitted the player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen at a constantly increasing speed.[23][24] The game used alien creatures inspired by The War of the Worlds (by H. G. Wells) because the developers were unable to render the movement of aircraft; in turn, the aliens replaced human enemies because of moral concerns (regarding the portrayal of killing humans) on the part of Taito. As with subsequent shoot 'em ups of the time, the game was set in space as the available technology only permitted a black background. The game also introduced the idea of giving the player a number of "lives". It popularised a more interactive style of gameplay with the enemies responding to the player-controlled cannon's movement,[25] and it was the first video game to popularise the concept of achieving a high score,[26][27][28] being the first to save the player's score.[26] The aliens of Space Invaders return fire at the protagonist, making them the first arcade game targets to do so.[29] It set the template for the shoot 'em up genre,[30] and has influenced most shooting games released since then.[23]

 
Donkey Kong arcade cabinet

Taito's Space Invaders, in 1978, proved to be the first blockbuster arcade video game.[31] Its success marked the beginning of the golden age of arcade video games. Video game arcades sprang up in shopping malls, and small "corner arcades" appeared in restaurants, grocery stores, bars and movie theaters all over Japan and other countries during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Pac-Man (1980) and Bosconian (1981) were especially popular. By 1981, the arcade video game industry was worth $8 billion[32] ($25.8 billion in 2022). Some games of this era were so popular that they entered popular culture. The first to do so was Space Invaders. The game was so popular upon its release in 1978 that an urban legend blamed it for a national shortage of 100 yen coins in Japan, leading to a production increase of coins to meet demand for the game[33][34] (although 100 yen coin production was lower in 1978 and 1979 than in previous or subsequent years,[35][36] and the claim does not withstand logical scrutiny: arcade operators would have emptied out their machines and taken the money to the bank, thus keeping the coins in circulation).[36] Japanese arcade games during the golden age also had hardware unit sales at least in the tens of thousands, including Ms. Pac-Man with over 115,000 units,[37] Donkey Kong with over 60,000,[38] Galaxian with 40,000,[39] Donkey Kong Jr. with 35,000,[38] and Mr. Do! with 30,000.[40]

Other Japanese arcade games established new concepts that would become fundamentals in video games. Use of color graphics and individualized antagonists were considered "strong evolutionary concepts" among space ship games.[41] The Namco's Galaxian in 1979 introduced multi-colored animated sprites.[42] That same year saw the release of SNK's debut shoot 'em up Ozma Wars, notable for being the first action game to feature a supply of energy, resembling a life bar, a mechanic that has now become common in the majority of modern action games.[43] It also featured vertically scrolling backgrounds and enemies.[44]

1980s to early 2000s

 
The Family Computer (commonly known by the Japanese-English term Famicom)
See also: Third generation of video game consoles, Fourth generation of video game consoles, Fifth generation of video game consoles, and Sixth generation of video game consoles

From 1980 to 1991, Nintendo produced a line of handheld electronic games called Game & Watch. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen. It was the earliest Nintendo product to gain major success.[45]

Mega Man, known as Rockman (ロックマン, Rokkuman) in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man". Mega Man, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, was the first in a series that expanded to over 50 games on multiple systems. As of March 31, 2021, the game series has sold 36 million units worldwide.[1]

Konami's Scramble, released in 1981, is a side-scrolling shooter with forced scrolling. It was the first scrolling shooter to offer multiple, distinct levels.[46][47] Vertical scrolling shooters emerged around the same time. Namco's Xevious, released in 1982, is frequently cited as the first vertical scrolling shooter and, although it was in fact preceded by several other games of that type, it is considered one of the most influential.[46]

The first platform game to use scrolling graphics was Jump Bug (1981), a simple platform-shooter game developed by Alpha Denshi.[48]

The North American video game industry was devastated by the 1983 video game crash, but in Japan, it was more of a surprise to developers, and typically known in Japan as the "Atari Shock". After the video game crash, analysts doubted the long-term viability of the video game industry.[49] At the same time, following a series of arcade game successes in the early 1980s, Nintendo made plans to create a cartridge-based console called the Famicom, which is short for Family Computer. Masayuki Uemura designed the system.[50][51] The console was released on July 15, 1983 as the Family Computer (or Famicom for short) alongside three ports of Nintendo's successful arcade games Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye. The Famicom was slow to gather momentum; a bad chip set caused the initial release of the system to crash. Following a product recall and a reissue with a new motherboard, the Famicom's popularity soared, becoming the best-selling game console in Japan by the end of 1984.[52] By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software.[53][54] By mid-1986, 19% (6.5 million) of Japanese households owned a Famicom;[55] one third by mid-1988.[56] In June 1989, Nintendo of America's vice president of marketing Peter Main, said that the Famicom was present in 37% of Japan's households.[57] By the end of its run, over 60 million NES units had been sold throughout the world.[58] In 1990 Nintendo surpassed Toyota as Japan's most successful corporation.[59][60]

Because the NES was released after the "video game crash" of the early 1980s, many retailers and adults regarded electronic games as a passing fad,[61] so many believed at first that the NES would soon fade.[62] Before the NES/Famicom, Nintendo was known as a moderately successful Japanese toy and playing card manufacturer, but the popularity of the NES/Famicom helped the company grow into an internationally recognized name almost synonymous with video games as Atari had been,[63] and set the stage for Japanese dominance of the video game industry.[64] With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher quality software titles, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced titles for earlier game systems.[65] The system's hardware limitations led to design principles that still influence the development of modern video games. Many prominent game franchises originated on the NES, including Nintendo's own Super Mario Bros.,[66] The Legend of Zelda[67] and Metroid,[68] Capcom's Mega Man[69] franchise, Konami's Castlevania[70] franchise, Square's Final Fantasy,[71] and Enix's Dragon Quest franchises.[72]

Following the release of the Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System, the global video game industry began recovering, with annual sales exceeding $2.3 billion by 1988, with 70% of the market dominated by Nintendo.[73] In 1986 Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi noted that "Atari collapsed because they gave too much freedom to third-party developers and the market was swamped with rubbish games". In response, Nintendo limited the number of titles that third-party developers could release for their system each year, and promoted its "Seal of Quality", which it allowed to be used on games and peripherals by publishers that met Nintendo's quality standards.[74]

Japan's first personal computers for gaming soon appeared, the Sord M200 in 1977 and Sharp MZ-80K in 1978.[22] In Japan, both consoles and computers became major industries, with the console market dominated by Nintendo and the computer market dominated by NEC's PC-88 (1981) and PC-98 (1982). A key difference between Western and Japanese computers at the time was the display resolution, with Japanese systems using a higher resolution of 640x400 to accommodate Japanese text which in turn affected video game design and allowed more detailed graphics. Japanese computers were also using Yamaha's FM synth sound boards from the early 1980s.[75] During the 16-bit era, the PC-98, Sharp X68000 and FM Towns became popular in Japan. The X68000 and FM Towns were capable of producing near arcade-quality hardware sprite graphics and sound quality when they first released in the mid-to-late 1980s.[75]

The Wizardry series (translated by ASCII Entertainment) became popular and influential in Japan, even more so than at home.[76] Japanese developers created the action RPG subgenre in the early 1980s, combining RPG elements with arcade-style action and action-adventure elements.[77][78] The trend of combining role-playing elements with arcade-style action mechanics was popularized by The Tower of Druaga,[78] an arcade game released by Namco in June 1984. While the RPG elements in Druaga were very subtle, its success in Japan inspired the near-simultaneous development of three early action role-playing games, combining Druaga's real-time hack-and-slash gameplay with stronger RPG mechanics, all released in late 1984: Dragon Slayer, Courageous Perseus, and Hydlide. A rivalry developed between the three games, with Dragon Slayer and Hydlide continuing their rivalry through subsequent sequels.[79] The Tower of Druaga, Dragon Slayer and Hydlide were influential in Japan, where they laid the foundations for the action RPG genre, influencing titles such as Ys and The Legend of Zelda.[80][81]

The action role-playing game Hydlide (1984) was an early open world game,[82][83] rewarding exploration in an open world environment.[84] Hydlide influenced The Legend of Zelda (1986),[85] an influential open world game.[86][87] Zelda had an expansive, coherent open world design, inspiring many games to adopt a similar open world design.[88]

Bokosuka Wars (1983) is considered an early prototype real-time strategy game.[89] TechnoSoft's Herzog (1988) is regarded as a precursor to the real-time strategy genre, being the predecessor to Herzog Zwei and somewhat similar in nature.[90] Herzog Zwei, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis home console in 1989, is the earliest example of a game with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of modern real-time strategy.[91][92]

Data East's Karate Champ from 1984 is credited with establishing and popularizing the one-on-one fighting game genre, and went on to influence Konami's Yie Ar Kung-Fu from 1985.[93] Capcom's Street Fighter (1987) introduced the use of special moves that could only be discovered by experimenting with the game controls. Street Fighter II (1991) established the conventions of the fighting game genre and allowed players to play against each other.[94]

In 1985, Sega AM2's Hang-On, designed by Yu Suzuki and running on the Sega Space Harrier hardware, was the first of Sega's "Super Scaler" arcade system boards that allowed pseudo-3D sprite-scaling at high frame rates.[95] The pseudo-3D sprite/tile scaling was handled in a similar manner to textures in later texture-mapped polygonal 3D games of the 1990s.[96] Designed by Sega AM2's Yu Suzuki, he stated that his "designs were always 3D from the beginning. All the calculations in the system were 3D, even from Hang-On. I calculated the position, scale, and zoom rate in 3D and converted it backwards to 2D. So I was always thinking in 3D."[97] It was controlled using a video game arcade cabinet resembling a motorbike, which the player moves with their body. This began the "Taikan" trend, the use of motion-controlled hydraulic arcade cabinets in many arcade games of the late 1980s, two decades before motion controls became popular on video game consoles.[98]

Sega's Space Harrier, a rail shooter released in 1985, broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores.[99][100] 1985 also saw the release of Konami's Gradius, which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy.[46] The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success.[101] Gradius, with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up and spawned a series spanning several sequels.[102] The following year saw the emergence of one of Sega's forefront series with its game Fantasy Zone. The game received acclaim for its surreal graphics and setting and the protagonist, Opa-Opa, was for a time considered Sega's mascot.[103] The game borrowed Defender's device of allowing the player to control the direction of flight and along with the earlier TwinBee (1985), is an early archetype of the "cute 'em up" subgenre.[46][104]

Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness in 1985 featured an early morality meter, where the player can be aligned with justice, normal, or evil, which is affected by whether the player kills evil monsters, good monsters, or humans, and in turn affects the reactions of the townsfolk towards the player.[105] In the same year, Yuji Horii and his team at Chunsoft began production on Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior).[106] After Enix published the game in early 1986, it became the template for future console RPGs.[107] Horii's intention behind Dragon Quest was to create a RPG that appeals to a wider audience unfamiliar with the genre or video games in general. This required the creation of a new kind of RPG, that didn't rely on previous D&D experience, didn't require hundreds of hours of rote fighting, and that could appeal to any kind of gamer.[106] The streamlined gameplay of Dragon Quest thus made the game more accessible to a wider audience than previous computer RPGs.[108] The game also placed a greater emphasis on storytelling and emotional involvement,[109] building on Horii's previous work Portopia Serial Murder Case, but this time introducing a coming of age tale for Dragon Quest that audiences could relate to, making use of the RPG level-building gameplay as a way to represent this.[110] It also featured elements still found in most console RPGs, like major quests interwoven with minor subquests, an incremental spell system,[111] the damsel-in-distress storyline that many RPGs follow,[112] and a romance element that remains a staple of the genre,[113] alongside anime-style art by Akira Toriyama and a classical score by Koichi Sugiyama that was considered revolutionary for console video game music.[106] With Dragon Quest becoming widely popular in Japan, such that local municipalities were forced to place restrictions on where and when the game could be sold,[111] the Dragon Quest series is still considered a bellwether for the Japanese video game market.[114]

Shoot 'em ups featuring characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, became popular in the mid-1980s in the wake of action movies such as Rambo: First Blood Part II.[44] The origins of this type go back to Sheriff by Nintendo, released in 1979. Taito's Front Line (1982) established the upwards-scrolling formula later popularized by Capcom's Commando, in 1985, and SNK's Ikari Warriors (1986).[115] Commando also drew comparisons to Rambo[116] and indeed contemporary critics considered military themes and protagonists similar to Rambo or Schwarzenegger prerequisites for a shoot 'em up, as opposed to an action-adventure game.[115] In 1986, Arsys Software released WiBArm, a shooter that switched between a 2D side-scrolling view in outdoor areas to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses were fought in an arena-style 2D battle, with the game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment.[117]

The late 1980s to early 1990s is considered the golden age of Japanese computer gaming, which would flourish until its decline around the mid-1990s, as consoles eventually dominated the Japanese market.[118] A notable Japanese computer RPG from around this time was WiBArm, the earliest known RPG to feature 3D polygonal graphics. It was a 1986 role-playing shooter released by Arsys Software for the PC-88 in Japan and ported to MS-DOS for Western release by Brøderbund. In WiBArm, the player controls a transformable mecha robot, switching between a 2D side-scrolling view during outdoor exploration to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses are fought in an arena-style 2D shoot 'em up battle. The game featured a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an automap, and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats.[75][119] Unlike first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, WiBArm's use of 3D polygons allowed full 360-degree movement.[119]

 
The PC Engine, released in 1987

On October 30, 1987, the PC Engine made its debut in the Japanese market and it was a tremendous success. The console had an elegant, "eye-catching" design, and it was very small compared to its rivals.[120] The PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the rest of the world, was a collaborative effort between Hudson Soft, who created video game software, and NEC, a major company which was dominant in the Japanese personal computer market with their PC-88 and PC-98 platforms.[121]

R-Type, an acclaimed side-scrolling shoot 'em up, was released in 1987 by Irem, employing slower paced scrolling than usual, with difficult levels calling for methodical strategies.[122][123] 1990's Raiden was the beginning of another acclaimed and enduring series to emerge from this period.[124][125] In 1987, Square's 3-D WorldRunner was an early stereoscopic 3-D shooter played from a third-person perspective,[126] followed later that year by its sequel JJ,[127] and the following year by Space Harrier 3-D which used the SegaScope 3-D shutter glasses.[128] Also in 1987, Konami created Contra as a coin-op arcade game that was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay.

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei by Atlus for the Nintendo Famicom abandoned the common medieval fantasy setting and sword and sorcery theme in favour of a modern science-fiction setting and horror theme. It also introduced the monster-catching mechanic with its demon-summoning system, which allowed the player to recruit enemies into their party, through a conversation system that gives the player a choice of whether to kill or spare an enemy and allows them to engage any opponent in conversation.[129] Sega's original Phantasy Star for the Master System combined sci-fi & fantasy setting that set it apart from the D&D staple.[130] It was also one of the first games to feature a female protagonist and animated monster encounters,[130] and allowed inter-planetary travel between three planets.[131] Another 1987 title Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord was a third-person RPG that featured a wide open world and a mini-map on the corner of the screen.[132]

According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting," citing Castlevania (1986) and Trojan (1986) as examples.[133] IGN UK argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles, an action component, a monetary system, and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points.[134] The Legend of Zelda was the most prolific action-adventure game series through to the 2000s.[135]

The first Nintendo Space World show was held on July 28, 1989.[136] It was a video game trade show that was hosted by Nintendo until 2001. At the same year, Phantasy Star II for the Genesis established many conventions of the RPG genre, including an epic, dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter, and a strategy-based battle system.[130][137] The game's science fiction story was also unique, reversing the common alien invasion scenario by instead presenting Earthlings as the invading antagonists rather than the defending protagonists.[130][137] Capcom's Sweet Home for the NES introduced a modern Japanese horror theme and laid the foundations for the survival horror genre, later serving as the main inspiration for Resident Evil (1996).[138][139] Tengai Makyo: Ziria released for the PC Engine CD that same year was the first RPG released on CD-ROM and the first in the genre to feature animated cut scenes and voice acting. The game's plot was also unusual for its feudal Japan setting and its emphasis on humour; the plot and characters were inspired by the Japanese folk tale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. The music for the game was also composed by noted musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.[140]

The ‘golden age’ of console RPGs is often dated in the 1990s.[141][142] Console RPGs distinguished themselves from computer RPGs to a greater degree in the early 1990s. As console RPGs became more heavily story-based than their computer counterparts, one of the major differences that emerged during this time was in the portrayal of the characters, with most American computer RPGs at the time having characters devoid of personality or background as their purpose was to represent avatars which the player uses to interact with the world, in contrast to Japanese console RPGs which depicted pre-defined characters who had distinctive personalities, traits, and relationships, such as Final Fantasy and Lufia, with players assuming the roles of people who cared about each other, fell in love or even had families. Romance in particular was a theme that was common in most console RPGs but alien to most computer RPGs at the time.[143] Japanese console RPGs were also generally more faster-paced and action-adventure-oriented than their American computer counterparts.[144][145] During the 1990s, console RPGs had become increasingly dominant.[146]

In 1990, Dragon Quest IV introduced a new method of storytelling: segmenting the plot into segregated chapters.[147][148] The game also introduced an AI system called "Tactics" which allowed the player to modify the strategies used by the allied party members while maintaining full control of the hero.[149] Final Fantasy III introduced the classic "job system", a character progression engine allowing the player to change the character classes, as well as acquire new and advanced classes and combine class abilities, during the course of the game.[150][151] That same year also saw the release of Nintendo's Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi, a game that set the template for the tactical role-playing game genre and was the first entry in the Fire Emblem series.[152] Another notable strategy RPG that year was Koei's Bandit Kings of Ancient China, which was successful in combining the strategy RPG and management simulation genres, building on its own Nobunaga's Ambition series that began in 1983.[147] Several early RPGs set in a post-apocalyptic future were also released that year, including Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II,[129][153] and Crystalis,[154] which was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Crystalis also made advances to the action role-playing game subgenre, being a true action RPG that combined the real-time action-adventure combat and open world of The Legend of Zelda with the level-building and spell-casting of traditional RPGs like Final Fantasy.[155] That year also saw the release of Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom, which featured an innovative and original branching storyline, which spans three generations of characters and can be altered depending on which character the protagonist of each generation marries,[156] leading to four possible endings.[130]

In 1991, Final Fantasy IV was one of the first role-playing games to feature a complex, involving plot,[157] placing a much greater emphasis on character development, personal relationships, and dramatic storytelling.[158] It also introduced a new battle system: the "Active Time Battle" system, developed by Hiroyuki Ito,[159] where the time-keeping system does not stop.[160] The fact that enemies can attack or be attacked at any time is credited with injecting urgency and excitement into the combat system.[160] The ATB combat system was considered revolutionary for being a hybrid between turn-based and real-time combat, with its requirement of faster reactions from players appealing to those who were more used to action games.[161]

 
The Super Famicom, released on November 21, 1990

Nintendo executives were initially reluctant to design a new system, but as the market transitioned to the newer hardware, Nintendo saw the erosion of the commanding market share it had built up with the Nintendo Entertainment System.[162] Nintendo's fourth-generation console, the Super Famicom, was released in Japan on November 21, 1990; Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours.[163] Despite stiff competition from the Mega Drive/Genesis console, the Super NES eventually took the top selling position, selling 49.10 million units worldwide,[164] and would remain popular well into the fifth generation of consoles.[165] Nintendo's market position was defined by their machine's increased video and sound capabilities,[166] as well as exclusive first-party franchise titles such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid.

In the early 1990s, the arcades experienced a major resurgence with the 1991 release of Capcom's Street Fighter II,[167] which popularized competitive fighting games and revived the arcade industry to a level of popularity not seen since the days of Pac-Man,[168] setting off a renaissance for the arcade game industry in the early 1990s.[169] Its success led to a wave of other popular games which mostly were in the fighting genre, such as Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1992) by SNK, Virtua Fighter (1993) by SEGA, and The King of Fighters (1994–2005) by SNK. In 1993, Electronic Games noted that when "historians look back at the world of coin-op during the early 1990s, one of the defining highlights of the video game art form will undoubtedly focus on fighting/martial arts themes" which it described as "the backbone of the industry" at the time.[170]

A new type of shoot 'em up emerged in the early 1990s: variously termed "bullet hell", "manic shooters", "maniac shooters" and danmaku (弾幕, "barrage"), these games required the player to dodge overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and called for still more consistent reactions from players.[46][171] Bullet hell games arose from the need for 2D shoot 'em up developers to compete with the emerging popularity of 3D games: huge numbers of missiles on screen were intended to impress players.[171] Toaplan's Batsugun (1993) provided the prototypical template for this new breed,[172][173] with Cave (formed by former employees of Toaplan, including Batsugun's main creator Tsuneki Ikeda, after the latter company collapsed) inventing the type proper with 1995's DonPachi.[174] Bullet hell games marked another point where the shoot 'em up genre began to cater to more dedicated players.[46][171] Games such as Gradius had been more difficult than Space Invaders or Xevious,[101] but bullet hell games were yet more inward-looking and aimed at dedicated fans of the genre looking for greater challenges.[46][175] While shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D-based genres, popular, long-running series such as Contra and Metal Slug continued to receive new sequels.[176][177][178] Rail shooters have rarely been released in the new millennium, with only Rez and Panzer Dragoon Orta achieving cult recognition.[179][100][180]

1992 saw the release of Dragon Quest V, a game that has been praised for its involving, emotional family-themed narrative divided by different periods of time, something that has appeared in very few video games before or since.[181][182] It has also been credited as the first known video game to feature a playable pregnancy, a concept that has since appeared in later games such as Story of Seasons.[183] Dragon Quest V's monster-collecting mechanic, where monsters can be defeated, captured, added to the party, and gain their own experience levels, also influenced many later franchises such as Pokémon, Digimon and Dokapon. In turn, the concept of collecting everything in a game, in the form of achievements or similar rewards, has since become a common trend in video games.[184] Shin Megami Tensei, released in 1992 for the SNES, introduced an early moral alignment system that influences the direction and outcome of the storyline, leading to different possible paths and multiple endings. This has since become a hallmark of the Megami Tensei series.[129] Another non-linear RPG released that year was Romancing Saga, an open-world RPG by Square that offered many choices and allowed players to complete quests in any order, with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline. The game also allowed players to choose from eight different characters, each with their own stories that start in different places and offer different outcomes.[185] Data East's Heracles no Eikō III, written by Kazushige Nojima, introduced the plot element of a nameless immortal suffering from amnesia, and Nojima would later revisit the amnesia theme in Final Fantasy VII and Glory of Heracles.[186] The TurboGrafx-CD port of Dragon Knight II released that year was also notable for introducing erotic adult content to consoles,[187][citation needed] though such content had often appeared in Japanese computer RPGs since the early 1980s.[118] That same year, Game Arts began the Lunar series on the Sega CD with Lunar: The Silver Star, one of the first successful CD-ROM RPGs, featuring both voice and text, and considered one of the best RPGs in its time.[188] The game was praised for its soundtrack, emotionally engaging storyline, and strong characterization.[189] It also introduced an early form of level-scaling where the bosses would get stronger depending on the protagonist's level,[190] a mechanic that was later used in Enix's The 7th Saga[191] and extended to normal enemies in Square's Romancing Saga 3 and later Final Fantasy VIII.[192]

3D polygon graphics were popularized by the Sega Model 1 games Virtua Racing (1992) and Virtua Fighter (1993),[193] followed by racing games[168] like the Namco System 22 title Ridge Racer (1993) and Sega Model 2 title Daytona USA, and light gun shooters like Sega's Virtua Cop (1994),[194] gaining considerable popularity in the arcades.[168]

In 1993, Square's Secret of Mana, the second in the Mana series, further advanced the action RPG subgenre with its introduction of cooperative multiplayer into the genre. The game was created by a team previously responsible for the first three Final Fantasy titles: Nasir Gebelli, Koichi Ishii, and Hiromichi Tanaka.[195] The game received considerable acclaim,[196] for its innovative pausable real-time battle system,[197][198] the "Ring Command" menu system,[198] its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay,[196] where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time,[199] and the customizable AI settings for computer-controlled allies.[200] The game has influenced a number of later action RPGs.[199][201] That same year also saw the release of Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, which introduced the use of pre-programmable combat manoeuvers called 'macros', a means of setting up the player's party AI to deliver custom attack combos.[130] That year also saw the release of Romancing Saga 2, which further expanded the non-linear gameplay of its predecessor. While in the original Romancing Saga, scenarios were changed according to dialogue choices during conversations, Romancing Saga 2 further expanded on this by having unique storylines for each character that can change depending on the player's actions, including who is chosen, what is said in conversation, what events have occurred, and who is present in the party.[202] PCGamesN credits Romancing SaGa 2 for having laid the foundations for modern Japanese RPGs with its progressive, non-linear, open world design and subversive themes.[203]

In 1994, Final Fantasy VI moved away from the medieval setting of its predecessors, instead being set in a steampunk environment,.[204] The game received considerable acclaim, and is seen as one of the greatest RPGs of all time,[205] for improvements such as its broadened thematic scope,[206] plotlines, characters, multiple-choice scenarios,[207] and variation of play.[208] Final Fantasy VI dealt with mature themes such as suicide, war crimes, child abandonment, teen pregnancy, and coping with the deaths of loved ones.[209] Square's Live A Live, released for the Super Famicom in Japan, featured eight different characters and stories, with the first seven unfolding in any order the player chooses, as well as four different endings.[210] The game's ninja chapter in particular was an early example of stealth game elements in an RPG, requiring the player to infiltrate a castle, rewarding the player if the entire chapter can be completed without engaging in combat.[210] Other chapters had similar innovations, such as Akira's chapter where the character uses telepathic powers to discover information.[210] Robotrek by Quintet and Ancient was a predecessor to Pokémon in the sense that the protagonist does not himself fight, but sends out his robots to do so. Like Pokémon, Robotrek was designed to appeal to a younger audience, allowed team customization, and each robot was kept in a ball.[211]

FromSoftware released their first video game, titled King's Field, as a launch title for the PlayStation in 1994.[212] The game was later called the brainchild of company founder Naotoshi Zin, who was considered a key creative figure in the series.[213] The eventual success of the first King's Field prompted the development of sequels, establishing the King's Field series.[214][215] The design of King's Field would influence later titles by FromSoftware including Shadow Tower, Demon's Souls, and the Dark Souls series. The latter would propel FromSoftware to international fame.[214][213][216]

In 1995, Square's Romancing Saga 3 featured a storyline that could be told differently from the perspectives of up to eight different characters and introduced a level-scaling system where the enemies get stronger as the characters do,[192] a mechanic that was later used in a number of later RPGs, including Final Fantasy VIII.[217] Sega's Sakura Wars for the Saturn combined tactical RPG combat with dating sim and visual novel elements, introducing a real-time branching choice system where, during an event or conversation, the player must choose an action or dialogue choice within a time limit, or not to respond at all within that time; the player's choice, or lack thereof, affects the player character's relationship with other characters and in turn the characters' performance in battle, the direction of the storyline, and the ending. Later games in the series added several variations, including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation, and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the analog stick depending on the situation.[218] The success of Sakura Wars led to a wave of games that combine the RPG and dating sim genres, including Thousand Arms in 1998, Riviera: The Promised Land in 2002, and Luminous Arc in 2007.[219]

The survival horror video game genre began with Capcom's Resident Evil (1996), which coined the term "survival horror" and defined the genre.[220][221] The game was inspired by Capcom's Sweet Home (1989), retroactively described as survival horror.[222]

The first Tokyo Game Show was held in 1996.[223] From 1996 to 2002, the show was held twice a year: once in the Spring and once in Autumn (in the Tokyo Big Sight).[224] Since 2002, the show has been held once a year. It attracts more visitors every year. 2011's show hosted over 200,000 attendees and the 2012 show bringing in 223,753. The busiest TGS was in 2016 with 271,224 people in attendance and 614 companies had exhibits.[225] The event has been held annually since 1996 and was never canceled. The 20th anniversary of TGS was celebrated in 2016.[226]

The Fujitsu FM Towns Marty is considered the world's first 32-bit console (predating the Amiga CD32 and 3DO), being released only released in Japan on February 20, 1993 by Fujitsu. However, it failed to make an impact in the marketplace due to its expense relative to other consoles and inability to compete with home computers.[227][228] Around the mid-1990s, the fifth-generation home consoles, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64, began offering true 3D graphics, improved sound, and better 2D graphics, than the previous generation. By 1995, personal computers followed, with 3D accelerator cards. While arcade systems such as the Sega Model 3 remained considerably more advanced than home systems in the late 1990s.[229][230]

The next major revolution came in the mid-to-late 1990s, which saw the rise of 3D computer graphics and optical discs in fifth generation consoles. The implications for RPGs were enormous—longer, more involved quests, better audio, and full-motion video. This was clearly demonstrated in 1997 by the phenomenal success of Final Fantasy VII, which is considered one of the most influential games of all time,[231][232] akin to that of Star Wars in the movie industry. With a record-breaking production budget of around $45 million,[231] the ambitious scope of Final Fantasy VII raised the possibilities for the genre, with its more expansive world to explore,[233] much longer quest, more numerous sidequests,[231] dozens of minigames, and much higher production values. The latter includes innovations such as the use of 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds,[234] battles viewed from multiple different angles rather than a single angle, and for the first time full-motion CGI video seamlessly blended into the gameplay,[232] effectively integrated throughout the game.[231] Gameplay innovations included the materia system, which allowed a considerable amount of customization and flexibility through materia that can be combined in many different ways and exchanged between characters at any time, and the limit breaks, special attacks that can be performed after a character's limit meter fills up by taking hits from opponents.[232] Final Fantasy VII continues to be listed among the best games of all time, for its highly polished gameplay, high playability, lavish production, well-developed characters, intricate storyline,[234] and an emotionally engaging narrative that is much darker and sophisticated than most other RPGs.[235] The game's storytelling and character development was considered a major narrative jump forward for video games and was often compared to films and novels at the time.[236]

One of the earliest Japanese RPGs, Koei's The Dragon and Princess (1982),[237] featured a tactical turn-based combat system.[238][239] Koji Sumii's Bokosuka Wars, originally released for the Sharp X1 computer in 1983[240] and later ported to the NES in 1985,[241] is credited for laying the foundations for the tactical RPG genre, or "simulation RPG" genre as it is known in Japan, with its blend of basic RPG and strategy game elements.[242] The genre became with the game that set the template for tactical RPGs, Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi (1990).[243]

Treasure's shoot 'em up, Radiant Silvergun (1998), introduced an element of narrative to the genre. It was critically acclaimed for its refined design, though it was not released outside Japan and remains a much sought after collector's item.[122][46][244][245] Its successor Ikaruga (2001) featured improved graphics and was again acclaimed as one of the best games in the genre. Both Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga were later released on Xbox Live Arcade.[122][46][246] The Touhou Project series spans 22 years and 27 games as of 2018 and was listed in the Guinness World Records in October 2010 for being the "most prolific fan-made shooter series".[247] The genre has undergone something of a resurgence with the release of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii online services,[246] while in Japan arcade shoot 'em ups retain a deep-rooted niche popularity.[248] Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2005 and in particular stood out from the various re-releases and casual games available on the service.[249] The PC has also seen its share of dōjin shoot 'em ups like Crimzon Clover, Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, Xenoslaive Overdrive, and the eXceed series. However, despite the genre's continued appeal to an enthusiastic niche of players, shoot 'em up developers are increasingly embattled financially by the power of home consoles and their attendant genres.[248][250]

2005–2015

See also: Handheld game console, Japanese mobile phone culture, and Seventh generation of video game consoles
 
A man playing a drumming arcade game (Drummania) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 2005
 
Girls playing The House of the Dead III in an amusement arcade in Japan, 2005
 
PlayStation 3 at Tokyo Game Show 2006

In 2002, the Japanese video game industry made up about 50% of the global market; that share has since shrunk to around 10% by 2010.[251] The shrinkage in market share has been attributed to a difference of taste between Japanese and Western audiences,[251] and the country's economic recession.[252]

Nintendo had seen record revenues, net sales and profits in 2009 as a result of the release of the Nintendo DS and Wii in 2004 and 2006, respectively,[253][254][255] but in Nintendo's subsequent years, its revenues had declined.[256][257]

In 2007 Tokkun Studio released Marie: BabySitter for PC.

In 2009, FromSoftware released Demon's Souls for the PlayStation 3, which brought them international exposure. Its spiritual successor, Dark Souls, was released in 2011. In March 2014, Dark Souls II, was released, while Dark Souls III was released in 2016.[258] Other FromSoftware games inspired by the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne (2015) and Elden Ring (2022), received critical acclaim and strong sales.[259][260] They have also received a number of awards, primarily those for the role-playing genre, including multiple "RPG of the Year" and Game of the Year awards.[261][262][263][264] Since release, Dark Souls and Bloodborne have been cited by many publications to be among the greatest games of all time.[265][266][267]

The decline of the Japanese video game development industry during this period was partially attributed to the traditional development process. Japanese companies were criticized for long development times and slow release dates on home video game consoles, their lack of third-party game engines, and for being too insular to appeal to a global market.[268] Yoichi Wada stated in 2009 that the Japanese game industry had become "almost xenophobic."[269] He also stated: "The lag with the US is very clear. The US games industry was not good in the past but it has now attracted people from the computer industry and from Hollywood, which has led to strong growth."[269][270] At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, Keiji Inafune stated that "Everyone's making awful games - Japan is at least five years behind", and that "Japan is isolated in the gaming world. If something doesn't change, we're doomed.", stressing the need for Japanese developers to bring in Western approaches to game development to make a comeback.[251]

Related to the isolationism, games developed in Western countries did not perform well in Japan, whereas Japanese games were readily played by Western market consumers.[271][272][273][274] Foreign games often sell more poorly in Japanese markets due to differences in what consumers expect for escapism between these cultures.[275] Microsoft had attempted to push both the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles in Japan with poor success, at they struggled to compete against Sony and Nintendo there.[276]

However, as detailed above, Japanese console games became less successful, even in their own country, as of 2013.[277][278][279]

In the Japanese gaming industry, arcades have remained popular through to the present day. As of 2009, out of Japan's $20 billion gaming market, $6 billion of that amount is generated from arcades, which represent the largest sector of the Japanese video game market, followed by home console games and mobile games at $3.5 billion and $2 billion, respectively.[280] In 2005, arcade ownership and operation accounted for a majority of Namco's for example.[281] With considerable withdrawal from the arcade market from companies such as Capcom, Sega became the strongest player in the arcade market with 60% marketshare in 2006.[282] Despite the global decline of arcades, Japanese companies hit record revenue for three consecutive years during this period.[283] However, due to the country's economic recession, the Japanese arcade industry has also been steadily declining, from ¥702.9 billion (US$8.7 billion) in 2007 to ¥504.3 billion ($6.2 billion) in 2010.[252] In 2013, estimation of revenue is ¥470 billion.[252]

In the 2010s, Japanese RPGs have been experiencing a resurgence on PC, with a significant increase in the number of Japanese RPGs releasing for the Steam platform. This began with the 2010 release of doujin/indie game Recettear (2007) for Steam,[284] selling over 500,000 units on the platform.[285] This led to many Japanese doujin/indie games releasing on Steam in subsequent years.[284]

Beyond doujin/indie titles, 2012 was a breakthrough year, with the debut of Nihon Falcom's Ys series on Steam and then the Steam release of From Software's Dark Souls, which sold millions on the platform. Other Japanese RPGs were subsequently ported to Steam, such as the previously niche Valkyria Chronicles which became a million-seller on the platform, and other titles that sold hundreds of thousands on Steam, such as the 2014 localization of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (2014) and ports of numerous Final Fantasy titles. Japanese developers have been increasingly considering Steam as a viable platform for the genre, with many Japanese RPGs available on the platform.[284]

By 2015, Japan had become the world's fourth largest PC game market, behind only China, the United States, and South Korea.[286] The Japanese game development engine RPG Maker has also gained significant popularity on Steam, including hundreds of commercial games. Every year, hundreds of games released on Steam are created using RPG Maker, as of 2017.[287]

In the present day, Japan is the world's largest market for mobile games.[288] The Japanese market today is becoming increasingly dominated by mobile games, which generated $5.1 billion in 2013, more than traditional console games in the country.[289]

Former rivals in the Japanese arcade industry, Konami, Taito, Bandai Namco Entertainment and Sega, are now working together to keep the arcade industry vibrant. This is evidenced in the sharing of arcade networks, and venues having games from all major companies rather than only games from their own company.[290]

2016–present

 
Japanese players at a shoot 'em up arcade in Akihabara, Tokyo (2017)
 
A line graph depicting the first-year sales of the Nintendo Switch (red), Wii U (green), and PlayStation 4 (blue) in Japan

The eighth generation of video game consoles primarily includes the home video game consoles of the Wii U released in 2012, the PlayStation 4 family in 2013; the handheld game consoles of the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, Nintendo 2DS in 2013, and the PlayStation Vita in 2011; as well as the first hybrid game console, the Nintendo Switch in 2017, which played as a handheld but could be docked to played like a home console. Unlike in most prior generations, there were few new innovative hardware capabilities to mark this generation as distinct from prior ones. Sony continued to produce new systems with similar designs and capabilities as their predecessors, but with improved performance (processing speed, higher-resolution graphics, and increased storage capacity) that further moved consoles into confluence with personal computers, and furthering support for digital distribution and games as a service. Motion-controlled games of the seventh generation had waned in popularity, but consoles were preparing for advancement of virtual reality (VR); Sony introduced the PlayStation VR in 2016.[291][292]

Though prior console generations have normally occurred in five to six-year cycles, the transition from seventh to eighth generation lasted approximately eight years.[293] The transition is also unusual in that the prior generation's best-selling unit, the Wii, was the first to be replaced in the eighth generation.[293] In 2011, Sony considered themselves only halfway through a ten-year lifecycle for their seventh-generation offerings.[294][295] Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had stated that his company would be releasing the Wii U due to declining sales of seventh generation home consoles and that "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles".[296] Sony considered making its next console a digital download only machine, but decided against it due to concerns about the inconsistency of internet speeds available globally, especially in developing countries.[297]

On September 13, 2012, Nintendo announced that the Wii U would launch in Japan on December 8, 2012.[298] The PlayStation 4 and Wii U use AMD GPUs, and the PS4 also use AMD CPUs on an x86-64 architecture, similar to common personal computers (as opposed to the IBM PowerPC Architecture used in the previous generation). Nintendo and Sony were not aware that they were all using AMD hardware until their consoles were announced.[299] This shift was considered to be beneficial for multi-platform development, due to the increased similarities between PC hardware and console hardware.[300]

In October 2013, online retailer Play.com announced that its Wii U sales saw a 75% sales increase. The company also predicted that the Wii U would be more popular than its competition, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, among children during the holiday season.[301] Following the release of Wii Party U on October 31 in Japan, weekly Wii U sales spiked to 38,802 units sold.[302] During the first two weeks of December, the Wii U was the top performing home console in Japan, with 123,665 units sold.[303] In fiscal year (FY) 2013 (ending early 2013), Nintendo sold 23.7 million consoles.[304] By February 26, 2014, Wii U sales had surpassed those of the Xbox 360 in Japan.[305] However, by June 2015, the basic Wii U was discontinued in Japan, and replaced by a 32 GB "Premium" set that includes white hardware and a Wii Remote Plus.[306][307] In mid-November 2016, Nintendo announced that Japanese production of the Wii U would be ending "in the near future".[308]

The PS4 was released in Japan at ¥39,980 on February 22, 2014.[309] In September 2015, Sony reduced the price of the PS4 in Japan to ¥34,980,[310] with similar price drops in other Southeast Asian markets.[311] Within the first two days of release in Japan during the weekend of February 22, 2014, 322,083 consoles were sold.[312] PS4 software unit sales surpassed 20.5 million on April 13, 2014.[313] During Japan's 2013 fiscal year, heightened demand for the PS4 helped Sony top global console sales, beating Nintendo for the first time in eight years.[314]

Since 2016, Japanese video games have been experiencing a resurgence,[315][316][317] as part of a renaissance for the Japanese video game industry.[318][319] In 2017, Japanese video games gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim.[315][318] In 2016, the global success of Pokémon Go helped Pokémon Sun and Moon set sales records around the world.[316] Final Fantasy XV was also a major success, selling millions. There were also other Japanese RPGs that earned commercial success and/or critical acclaim that year, including Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Bravely Second, Fire Emblem Fates, Dragon Quest Builders, World of Final Fantasy, Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky and I Am Setsuna.[317]

Anticipating the release of the console's successor, the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid video game console, Nintendo had planned to diminish production of the Wii U. It formally announced the end of its production on January 31, 2017.[320][321] The company had posted its first loss as a video game company in 2012 prior to the Wii U's introduction that year, and had similar losses in the following years due to the console's poor uptake.[322] The New York Times attributed Nintendo lowering financial forecasts in 2014 to weak hardware sales against mobile gaming.[323] Previously, the company had been hesitant about this market, with then-president Satoru Iwata considering that they would "cease to be Nintendo" and lose their identity if they attempted to enter it.[324] About three years prior to the Switch's announcement, Iwata, Tatsumi Kimishima, Genyo Takeda, and Shigeru Miyamoto crafted a strategy for revitalizing Nintendo's business model, which included approaching the mobile market, creating new hardware, and "maximizing [their] intellectual property".[325] Prior to his death, Iwata was able to secure a business alliance with Japanese mobile provider DeNA to develop mobile titles based on Nintendo's first-party franchises, believing this approach would not compromise their integrity.[326][327] Following Iwata's death in July 2015, Kimishima was named as president of Nintendo, while Miyamoto was promoted to the title of "Creative Fellow".[325]

The Switch was officially released on March 3, 2017 in Japan with an MSRP of ¥29,980.[328] The design of the Switch was aimed to bridge the polarization of the gaming market at the time, creating a device that could play "leisurely" video games along with games that are aimed to be played "deeply", according to Shinya Takahashi and Yoshiaki Koizumi, general manager and deputy general manager of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development Division (EPD), respectively.[329] This approach also would apply to the cultural lifestyle and gaming differences between Japanese and Western players; Japanese players tend to play on the go and with social groups, while Western players tend to play at home by themselves.[330] The design of the Switch would meet both cultures, and certain games, like 1-2-Switch, could potentially make social gaming more acceptable in Western culture.[331] Two key elements that were set to address this mixed market were the ability for the unit to play both on a television screen and as a portable, and the use of detachable controllers.[329] In Japan, first weekend sales exceeded 330,000 units, which was on par with the PlayStation 4 during its launch period.[332][333] Media Create estimated that more than 500,000 Switch units were sold in Japan within its first month, beating out the PlayStation 4 to this figure.[334]

Console sales in Japan, which had been languishing due to the strength of the mobile game market, saw its first annual growth of 14.8% in 2017 due to the release of the Switch.[335] Based on its first year sales, the Switch was considered to be the fastest-selling game console in history in many regions. With 2017 year end Japanese sales data from Media Create, the Switch became the fastest-selling home console in Japan in first year sales, with its total sales of 3.2 million units exceeding the 3.0 million units of the PlayStation 2 during its first year of release,[336][337] while Famitsu reported that these sales had eclipsed the lifetime sales of the Wii U in the country,[338] and helped to support the first growth in sales within Japan's console market in eleven years.[339] By May 2019, the Switch had overtaken the PS4's lifetime sales in Japan.[340]

In 2017, Japanese RPGs gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim.[315][318] The year started strong with Gravity Rush 2,[318] followed by Yakuza 0, which some critics consider the best in the Yakuza series, Nioh which is considered to have one of the eighth-generation's best RPG combat systems, and then Nier Automata which has gameplay and storytelling thought to be some of the best in recent years.[315] Persona 5 won the Best Role Playing Game award at The Game Awards 2017.[341] Some Japanese RPGs that were previously considered niche became mainstream million-sellers in 2017, including Persona 5, Nier: Automata,[318] Nioh,[342] and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Nintendo Switch.[343] 2017 was considered a strong year for Japanese RPGs, with other notable releases including Dragon Quest VIII on the Nintendo 3DS, Tales of Berseria, Valkyria Revolution, Ever Oasis, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Ys VIII, Etrian Odyssey V, Dragon Quest Heroes II, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, and Tokyo Xanadu.[344] In 2018, Monster Hunter: World sold over 10 million units,[345] becoming Capcom's best-selling single software title,[346] and Square Enix's Octopath Traveler sold over 1 million units.[347]

Sony released the PlayStation 5 in 2020 and have emphasized that they want this to be a soft transition, allowing PlayStation 4 games to be directly backwards compatible on their respective systems.[348][349] Sony has stated the "overwhelming majority" of PlayStation 4 games will play on the PlayStation 5, with many running at higher frame rates and resolutions.[350]

See also

Locations

References

  1. ^ @SEGA_OFFICIAL (August 11, 2017). "＼秋葉原にお越しのみなさまにお知らせです！！／..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "You can now rent Sega's iconic Building 2 Akihabara arcade space, but it'll cost you...A LOT". October 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Sega Akihabara Building No. 2 Closes, Losing Its Iconic Branding". TheGamer. September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Prisco, Jacopo (November 12, 2017). "How Japan changed video games forever". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  6. ^ a b Steven L. Kent (2000), The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games, p. 83, BWD Press, ISBN 0-9704755-0-0
  7. ^ Ashcraft 2008, p. 133.
  8. ^ Steve L. Kent (2001), The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond: the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world, p. 102, Prima, ISBN 0-7615-3643-4
  9. ^ a b Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), The video game explosion: a history from PONG to PlayStation and beyond, p. 149, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 0-313-33868-X
  10. ^ D.S. Cohen. . About.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  11. ^ a b "1969 Sega Duck Hunt (Arcade Flyer)". pinrepair.com. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  12. ^ Duck Hunt (1969) at the Killer List of Videogames
  13. ^ Missile at the Killer List of Videogames
  14. ^ a b c d e Picard, Martin. "The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games". Game Studies. 13 (2). ISSN 1604-7982.
  15. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (2008). Arcade Mania! The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers. Kodansha International. p. 94.
  16. ^ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9929260-0-7. First ever stealth game, Manbiki Shounen Selected Contents
  17. ^ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1. SMG Szczepaniak. pp. 604–605. ISBN 978-0-9929260-0-7. SUZUKI, Hiroshi ... Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy) – PET2001 (1979/11) Selected Contents
  18. ^ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1. SMG Szczepaniak. pp. 604–615. ISBN 978-0-9929260-0-7. Selected Contents
  19. ^ "005 from Sega". Popularplay. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  20. ^ Video games in Japan at the Killer List of Videogames
  21. ^ 005, Arcade History
  22. ^ a b Martin Picard, The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games, International Journal of Computer Game Research, 2013
  23. ^ a b Edwards, Benj. . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  24. ^ Buchanan, Levi, Space Invaders 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, March 31, 2003. Accessed June 14, 2008
  25. ^ Retro Gamer Staff. "Nishikado-San Speaks". Retro Gamer. No. 3. Live Publishing. p. 35.
  26. ^ a b Geddes, Ryan; Hatfield, Daemon (December 10, 2007). . IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  27. ^ Kevin Bowen. "The Gamespy Hall of Fame: Space Invaders". GameSpy. from the original on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  28. ^ Craig Glenday, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games Roundup". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  29. ^ "Players Guide To Electronic Science Fiction Games". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 2. March 1982. pp. 34–45 [44]. from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  30. ^ . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  31. ^ Kohler, Chris (2005). Power-up: how Japanese video games gave the world an extra life. Indianapolis, Indiana: BradyGames. p. 18. ISBN 0-7440-0424-1. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  32. ^ "Can Lasers Save VIdeo Arcades?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 3, 1984. Retrieved 2012-03-13. Last year, arcade game revenues were approximately $5 billion, compared to $8 billion in 1981 and $7 billion in 1982.
  33. ^ Craig Glenday, ed. (March 11, 2008). "Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games Roundup". Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Guinness World Records. Guinness. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-1-904994-21-3.
  34. ^ Richards, Giles (July 24, 2005). "A life through video games". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
  35. ^ "JAPAN 100 Yen Y# 82 Yr.42(1967)-Yr.63(1988)". World Coin price Guide. Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  36. ^ a b Fox, Mark (2012). "Space Invaders targets coins". World Coin News. Krause Publications. 39 (2): 35–37. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  37. ^ Mark J. P. Wolf (2001), The medium of the video game, University of Texas Press, p. 44, ISBN 0-292-79150-X, going into virtually every location in the country [..] even a few funeral homes had video games in the basements
  38. ^ a b Steven L. Kent (2001), The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story behind the Craze that Touched Our Lives and Changed the World, Prima, p. 352, ISBN 9780761536437, With more than 60,000 units sold in the United States, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's biggest arcade hit. ... Nintendo released Donkey Kong Junior in 1982 and sold only 30,000 machines, 20,000 Popeye machines (also 1982), and a mere 5000 copies of Donkey J (1983).
  39. ^ Bureau of National Affairs (1983), "United States Patents Quarterly, Volume 216", United States Patents Quarterly, Associated Industry Publications, vol. 216, Since February 1980, Midway has sold in excess of 40,000 Galaxian games
  40. ^ Steve L. Kent (2001), The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world, Prima, p. 352, ISBN 0-7615-3643-4, In 1982, Universal Sales made arcade history with a game called Mr Do! Instead of selling dedicated Mr Do! machines, Universal sold the game as a kit. The kit came with a customized control panel, a computer board with Mr Do! read-only memory (ROM) chips, stickers that could be placed on the side of stand-up arcade machines for art, and a plastic marquee. It was the first game ever sold as a conversion only. According to former Universal Sales western regional sales manager Joe Morici, the company sold approximately 30,000 copies of the game in the United States alone.
  41. ^ "Arcade Games". Joystick. 1 (1): 10. September 1982.
  42. ^ Montfort, Nick; Bogost, Ian (January 9, 2009). Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262261524 – via Google Books.
  43. ^ Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming Forever 2016-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, 1UP
  44. ^ a b The History of SNK 2012-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot. Accessed February 16, 2009
  45. ^ . Us.wii.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-09. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h i Game Genres: Shmups|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Professor Jim Whitehead, January 29, 2007. Accessed June 17, 2008
  47. ^ Glass, John (2014). Ray, Linda (ed.). Things To Do At Disneyland 2014: The Ultimate Unauthorized Adventure Guide. Alternative Travel Press. p. 113. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  48. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  49. ^ "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  50. ^ . Kotaku. October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16.
  51. ^ . The Verge. October 18, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-10-19.
  52. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. pp. 279, 285. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  53. ^ "The Nintendo Threat?". Computer Gaming World. June 1988. p. 50.
  54. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001) [2001]. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World (First ed.). Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. p. 347. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  55. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (June 20, 1986). "Video Games Gain In Japan, Are Due For Assault On U.S." The Vindicator. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-04-10 – via Google News Archive.
  56. ^ Keiser, Gregg (June 1998). "One Million Sold in One Day". News & Notes. Compute!. New York City: COMPUTE! Publications. 10: 7. ISSN 0194-357X. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  57. ^ Freitag, Michael (June 8, 1989). "Talking Deals; How Nintendo Can Help A.T.&T". International New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  58. ^ "| Nintendo - Corporate Information | Company History". Nintendo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  59. ^ Liedholm, Marcus; Liedholm, Mattias. . Nintendo Land. Archived from the original on 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2006-02-12.
  60. ^ Koelsch, Frank (1995). The Infomedia Revolution: How it is Changing Our World and Your Life. McGraw-Hill Ryerson. p. 87. ISBN 0075518473.
  61. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001) [2001]. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World (First ed.). Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. p. 280. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  62. ^ Keizer, Gregg (July 1989). "Editorial License". Compute!. p. 4. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  63. ^ McGill, Douglas C. (December 4, 1988). "Nintendo Scores Big". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  64. ^ "Smart Bomb: Inside the Video Game Industry". Talk of the Nation. November 14, 2005. National Public Radio.
  65. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001) [2001]. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond- The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World (First ed.). Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. pp. 306–307. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  66. ^ Kohler 2005, p. 57.
  67. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. p. 353. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  68. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. p. 357. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  69. ^ Turner, Benjamin; Christian Nutt (July 18, 2003). . GameSpy.com. p. 20. Archived from the original on 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  70. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. p. 358. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  71. ^ Kohler 2005, p. 95.
  72. ^ Kohler 2005, p. 222.
  73. ^ "Toy Trends", Orange Coast, Emmis Communications, vol. 14, no. 12, p. 88, December 1988, ISSN 0279-0483, retrieved 2011-04-26
  74. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (June 20, 1986). "Video Games Gain in Japan, Are Due For Assault on U.S." The Vindicator. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  75. ^ a b c John Szczepaniak. "Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier Retro Japanese Computers". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2011-03-29. Reprinted from Retro Gamer, 2009.
  76. ^ Maher, Jimmy (June 25, 2014). "Of Wizards and Bards". The Digital Antiquarian. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  77. ^ Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 83–84
  78. ^ a b Jeremy Parish (2012). "What Happened to the Action RPG?". 1UP. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  79. ^ John Szczepaniak (2015), The Untold History Of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 2, pages 38–49 ISBN 978-1-5186553-1-9. Selected Contents
  80. ^ John Szczepaniak (2015), The Untold History Of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 2, page 38 ISBN 978-1-5186553-1-9. Selected Contents
  81. ^ Kalata, Kurt. . Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23.
  82. ^ Aruru, San (July 14, 2022). "Hydlide (Game)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  83. ^ 1982–1987 – The Birth of Japanese RPGs, re-told in 15 Games, Gamasutra
  84. ^ "IGN India discusses game design: Combat in open world games". November 2, 2015.
  85. ^ John Szczepaniak, War of the Dead, Hardcore Gaming 101, 15 January 2011
  86. ^ Peckham, Matt (November 15, 2012). . TIME. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  87. ^ Mc Shea, Tom (December 21, 2011). "The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary A Look Back". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  88. ^ . Archived from the original on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  89. ^ "Dru Hill: The Chronicle of Druaga". 1UP. Archived from the original on 2005-01-19. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  90. ^ Herzog Zwei 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpy
  91. ^ . GameSpy. May 9, 2001. Archived from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
  92. ^ Zzap! Issue 68, December 1990, p.45 – . Archived from the original on 2006-02-11. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  93. ^ Ryan Geddes; Daemon Hatfield (December 10, 2007). . IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  94. ^ . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  95. ^ "IGN Presents the History of SEGA". April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  96. ^ "Extentofthejam.com". Extentofthejam.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  97. ^ . Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  98. ^ "The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki: Part 1". Archive.is. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  99. ^ Buchanan, Levi, Space Harrier Retrospective 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, September 5, 2008. Accessed February 17, 2009
  100. ^ a b Maragos, Nich, Space Harrier (PS2), 1UP.com, January 1, 2000. Accessed February 17, 2009
  101. ^ a b Ashcraft 2008, p. 76.
  102. ^ Kasavin, Greg, Gradius Collection Review, GameSpot, June 7, 2006. Accessed February 12, 2009
  103. ^ Fahs, Travis, Fantasy Zone Retrospective 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, October 1, 2008. Accessed February 13, 2009
  104. ^ Kalata, Kurt, Fantasy Zone 2010-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Hardcore Gaming 101. Accessed February 02, 2010
  105. ^ Kalata, Kurt; Greene, Robert. "Hydlide". Hardcore Gaming 101.
  106. ^ a b c Gifford, Kevin. "The Essential 50 Part 20 – Dragon Warrior". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  107. ^ Cassidy, William. . GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2005-05-29.
  108. ^ Jeremy Parish (October 27, 2005). . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  109. ^ Nintendo Power volume 221. Future US. 2007. pp. 78–80. At the time I first made Dragon Quest, computer and video game RPGs were still very much in the realm of hardcore fans and not very accessible to other players. So I decided to create a system that was easy to understand and emotionally involving, and then placed my story within that framework.
  110. ^ Goro Gotemba & Yoshiyuki Iwamoto (2006). Japan on the upswing: why the bubble burst and Japan's economic renewal. Algora Publishing. p. 201. ISBN 0-87586-462-7. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
  111. ^ a b Vestal 1998, "Dragon Quest".
  112. ^ . GameSpot. 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  113. ^ Bailey, Kat (February 2010). "The Uncanny Valley of Love: The challenges and rewards of crafting a video game romance". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  114. ^ Parish, Jeremy (December 12, 2006). . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  115. ^ a b Bielby, Matt, "The YS Complete Guide To Shoot-'em-ups Part II", Your Sinclair, August 1990 (issue 56), p. 19
  116. ^ Segre, Nicole, "Commando," Sinclair User, February 1986 (issue 47)
  117. ^ John Szczepaniak "Retro Japanese Computers", p. 4
  118. ^ a b John Szczepaniak "Retro Japanese Computers", p. 3
  119. ^ a b "【リリース】プロジェクトEGGから3月25日に「ウィバーン」発売". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 2011-03-05. (Translation)
  120. ^ Christian Nutt (September 12, 2014). "Stalled engine: The TurboGrafx-16 turns 25". Gamasutra.
  121. ^ Video Game Trader Magazine (March 16, 2009). . Videogametrader.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  122. ^ a b c Buchanan, Levi, Top 10 Classic Shoot 'Em Ups 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, April 8, 2008, May 26, 2009
  123. ^ Todd, Brett, R-Type Dimensions Review, GameSpot, February 7, 2009. Accessed February 13, 2009
  124. ^ Navarro, ALex, Raiden Review 2011-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot, November 17, 2004. Accessed February 13, 2009
  125. ^ Buchanan, Levi, Raiden 2009-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, February 17, 2004. Accessed February 13, 2009
  126. ^ . AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
  127. ^ . AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
  128. ^ . AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.
  129. ^ a b c Kurt Kalata; Christopher J. Snelgrove (August 8, 2010). "Megami Tensei". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  130. ^ a b c d e f "Time Machine: Phantasy Star". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. January 2, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  131. ^ John, McCarroll (August 20, 2002). "RPGFan Previews – Phantasy Star Collection". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  132. ^ Kalata, Kurt. . Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2011-05-04. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  133. ^ Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 83–84 [83], Action adventures were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting such as Castlevania, Trojan, and Wizards & Warriors.
  134. ^ Travis Fahs (August 27, 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Zelda - Retro Feature at IGN". Uk.retro.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  135. ^ "Most-prolific action-adventure video game series". Guinness World Records. January 1, 2007. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
  136. ^ "Japanese Secrets!". chrismcovell.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  137. ^ a b Kasavin, Greg. . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2005-07-18. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  138. ^ Bert, Max. . GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  139. ^ Harrison, Thomas Nowlin (2006). The Sweet Home of Resident Evil.
  140. ^ Kalata, Kurt. "Tengai Makyou: Ziria". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  141. ^ PSM3 UK (March 16, 2010). "Are JRPGs dead?". GamesRadar. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  142. ^ Barton 2008, p. 228.
  143. ^ Neal Hallford & Jana Hallford (2001), Swords & circuitry: a designer's guide to computer role playing games, Cengage Learning, p. xxiv, ISBN 0-7615-3299-4, retrieved 2011-05-16
  144. ^ Adams, Roe R. (November 1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 83–84 [84], Last year also saw the coattail effect of traditional bestselling CRPGs being ported over onto dedicated game machines as the new market of machines blossomed into money trees. Games like Ultima, Shadowgate, and Defender of the Crown appeared to mixed reviews. These stalwarts of computer fame were not perceived, by many of the players, to be as exciting as the Japanese imports.
  145. ^ Kaiser, Rowan (February 16, 2012). . Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  146. ^ Barton, Matt (April 11, 2007). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994–2004)". Gamasutra. p. 12. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  147. ^ a b Vestal 1998, "Dragon Quest IV".
  148. ^ Harris 2009, p. 8.
  149. ^ Kalata, Kurt (February 4, 2008). "The History of Dragon Quest". Gamasutra. p. 5. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  150. ^ . Na.square-enix.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  151. ^ Square Enix Co., ed. (1999). Final Fantasy Anthology North American instruction manual. Square Enix Co. pp. 17–18. SLUS-00879GH.
  152. ^ Harris 2009, p. 14.
  153. ^ Kalata, Kurt (March 19, 2008). "A Japanese RPG Primer: The Essential 20". Gamasutra. p. 8. from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  154. ^ Vestal 1998, "Crystalis".
  155. ^ "Console vs Handheld : Crystalis". 1up.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  156. ^ "Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom Review". IGN. April 25, 2008.
  157. ^ Bahamut. . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2006-03-29. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
  158. ^ Kasavin, Greg (December 12, 2005). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
  159. ^ "Final Fantasy Retrospective Part XIII". GameTrailers. November 2, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  160. ^ a b Andrew Vestal. . Gamespot. Archived from the original on 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  161. ^ Loguidice & Barton 2009, p. 82.
  162. ^ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, California: Prima Publishing. pp. 413–414. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
  163. ^ "Why Super Nintendo Is the Reason You're Still Playing Video Games". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  164. ^ (PDF). Nintendo. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  165. ^ Allen, Danny (December 22, 2006). . PC World. Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  166. ^ Jeremy Parish (September 6, 2005). . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  167. ^ Shanna Compton (2004). Gamers: writers, artists & programmers on the pleasures of pixels. Soft Skull Press. p. 119. ISBN 1-932360-57-3.
  168. ^ a b c Spencer, Spanner, The Tao of Beat-'em-ups (part 2), EuroGamer, 12 February 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009
  169. ^ June, Laura (January 16, 2013). "For Amusement Only: the life and death of the American arcade". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  170. ^ Jay Carter (July 1993). "Insert Coin Here: Getting a Fighting Chance". Electronic Games. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  171. ^ a b c Ashcraft 2008, p. 77.
  172. ^ Davison, Pete (June 8, 2013). . Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  173. ^ . glitchwave.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25.
  174. ^ Ashcraft 2008, p. 78–80.
  175. ^ Ashcraft 2008, pp. 77–78.
  176. ^ Magrino, Tom, Contra conquering DS 2011-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot, June 20, 2007. Accessed February 17, 2009
  177. ^ Staff, Contra Q&A 2011-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot, October 1, 2002. Accessed February 17, 2009
  178. ^ Bozon, Mark, Metal Slug Anthology Review 2009-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, December 20, 2006. Accessed February 17, 2009
  179. ^ Goldstein, Hilary, Panzer Dragoon Orta 2009-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, January 10, 2003, July 17, 2008
  180. ^ Brudwig, Erik, Rez HD is Coming 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, January 22, 2008. Accessed February 17, 2009
  181. ^ Kalata, Kurt. "The History of Dragon Quest". Features. Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  182. ^ Kurt Kalata (2007). "Dragon Quest V". Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  183. ^ Glasser, AJ (February 9, 2009). "Knocked Up: A Look At Pregnancy In Video Games". Kotaku. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  184. ^ "Gaming's most important evolutions". GamesRadar. October 10, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  185. ^ Sullivan, Meghan (October 11, 2005). "Romancing SaGa Review". IGN. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  186. ^ Gann, Patrick (February 6, 2010). . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  187. ^ darkfact (January 10, 2005). "HonestGamers – Dragon Knight II review". HonestGamers. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  188. ^ Skid (December 1993). . Archived from the original on 2005-01-26. Retrieved 2011-05-16. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  189. ^ Sanachan. . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  190. ^ . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  191. ^ jaraph. . RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  192. ^ a b Yazarc420. . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  193. ^ . 15 Most Influential Games of All Time. GameSpot. March 14, 2001. Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  194. ^ Virtua Cop 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, 7 July 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2009
  195. ^ Parish, Jeremy; Frank Cifaldi; Kevin Gifford (December 2003). . 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  196. ^ a b Dutton, Fred (December 17, 2010). "Secret of Mana hits App Store this month". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  197. ^ Grand Rabite. . RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  198. ^ a b "Secret of Mana for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad on the iTunes App Store". Apple.com.
  199. ^ a b Mackenzie, Gavin (December 14, 2010). . NowGamer. Archived from the original on 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  200. ^ Karge, Anthony (May 27, 2005). . Thunderbolt Games. Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  201. ^ Barton 2008, p. 220.
  202. ^ IGN staff (February 18, 1997). "Square, The Final Frontier". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  203. ^ "Romancing SaGa 2 doesn't get enough credit for helping shape modern JRPGs". PCGamesN. January 29, 2018.
  204. ^ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy III (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Square Soft, Inc. (NPC in Jidoor) You like art? No? Philistines!
  205. ^ "Top 100 RPGs of All Time - IGN.com" – via www.ign.com.
  206. ^ Final Fantasy III. Nintendo Power 65, page 27. October 1994.
  207. ^ Scary Larry (November 1994). "Final Fantasy III". GamePro. Vol. 64, no. 11. IDG Communications. pp. 192–194.
  208. ^ Now Playing. Nintendo Power 65, page 103. October 1994.
  209. ^ "A love letter to Final Fantasy VI - Reader's Feature". October 26, 2014.
  210. ^ a b c Lada, Jenni (February 1, 2008). . Gamer Tell. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  211. ^ Kaiser, Joe (July 8, 2005). . Next-Gen.biz. Archived from the original on 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  212. ^ Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". ign.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  213. ^ a b Mielke, James (October 5, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  214. ^ a b Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of FromSoftware". IGN. from the original on 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  215. ^ ゲーム戦線超異状―任天堂VSソニー (in Japanese). Life Inc. 1996. pp. 77–90. ISBN 4-7973-2010-9.
  216. ^ なぜいまマゾゲーなの？ ゲーマーの間で評判の“即死ゲー”「Demon's Souls」（デモンズソウル）開発者インタビュー (in Japanese). 4Gamer.net. March 19, 2009. from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  217. ^ Cunningham, Michael. . RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  218. ^ . RPGamer. 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  219. ^ Jeremy Parish (May 8, 2009). "Sakura Wars Comes to America, But is it Too Late to Matter?". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  220. ^ Justin Speer; Cliff O'Neill. . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  221. ^ "Enter The Survival Horror... A Resident Evil Retrospective," Game Informer 174 (October 2007): 132-133.
  222. ^ . UGO Networks. May 21, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  223. ^ "Tokyo Game Show". Expo.nikkeibp.co.jp. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  224. ^ . Cesa.or.jp. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2010-10-14.
  225. ^ "東京ゲームショウ2016結果速報" (PDF). Tokyo Game Show. September 18, 2016. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  226. ^ "東京ゲームショウ2016開幕直前情報" (PDF). Tokyo Game Show. September 7, 2016. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  227. ^ . Consoledatabase.com. Archived from the original on 2005-05-07. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  228. ^ Wolf, Mark J. P. (2012). Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming, Volumen 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 296. ISBN 978-0313379369. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  229. ^ "News: Virtua Fighter 3". Computer and Video Games (174): 10–1. May 1996.
  230. ^ THG.RU (January 1, 2000). "Second Hand Smoke - One up, two down". THG.RU. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  231. ^ a b c d "The Essential 50 Part 38: Final Fantasy VII from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  232. ^ a b c Loguidice & Barton 2009, p. 84.
  233. ^ Loguidice & Barton 2009, p. 77.
  234. ^ a b Loguidice & Barton 2009, p. 78.
  235. ^ Loguidice & Barton 2009, p. 86.
  236. ^ Boyer, Brandon; Cifaldi, Frank (November 3, 2006). "The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: Storytelling". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  237. ^ . Oh! FM-7. August 4, 2001. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-09-19. (Translation)
  238. ^ "Dark Age of JRPGs (1): The Dragon & Princess (1982)". blog.hardcoregaming101.net. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  239. ^ Pepe, Felipe (October 10, 2016). "1982-1987 - The Birth of Japanese RPGs, re-told in 15 Games". Gamasutra. UBM Techweb. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  240. ^ "Bokosuka Wars". GameSpot.
  241. ^ "Bokosuka Wars". Virtual Console. Nintendo. Retrieved 2011-05-16. (translation)
  242. ^ "VC ボコスカウォーズ". www.nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  243. ^ "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs". Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  244. ^ Buchanan, Levi, Fond Memories: Radiant Silvergun 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, April 7, 2008. Accessed February 13, 2009
  245. ^ McCarthy, Dave, The Best Games That Never Came out in Britain 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, January 26, 2009, Accessed February 13, 2009
  246. ^ a b Staff, Top 10 Tuesday: 2D Space Shooters 2009-09-03 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, March 6, 2007. Accessed February 13, 2009
  247. ^ "Most prolific fan-made shooter series". Guinness World Records. from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  248. ^ a b Ashcraft 2008, p. 88.
  249. ^ Gouskos, Carrie, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved Review 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot, November 23, 2005. Accessed February 13, 2009
  250. ^ "State of the Shoot ëEm Up - Edge Magazine". Next-gen.biz. November 17, 2008. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  251. ^ a b c Cieslak, Marc (November 4, 2010). "Is the Japanese gaming industry in crisis?". BBC. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
  252. ^ a b c "Market Data". Capcom Investor Relations. October 14, 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  253. ^ "Nintendo defies recession with record profits". The Sydney Morning Herald. May 7, 2009. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  254. ^ Harris, Craig (September 20, 2004). "Official Nintendo DS Launch Details". IGN. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  255. ^ 2009 Annual Financial Report: Financial Section (PDF) (Report). Nintendo. 2009. p. 17. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  256. ^ Nicks, Denver (January 17, 2014). . Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  257. ^ Luckerson, Victor (May 7, 2015). "Why Nintendo is Suddenly Profitable Again". Time. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  258. ^ "Dark Souls 3 confirmed, coming early 2016". Polygon. June 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  259. ^ May 8, 2014, Financial Highlights for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2014, NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc.
  260. ^ "Elden Ring shipments and digital sales top 16.6 million". Gematsu. August 18, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  261. ^ den Ouden, Adriaan. . RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  262. ^ Marchello, Sam. . RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  263. ^ Staples, Ken. . RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  264. ^ . Game Revolution. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
  265. ^ Polygon Staff (November 27, 2017). "The 500 Best Video Games of All Time". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  266. ^ "The Top 300 Games of All Time". Game Informer. No. 300. April 2018.
  267. ^ "Edge Presents: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time". Edge. August 2017.
  268. ^ "Why do Japanese developers keep us waiting?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  269. ^ a b "Square Enix eyes further acquisitions". Financial Times. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  270. ^ Johnson, Gerry; Whittington, Richard; Scholes, Kevan; Angwin, Duncan; Regnér, Patrick (2014). Exploring Strategy, 10th Ed, Pearson Education, 2014: Organization. Pearson Education. p. 357. Retrieved 2018-12-15.[permanent dead link]
  271. ^ Kent, Steven (April 28, 2004). "Video games that get lost in translation". NBC News. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  272. ^ Robson, Daniel (June 29, 2011). "Local heroes take Japanese video games to the world". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  273. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (August 3, 2011). "Top game designers going social". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  274. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (May 2, 2012). "Japan's gamers are starting to shoot 'em up". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  275. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (September 5, 2012). "Gunslinging the Japanese way". Japan Times. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  276. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (November 17, 2013). "Why Xbox failed in Japan". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  277. ^ "Inafune: Japanese game industry is not fine". Destructoid. April 4, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  278. ^ Johnson, Stephen (August 9, 2010). "Itagaki: japanese game industry dying". G4tv. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  279. ^ Robinson, Martin (October 10, 2012). "The truth about Japan: a postcard from the Japanese games industry". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  280. ^ Sambe, Yukiharu (2009). "Japan's Arcade Games and Their Technology". In Natkin, Stéphane; Dupire, Jérôme (eds.). Entertainment Computing - ICEC 2009, 8th International Conference, Paris, France, September 3-5, 2009. Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 5709. Springer. p. 338. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-04052-8_62.
  281. ^ Carless, Simon (May 2, 2005). "Namco, Bandai To Merge". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  282. ^ "Video Games Daily | Yu Suzuki: The Kikizo Interview (Page 2)". archive.videogamesdaily.com. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  283. ^ https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/ir/library/pdf/printing_annual/2008/e_2008_annual.pdf 2012-10-21 at the Wayback Machine Page 16: " The domestic market has continued to expand for five years and has set new records for three consecutive years."
  284. ^ a b c Fenlon, Wes (April 10, 2017). "How Japan learned to love PC gaming again". Pc Gamer.
  285. ^ "Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale". Steam Spy. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  286. ^ "PC games revenue to hit $42 billion in 2020 - DFC". GamesIndustry.biz. August 2, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  287. ^ "The surprising explosion of RPG Maker on Steam". PC Gamer. April 12, 2017.
  288. ^ Negishi, Mayumi (December 11, 2013). "Japan Tops World In Mobile Apps Revenue". Wsj.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  289. ^ Johnson, Erik (July 30, 2014). "Japanese console market down as mobile gaming takes over | Games industry news | MCV". Mcvuk.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  290. ^ Russell, Danny. . TSSZ News. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  291. ^ "PlayStation Boss: 'One In 20' PS4 Buyers Also Bought PSVR". UploadVR. June 5, 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  292. ^ Bol, Mike (June 10, 2019). "Data Point of the Week: 5 Million PSVRs?". AR Insider. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  293. ^ a b Radd, David. "Nintendo's Project Cafe: Will Gamers Feel The Buzz?". Business Insider. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  294. ^ Brightman, James (May 26, 2011). . IndustryGamers.com. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on 2011-05-28.
  295. ^ Ewalt, David M. "PlayStation Chief Jack Tretton: How To Sell Vita, Navigate Clouds, and Debut The PS4". Forbes. Interview with Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America.
  296. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (January 27, 2012). "Nintendo: market is now waiting for new home consoles". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  297. ^ Sherr, Ian; Wakabayashi, Daisuke (May 30, 2012). "Sony Rejects Web-Based PlayStation Console". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  298. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (September 13, 2012). "Wii U Goes On Sale In Japan On December 8". Kotaku. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  299. ^ Gorman, Michael (June 12, 2013). "AMD's Saeid Moshkelani on building custom silicon for PlayStation 4 and Wii U". Engadget.
  300. ^ "AMD won the next-gen console war, and PC gamers could reap the reward". The Verge. June 21, 2013.
  301. ^ Parfitt, Ben. "Play.com predicts Wii U dominance this Christmas". MCV UK. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  302. ^ Haywald, Justin. "Wii U sales in Japan surpass PS3, Vita, and Xbox 360 this week". GameSpot. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  303. ^ Cook, Dave (December 18, 2013). "Japanese game charts: Puzzles & Dragons Z tops software, Wii U sales up". VG247. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  304. ^ (PDF). Nintendo. July 30, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-10. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  305. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (February 26, 2014). "Wii U Lifetime Sales in Japan Overtake the Xbox 360". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  306. ^ "Basic Wii U to be discontinued in Japan". IGN. Wesley Copeland. May 21, 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  307. ^ Dent, Steve. "Nintendo kills off the basic Wii U in Japan". Engadget. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  308. ^ Osborn, Alex (November 11, 2016). "Nintendo Officially Announces Wii U Production is Ending". IGN. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  309. ^ Sarkar, Samit (February 21, 2014), Sony launches PS4 in Japan, polygon.com, from the original on 2015-09-24, retrieved 2015-09-22
  310. ^ Vincent, James (September 15, 2015). "Sony announces PS4 price drop in Japan". theverge.com. from the original on 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  311. ^ Barker, Sammy (September 16, 2015). "TGS 2015: PS4's Price Drop Extends to Asia As Well". pushsquare.com. from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  312. ^ 2014-02-25, プレイステーション4が発売2日間で32万2083台を販売 July 26, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Famitsu
  313. ^ Romano, Sal (April 16, 2014). "PlayStation 4 sales top 7 million worldwide". gematsu.com. from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  314. ^ "Sony tops game consoles for 1st time in 8 years". Nikkei Asian Review. June 7, 2014. from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  315. ^ a b c d "2017: The Year Japanese RPGs Caught Up To Western RPGs - GameRevolution". March 27, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  316. ^ a b . USgamer.net. December 21, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  317. ^ a b "Did 2016 truly hold up as a comeback year for the JRPG genre?". December 27, 2016. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  318. ^ a b c d e "How Japanese video games made a comeback in 2017". June 30, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  319. ^ . PC & Tech Authority. Archived from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  320. ^ Carter, Chris (January 31, 2017). "Wii U production is dead in Japan, long live the Wii U". Destructoid. from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  321. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (January 31, 2017). "Wii U Production Has Officially Ended For Japan [Update]". Kotaku. from the original on 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  322. ^ Wingfield, Nick (November 24, 2012). "Nintendo's Wii U Takes Aim at a Changed Video Game World". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  323. ^ Wingfield, Nick (January 18, 2014). "Resisting Mobile Hurts Nintendo's Bottom Line". New York Times. from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  324. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (September 13, 2011). "Nintendo + Smartphones? Iwata Says "Absolutely Not"". IGN. Ziff Davis. from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  325. ^ a b Nakamura, Yuji; Amano, Takashi (October 28, 2016). "Nintendo's Big Switch: Q&A With President Tatsumi Kimishima". Bloomberg. from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  326. ^ Peckham, Matt (March 18, 2015). "Exclusive: Nintendo CEO Reveals Plans for Smartphones". Time. Time Inc. from the original on 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  327. ^ Makuch, Eddie (March 18, 2015). "Players More Important Than Money, Nintendo Pres. Says About Smartphone Deal". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  328. ^ Choudhury, Saheli Roy (January 13, 2017). "Nintendo Switch to launch globally on March 3, to cost $300 in the US". CNBC. from the original on 2017-01-14. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  329. ^ a b Hester, Blake (December 26, 2017). "How the Polarization Of Video Games Spurred the Creation of the Switch". Glixel. from the original on 2017-12-26. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
  330. ^ Peckham, Matt (February 6, 2017). "The 8 Most Interesting Things Nintendo Told Us About Switch". Time. from the original on 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  331. ^ Peckham, Matt (February 7, 2017). "19 Things Nintendo's President Told Us About Switch and More". Time. from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  332. ^ Grubb, Jeff (March 6, 2017). "Nintendo sells 313,700 Switch consoles in Japan over launch weekend". Venture Beat. from the original on 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  333. ^ Frank, Allegra (March 7, 2017). "Nintendo Switch launch sales are good news — but not great news yet". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  334. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (March 30, 2017). "Nintendo Switch reaches 500,000 sales in Japan". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  335. ^ Kerr, Chris (July 4, 2017). "Japanese console market grows for the first time in three years". Gamasutra. from the original on 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  336. ^ Miucin, Filip (December 28, 2017). "Nintendo Switch Sets New Sales Milestone". IGN. from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  337. ^ Vincent, Brittany (December 28, 2017). . Dot Esports. Archived from the original on 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  338. ^ Good, Owen (January 6, 2018). "Nintendo Switch eclipses Wii U lifetime sales in Japan". Polygon. from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  339. ^ Ashcroft, Brian (January 10, 2018). "For The First Time In 11 Years, The Japanese Console Game Market Has Grown". Kotaku. from the original on 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  340. ^ Craddock, Ryan (May 15, 2019). "Nintendo Switch Overtakes PS4's Lifetime Sales In Japan". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  341. ^ . The Game Awards. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  342. ^ "Nioh: Complete Edition Coming to PC - IGN". October 2, 2017 – via www.ign.com.
  343. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (January 31, 2018). "Nintendo's revenue rockets as Switch nears 15m sold". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  344. ^ Schreier, Jason (December 25, 2017). "The Year In JRPGs, 2017". Kotaku.
  345. ^ "Monster Hunter World Sales Reach At Least 10 Million". PlayStation LifeStyle. August 14, 2018.
  346. ^ Kerr, Chris (March 5, 2018). "Monster Hunter: World is now the best-selling title in Capcom history". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  347. ^ Kent, Emma (August 3, 2018). "Octopath Traveler sells 1m copies worldwide". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  348. ^ Rubin, Peter (April 16, 2019). "Exclusive: What to Expect From Sony's Next-Gen PlayStation". Wired. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  349. ^ [Next generation game console named "PlayStation 5"] (press release) (in Japanese), Sony Interactive Entertainment, October 8, 2019, archived from the original on 2019-10-20, retrieved 2020-09-08
  350. ^ Wales, Matt (March 20, 2020). "Sony clarifies "overwhelming majority" of PS4 games will be backward compatible on PS5". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
Sources
  • Barton, Matt (2008). Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. A K Peters, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-56881-411-7. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  • Harris, John (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs". Gamasutra.
  • Loguidice, Bill; Barton, Matt (2009). Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time. Focal Press. ISBN 978-0-240-81146-8.
  • Vestal, Andrew (November 2, 1998). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-09-10.

External links

  • Szczepaniak, John (March 4, 2014). "History of Japanese computer games". Gamasutra. Think Services.

August 19, 2023
video, games, japan, video, games, major, industry, japan, country, considered, most, influential, video, gaming, japanese, game, development, often, identified, with, golden, video, games, including, nintendo, under, shigeru, miyamoto, hiroshi, yamauchi, sega. Video games are a major industry in Japan and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming 4 Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games including Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi Sega during the same time period Sony Computer Entertainment when it was based in Tokyo and other companies such as Taito Bandai Namco Entertainment Capcom Square Enix Konami NEC and SNK among others Sega Akihabara Building 2 known as GiGO until 2017 1 a former 2 3 large 6 floor Sega game center on Chuo Dori in front of the LAOX Aso Bit City in Akihabara Tokyo Japan in 2006The space is known for the catalogs of several major publishers all of whom have competed in the video game console and video arcade markets at various points Released in 1965 Periscope was a major arcade hit in Japan preceding several decades of success in the arcade industry there Nintendo a former hanafuda playing card vendor rose to prominence during the 1980s with the release of the home video game console called the Famicom or Family Computer which became a major hit as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES internationally Sony already one of the world s largest electronics manufacturers entered the market in 1994 with the Sony PlayStation one of the first home consoles to feature 3D graphics almost immediately establishing itself as a major publisher in the space Shigeru Miyamoto remains internationally renowned as a father of video gaming and is the only game developer so far to receive Japan s highest civilian honor for artists the 文化功労者 bunka kōrōsha or Person of Cultural Merit Arcade culture is a major influence among young Japanese with Akihabara Electric Town being a major nexus of so called otaku culture in Japan which overlaps with video gaming heavily Japanese video game franchises such as Super Smash Bros Pokemon Super Mario The Legend of Zelda Metal Gear Devil May Cry Animal Crossing Kingdom Hearts Persona Resident Evil Dark Souls Kirby and Monster Hunter have gained critical acclaim and continue to garner a large international following The Japanese role playing game is a major game genre innovated by Japan and remains popular both domestically and internationally with titles like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest selling millions The country has an estimated 67 6 million players in 2018 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 1970s to early 1980s 1 3 1980s to early 2000s 1 4 2005 2015 1 5 2016 present 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory EditSee also History of video games Arcade game and History of Eastern role playing video games Background Edit In 1966 Sega introduced an electro mechanical game called Periscope 6 a submarine simulator 7 which used lights and plastic waves to simulate sinking ships from a submarine 8 It became an instant success in Japan Europe and North America 9 where it was the first arcade game to cost a quarter per play 6 which would remain the standard price for arcade games for many years to come 9 Sega later produced gun games that used rear image projection in a manner similar to the ancient zoetrope to produce moving animations on a screen 10 The first of these the light gun game Duck Hunt 11 appeared in 1969 12 it featured animated moving targets on a screen printed out the player s score on a ticket and had volume controllable sound effects 11 Another Sega 1969 release Missile a shooter featured electronic sound and a moving film strip to represent the targets on a projection screen 13 1970s to early 1980s Edit The first arcade video game Atari Inc s Pong debuted in the United States in 1972 and led to a number of new American manufacturers to create their own arcade games to capitalize on the rising fad Several of these companies had Japanese partners and kept their overseas counterparts abreast of this new technology leading several Japanese coin operated electronic games makers to step into the arcade game market as well 14 Taito and Namco were some of the early adopters of arcade games in Japan first distributing American games before developing their own Nintendo which at this time was primarily manufacturing traditional and electronic toys also entered the arcade game market in the latter part of the 1970s 14 As in the United States many of the early Japanese arcade games were based on the principle of cloning gameplay established by popular titles to make new ones 14 However several new concepts came out of these Japanese developed games and performed well in both Japan and in re licensed versions in the United States such as Taito s Speed Race and Gun Fight in 1975 Gun Fight notably when released by Midway Games in the U S was the first arcade game to use a microprocessor rather than discrete electronic components 14 Sega s black and white boxing game Heavyweight Champ was released in 1976 as the first video game to feature fist fighting 15 The first stealth games were Hiroshi Suzuki s Manbiki Shounen 1979 16 17 and Manbiki Shoujo 1980 Taito s Lupin III 1980 18 and Sega s 005 1981 19 20 21 Epoch s TV Tennis Electrotennis Japan s first home video game console The Color TV Game Block KuzushiSeparately the first home video game console the Magnavox Odyssey had been released in the U S in 1971 of which Nintendo had partnered to manufacture the light gun accessory for the console while Atari began releasing home console versions of Pong in 1975 Japan s first home video game console was Epoch s TV Tennis Electrotennis It was followed by the first successful Japanese console Nintendo s Color TV Game in 1977 which was made in partnership with Mitsubishi Electronics Numerous other dedicated home consoles were made mostly by television manufacturers leading these systems to be called TV geemu or terebi geemu in Japan 14 Tomohiro Nishikado creator of the shooter game Space InvadersEventually the 1978 arcade release of Space Invaders would mark the first major mainstream breakthrough for video games in Japan 22 Created by Nishikado at Japan s Taito Space Invaders pitted the player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen at a constantly increasing speed 23 24 The game used alien creatures inspired by The War of the Worlds by H G Wells because the developers were unable to render the movement of aircraft in turn the aliens replaced human enemies because of moral concerns regarding the portrayal of killing humans on the part of Taito As with subsequent shoot em ups of the time the game was set in space as the available technology only permitted a black background The game also introduced the idea of giving the player a number of lives It popularised a more interactive style of gameplay with the enemies responding to the player controlled cannon s movement 25 and it was the first video game to popularise the concept of achieving a high score 26 27 28 being the first to save the player s score 26 The aliens of Space Invaders return fire at the protagonist making them the first arcade game targets to do so 29 It set the template for the shoot em up genre 30 and has influenced most shooting games released since then 23 Donkey Kong arcade cabinetTaito s Space Invaders in 1978 proved to be the first blockbuster arcade video game 31 Its success marked the beginning of the golden age of arcade video games Video game arcades sprang up in shopping malls and small corner arcades appeared in restaurants grocery stores bars and movie theaters all over Japan and other countries during the late 1970s and early 1980s Space Invaders 1978 Galaxian 1979 Pac Man 1980 and Bosconian 1981 were especially popular By 1981 the arcade video game industry was worth 8 billion 32 25 8 billion in 2022 Some games of this era were so popular that they entered popular culture The first to do so was Space Invaders The game was so popular upon its release in 1978 that an urban legend blamed it for a national shortage of 100 yen coins in Japan leading to a production increase of coins to meet demand for the game 33 34 although 100 yen coin production was lower in 1978 and 1979 than in previous or subsequent years 35 36 and the claim does not withstand logical scrutiny arcade operators would have emptied out their machines and taken the money to the bank thus keeping the coins in circulation 36 Japanese arcade games during the golden age also had hardware unit sales at least in the tens of thousands including Ms Pac Man with over 115 000 units 37 Donkey Kong with over 60 000 38 Galaxian with 40 000 39 Donkey Kong Jr with 35 000 38 and Mr Do with 30 000 40 Other Japanese arcade games established new concepts that would become fundamentals in video games Use of color graphics and individualized antagonists were considered strong evolutionary concepts among space ship games 41 The Namco s Galaxian in 1979 introduced multi colored animated sprites 42 That same year saw the release of SNK s debut shoot em up Ozma Wars notable for being the first action game to feature a supply of energy resembling a life bar a mechanic that has now become common in the majority of modern action games 43 It also featured vertically scrolling backgrounds and enemies 44 1980s to early 2000s Edit The Family Computer commonly known by the Japanese English term Famicom See also Third generation of video game consoles Fourth generation of video game consoles Fifth generation of video game consoles and Sixth generation of video game consoles From 1980 to 1991 Nintendo produced a line of handheld electronic games called Game amp Watch Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi each Game amp Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen It was the earliest Nintendo product to gain major success 45 Mega Man known as Rockman ロックマン Rokkuman in Japan is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker Mega Man Mega Man released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 was the first in a series that expanded to over 50 games on multiple systems As of March 31 2021 the game series has sold 36 million units worldwide 1 Konami s Scramble released in 1981 is a side scrolling shooter with forced scrolling It was the first scrolling shooter to offer multiple distinct levels 46 47 Vertical scrolling shooters emerged around the same time Namco s Xevious released in 1982 is frequently cited as the first vertical scrolling shooter and although it was in fact preceded by several other games of that type it is considered one of the most influential 46 The first platform game to use scrolling graphics was Jump Bug 1981 a simple platform shooter game developed by Alpha Denshi 48 The North American video game industry was devastated by the 1983 video game crash but in Japan it was more of a surprise to developers and typically known in Japan as the Atari Shock After the video game crash analysts doubted the long term viability of the video game industry 49 At the same time following a series of arcade game successes in the early 1980s Nintendo made plans to create a cartridge based console called the Famicom which is short for Family Computer Masayuki Uemura designed the system 50 51 The console was released on July 15 1983 as the Family Computer or Famicom for short alongside three ports of Nintendo s successful arcade games Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr and Popeye The Famicom was slow to gather momentum a bad chip set caused the initial release of the system to crash Following a product recall and a reissue with a new motherboard the Famicom s popularity soared becoming the best selling game console in Japan by the end of 1984 52 By 1988 industry observers stated that the NES s popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software 53 54 By mid 1986 19 6 5 million of Japanese households owned a Famicom 55 one third by mid 1988 56 In June 1989 Nintendo of America s vice president of marketing Peter Main said that the Famicom was present in 37 of Japan s households 57 By the end of its run over 60 million NES units had been sold throughout the world 58 In 1990 Nintendo surpassed Toyota as Japan s most successful corporation 59 60 Because the NES was released after the video game crash of the early 1980s many retailers and adults regarded electronic games as a passing fad 61 so many believed at first that the NES would soon fade 62 Before the NES Famicom Nintendo was known as a moderately successful Japanese toy and playing card manufacturer but the popularity of the NES Famicom helped the company grow into an internationally recognized name almost synonymous with video games as Atari had been 63 and set the stage for Japanese dominance of the video game industry 64 With the NES Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval This led to higher quality software titles which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced titles for earlier game systems 65 The system s hardware limitations led to design principles that still influence the development of modern video games Many prominent game franchises originated on the NES including Nintendo s own Super Mario Bros 66 The Legend of Zelda 67 and Metroid 68 Capcom s Mega Man 69 franchise Konami s Castlevania 70 franchise Square s Final Fantasy 71 and Enix s Dragon Quest franchises 72 Following the release of the Famicom Nintendo Entertainment System the global video game industry began recovering with annual sales exceeding 2 3 billion by 1988 with 70 of the market dominated by Nintendo 73 In 1986 Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi noted that Atari collapsed because they gave too much freedom to third party developers and the market was swamped with rubbish games In response Nintendo limited the number of titles that third party developers could release for their system each year and promoted its Seal of Quality which it allowed to be used on games and peripherals by publishers that met Nintendo s quality standards 74 Japan s first personal computers for gaming soon appeared the Sord M200 in 1977 and Sharp MZ 80K in 1978 22 In Japan both consoles and computers became major industries with the console market dominated by Nintendo and the computer market dominated by NEC s PC 88 1981 and PC 98 1982 A key difference between Western and Japanese computers at the time was the display resolution with Japanese systems using a higher resolution of 640x400 to accommodate Japanese text which in turn affected video game design and allowed more detailed graphics Japanese computers were also using Yamaha s FM synth sound boards from the early 1980s 75 During the 16 bit era the PC 98 Sharp X68000 and FM Towns became popular in Japan The X68000 and FM Towns were capable of producing near arcade quality hardware sprite graphics and sound quality when they first released in the mid to late 1980s 75 The Wizardry series translated by ASCII Entertainment became popular and influential in Japan even more so than at home 76 Japanese developers created the action RPG subgenre in the early 1980s combining RPG elements with arcade style action and action adventure elements 77 78 The trend of combining role playing elements with arcade style action mechanics was popularized by The Tower of Druaga 78 an arcade game released by Namco in June 1984 While the RPG elements in Druaga were very subtle its success in Japan inspired the near simultaneous development of three early action role playing games combining Druaga s real time hack and slash gameplay with stronger RPG mechanics all released in late 1984 Dragon Slayer Courageous Perseus and Hydlide A rivalry developed between the three games with Dragon Slayer and Hydlide continuing their rivalry through subsequent sequels 79 The Tower of Druaga Dragon Slayer and Hydlide were influential in Japan where they laid the foundations for the action RPG genre influencing titles such as Ys and The Legend of Zelda 80 81 The action role playing game Hydlide 1984 was an early open world game 82 83 rewarding exploration in an open world environment 84 Hydlide influenced The Legend of Zelda 1986 85 an influential open world game 86 87 Zelda had an expansive coherent open world design inspiring many games to adopt a similar open world design 88 Bokosuka Wars 1983 is considered an early prototype real time strategy game 89 TechnoSoft s Herzog 1988 is regarded as a precursor to the real time strategy genre being the predecessor to Herzog Zwei and somewhat similar in nature 90 Herzog Zwei released for the Sega Mega Drive Genesis home console in 1989 is the earliest example of a game with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of modern real time strategy 91 92 Data East s Karate Champ from 1984 is credited with establishing and popularizing the one on one fighting game genre and went on to influence Konami s Yie Ar Kung Fu from 1985 93 Capcom s Street Fighter 1987 introduced the use of special moves that could only be discovered by experimenting with the game controls Street Fighter II 1991 established the conventions of the fighting game genre and allowed players to play against each other 94 In 1985 Sega AM2 s Hang On designed by Yu Suzuki and running on the Sega Space Harrier hardware was the first of Sega s Super Scaler arcade system boards that allowed pseudo 3D sprite scaling at high frame rates 95 The pseudo 3D sprite tile scaling was handled in a similar manner to textures in later texture mapped polygonal 3D games of the 1990s 96 Designed by Sega AM2 s Yu Suzuki he stated that his designs were always 3D from the beginning All the calculations in the system were 3D even from Hang On I calculated the position scale and zoom rate in 3D and converted it backwards to 2D So I was always thinking in 3D 97 It was controlled using a video game arcade cabinet resembling a motorbike which the player moves with their body This began the Taikan trend the use of motion controlled hydraulic arcade cabinets in many arcade games of the late 1980s two decades before motion controls became popular on video game consoles 98 Sega s Space Harrier a rail shooter released in 1985 broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores 99 100 1985 also saw the release of Konami s Gradius which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry thus introducing another element of strategy 46 The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success 101 Gradius with its iconic protagonist defined the side scrolling shoot em up and spawned a series spanning several sequels 102 The following year saw the emergence of one of Sega s forefront series with its game Fantasy Zone The game received acclaim for its surreal graphics and setting and the protagonist Opa Opa was for a time considered Sega s mascot 103 The game borrowed Defender s device of allowing the player to control the direction of flight and along with the earlier TwinBee 1985 is an early archetype of the cute em up subgenre 46 104 Hydlide II Shine of Darkness in 1985 featured an early morality meter where the player can be aligned with justice normal or evil which is affected by whether the player kills evil monsters good monsters or humans and in turn affects the reactions of the townsfolk towards the player 105 In the same year Yuji Horii and his team at Chunsoft began production on Dragon Quest Dragon Warrior 106 After Enix published the game in early 1986 it became the template for future console RPGs 107 Horii s intention behind Dragon Quest was to create a RPG that appeals to a wider audience unfamiliar with the genre or video games in general This required the creation of a new kind of RPG that didn t rely on previous D amp D experience didn t require hundreds of hours of rote fighting and that could appeal to any kind of gamer 106 The streamlined gameplay of Dragon Quest thus made the game more accessible to a wider audience than previous computer RPGs 108 The game also placed a greater emphasis on storytelling and emotional involvement 109 building on Horii s previous work Portopia Serial Murder Case but this time introducing a coming of age tale for Dragon Quest that audiences could relate to making use of the RPG level building gameplay as a way to represent this 110 It also featured elements still found in most console RPGs like major quests interwoven with minor subquests an incremental spell system 111 the damsel in distress storyline that many RPGs follow 112 and a romance element that remains a staple of the genre 113 alongside anime style art by Akira Toriyama and a classical score by Koichi Sugiyama that was considered revolutionary for console video game music 106 With Dragon Quest becoming widely popular in Japan such that local municipalities were forced to place restrictions on where and when the game could be sold 111 the Dragon Quest series is still considered a bellwether for the Japanese video game market 114 Shoot em ups featuring characters on foot rather than spacecraft became popular in the mid 1980s in the wake of action movies such as Rambo First Blood Part II 44 The origins of this type go back to Sheriff by Nintendo released in 1979 Taito s Front Line 1982 established the upwards scrolling formula later popularized by Capcom s Commando in 1985 and SNK s Ikari Warriors 1986 115 Commando also drew comparisons to Rambo 116 and indeed contemporary critics considered military themes and protagonists similar to Rambo or Schwarzenegger prerequisites for a shoot em up as opposed to an action adventure game 115 In 1986 Arsys Software released WiBArm a shooter that switched between a 2D side scrolling view in outdoor areas to a fully 3D polygonal third person perspective inside buildings while bosses were fought in an arena style 2D battle with the game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment 117 The late 1980s to early 1990s is considered the golden age of Japanese computer gaming which would flourish until its decline around the mid 1990s as consoles eventually dominated the Japanese market 118 A notable Japanese computer RPG from around this time was WiBArm the earliest known RPG to feature 3D polygonal graphics It was a 1986 role playing shooter released by Arsys Software for the PC 88 in Japan and ported to MS DOS for Western release by Broderbund In WiBArm the player controls a transformable mecha robot switching between a 2D side scrolling view during outdoor exploration to a fully 3D polygonal third person perspective inside buildings while bosses are fought in an arena style 2D shoot em up battle The game featured a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an automap and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats 75 119 Unlike first person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90 degree movements WiBArm s use of 3D polygons allowed full 360 degree movement 119 The PC Engine released in 1987On October 30 1987 the PC Engine made its debut in the Japanese market and it was a tremendous success The console had an elegant eye catching design and it was very small compared to its rivals 120 The PC Engine TurboGrafx 16 known as TurboGrafx 16 in the rest of the world was a collaborative effort between Hudson Soft who created video game software and NEC a major company which was dominant in the Japanese personal computer market with their PC 88 and PC 98 platforms 121 R Type an acclaimed side scrolling shoot em up was released in 1987 by Irem employing slower paced scrolling than usual with difficult levels calling for methodical strategies 122 123 1990 s Raiden was the beginning of another acclaimed and enduring series to emerge from this period 124 125 In 1987 Square s 3 D WorldRunner was an early stereoscopic 3 D shooter played from a third person perspective 126 followed later that year by its sequel JJ 127 and the following year by Space Harrier 3 D which used the SegaScope 3 D shutter glasses 128 Also in 1987 Konami created Contra as a coin op arcade game that was particularly acclaimed for its multi directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei by Atlus for the Nintendo Famicom abandoned the common medieval fantasy setting and sword and sorcery theme in favour of a modern science fiction setting and horror theme It also introduced the monster catching mechanic with its demon summoning system which allowed the player to recruit enemies into their party through a conversation system that gives the player a choice of whether to kill or spare an enemy and allows them to engage any opponent in conversation 129 Sega s original Phantasy Star for the Master System combined sci fi amp fantasy setting that set it apart from the D amp D staple 130 It was also one of the first games to feature a female protagonist and animated monster encounters 130 and allowed inter planetary travel between three planets 131 Another 1987 title Miracle Warriors Seal of the Dark Lord was a third person RPG that featured a wide open world and a mini map on the corner of the screen 132 According to Wizardry developer Roe R Adams early action adventure games were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting citing Castlevania 1986 and Trojan 1986 as examples 133 IGN UK argues that The Legend of Zelda 1986 helped to establish a new subgenre of action adventure becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid including exploration adventure style inventory puzzles an action component a monetary system and simplified RPG style level building without the experience points 134 The Legend of Zelda was the most prolific action adventure game series through to the 2000s 135 The first Nintendo Space World show was held on July 28 1989 136 It was a video game trade show that was hosted by Nintendo until 2001 At the same year Phantasy Star II for the Genesis established many conventions of the RPG genre including an epic dramatic character driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter and a strategy based battle system 130 137 The game s science fiction story was also unique reversing the common alien invasion scenario by instead presenting Earthlings as the invading antagonists rather than the defending protagonists 130 137 Capcom s Sweet Home for the NES introduced a modern Japanese horror theme and laid the foundations for the survival horror genre later serving as the main inspiration for Resident Evil 1996 138 139 Tengai Makyo Ziria released for the PC Engine CD that same year was the first RPG released on CD ROM and the first in the genre to feature animated cut scenes and voice acting The game s plot was also unusual for its feudal Japan setting and its emphasis on humour the plot and characters were inspired by the Japanese folk tale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari The music for the game was also composed by noted musician Ryuichi Sakamoto 140 The golden age of console RPGs is often dated in the 1990s 141 142 Console RPGs distinguished themselves from computer RPGs to a greater degree in the early 1990s As console RPGs became more heavily story based than their computer counterparts one of the major differences that emerged during this time was in the portrayal of the characters with most American computer RPGs at the time having characters devoid of personality or background as their purpose was to represent avatars which the player uses to interact with the world in contrast to Japanese console RPGs which depicted pre defined characters who had distinctive personalities traits and relationships such as Final Fantasy and Lufia with players assuming the roles of people who cared about each other fell in love or even had families Romance in particular was a theme that was common in most console RPGs but alien to most computer RPGs at the time 143 Japanese console RPGs were also generally more faster paced and action adventure oriented than their American computer counterparts 144 145 During the 1990s console RPGs had become increasingly dominant 146 In 1990 Dragon Quest IV introduced a new method of storytelling segmenting the plot into segregated chapters 147 148 The game also introduced an AI system called Tactics which allowed the player to modify the strategies used by the allied party members while maintaining full control of the hero 149 Final Fantasy III introduced the classic job system a character progression engine allowing the player to change the character classes as well as acquire new and advanced classes and combine class abilities during the course of the game 150 151 That same year also saw the release of Nintendo s Fire Emblem Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi a game that set the template for the tactical role playing game genre and was the first entry in the Fire Emblem series 152 Another notable strategy RPG that year was Koei s Bandit Kings of Ancient China which was successful in combining the strategy RPG and management simulation genres building on its own Nobunaga s Ambition series that began in 1983 147 Several early RPGs set in a post apocalyptic future were also released that year including Digital Devil Story Megami Tensei II 129 153 and Crystalis 154 which was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Crystalis also made advances to the action role playing game subgenre being a true action RPG that combined the real time action adventure combat and open world of The Legend of Zelda with the level building and spell casting of traditional RPGs like Final Fantasy 155 That year also saw the release of Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom which featured an innovative and original branching storyline which spans three generations of characters and can be altered depending on which character the protagonist of each generation marries 156 leading to four possible endings 130 In 1991 Final Fantasy IV was one of the first role playing games to feature a complex involving plot 157 placing a much greater emphasis on character development personal relationships and dramatic storytelling 158 It also introduced a new battle system the Active Time Battle system developed by Hiroyuki Ito 159 where the time keeping system does not stop 160 The fact that enemies can attack or be attacked at any time is credited with injecting urgency and excitement into the combat system 160 The ATB combat system was considered revolutionary for being a hybrid between turn based and real time combat with its requirement of faster reactions from players appealing to those who were more used to action games 161 The Super Famicom released on November 21 1990Nintendo executives were initially reluctant to design a new system but as the market transitioned to the newer hardware Nintendo saw the erosion of the commanding market share it had built up with the Nintendo Entertainment System 162 Nintendo s fourth generation console the Super Famicom was released in Japan on November 21 1990 Nintendo s initial shipment of 300 000 units sold out within hours 163 Despite stiff competition from the Mega Drive Genesis console the Super NES eventually took the top selling position selling 49 10 million units worldwide 164 and would remain popular well into the fifth generation of consoles 165 Nintendo s market position was defined by their machine s increased video and sound capabilities 166 as well as exclusive first party franchise titles such as Super Mario World The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past and Super Metroid In the early 1990s the arcades experienced a major resurgence with the 1991 release of Capcom s Street Fighter II 167 which popularized competitive fighting games and revived the arcade industry to a level of popularity not seen since the days of Pac Man 168 setting off a renaissance for the arcade game industry in the early 1990s 169 Its success led to a wave of other popular games which mostly were in the fighting genre such as Fatal Fury King of Fighters 1992 by SNK Virtua Fighter 1993 by SEGA and The King of Fighters 1994 2005 by SNK In 1993 Electronic Games noted that when historians look back at the world of coin op during the early 1990s one of the defining highlights of the video game art form will undoubtedly focus on fighting martial arts themes which it described as the backbone of the industry at the time 170 A new type of shoot em up emerged in the early 1990s variously termed bullet hell manic shooters maniac shooters and danmaku 弾幕 barrage these games required the player to dodge overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and called for still more consistent reactions from players 46 171 Bullet hell games arose from the need for 2D shoot em up developers to compete with the emerging popularity of 3D games huge numbers of missiles on screen were intended to impress players 171 Toaplan s Batsugun 1993 provided the prototypical template for this new breed 172 173 with Cave formed by former employees of Toaplan including Batsugun s main creator Tsuneki Ikeda after the latter company collapsed inventing the type proper with 1995 s DonPachi 174 Bullet hell games marked another point where the shoot em up genre began to cater to more dedicated players 46 171 Games such as Gradius had been more difficult than Space Invaders or Xevious 101 but bullet hell games were yet more inward looking and aimed at dedicated fans of the genre looking for greater challenges 46 175 While shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D based genres popular long running series such as Contra and Metal Slug continued to receive new sequels 176 177 178 Rail shooters have rarely been released in the new millennium with only Rez and Panzer Dragoon Orta achieving cult recognition 179 100 180 1992 saw the release of Dragon Quest V a game that has been praised for its involving emotional family themed narrative divided by different periods of time something that has appeared in very few video games before or since 181 182 It has also been credited as the first known video game to feature a playable pregnancy a concept that has since appeared in later games such as Story of Seasons 183 Dragon Quest V s monster collecting mechanic where monsters can be defeated captured added to the party and gain their own experience levels also influenced many later franchises such as Pokemon Digimon and Dokapon In turn the concept of collecting everything in a game in the form of achievements or similar rewards has since become a common trend in video games 184 Shin Megami Tensei released in 1992 for the SNES introduced an early moral alignment system that influences the direction and outcome of the storyline leading to different possible paths and multiple endings This has since become a hallmark of the Megami Tensei series 129 Another non linear RPG released that year was Romancing Saga an open world RPG by Square that offered many choices and allowed players to complete quests in any order with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline The game also allowed players to choose from eight different characters each with their own stories that start in different places and offer different outcomes 185 Data East s Heracles no Eikō III written by Kazushige Nojima introduced the plot element of a nameless immortal suffering from amnesia and Nojima would later revisit the amnesia theme in Final Fantasy VII and Glory of Heracles 186 The TurboGrafx CD port of Dragon Knight II released that year was also notable for introducing erotic adult content to consoles 187 citation needed though such content had often appeared in Japanese computer RPGs since the early 1980s 118 That same year Game Arts began the Lunar series on the Sega CD with Lunar The Silver Star one of the first successful CD ROM RPGs featuring both voice and text and considered one of the best RPGs in its time 188 The game was praised for its soundtrack emotionally engaging storyline and strong characterization 189 It also introduced an early form of level scaling where the bosses would get stronger depending on the protagonist s level 190 a mechanic that was later used in Enix s The 7th Saga 191 and extended to normal enemies in Square s Romancing Saga 3 and later Final Fantasy VIII 192 3D polygon graphics were popularized by the Sega Model 1 games Virtua Racing 1992 and Virtua Fighter 1993 193 followed by racing games 168 like the Namco System 22 title Ridge Racer 1993 and Sega Model 2 title Daytona USA and light gun shooters like Sega s Virtua Cop 1994 194 gaining considerable popularity in the arcades 168 In 1993 Square s Secret of Mana the second in the Mana series further advanced the action RPG subgenre with its introduction of cooperative multiplayer into the genre The game was created by a team previously responsible for the first three Final Fantasy titles Nasir Gebelli Koichi Ishii and Hiromichi Tanaka 195 The game received considerable acclaim 196 for its innovative pausable real time battle system 197 198 the Ring Command menu system 198 its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay 196 where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time 199 and the customizable AI settings for computer controlled allies 200 The game has influenced a number of later action RPGs 199 201 That same year also saw the release of Phantasy Star IV The End of the Millennium which introduced the use of pre programmable combat manoeuvers called macros a means of setting up the player s party AI to deliver custom attack combos 130 That year also saw the release of Romancing Saga 2 which further expanded the non linear gameplay of its predecessor While in the original Romancing Saga scenarios were changed according to dialogue choices during conversations Romancing Saga 2 further expanded on this by having unique storylines for each character that can change depending on the player s actions including who is chosen what is said in conversation what events have occurred and who is present in the party 202 PCGamesN credits Romancing SaGa 2 for having laid the foundations for modern Japanese RPGs with its progressive non linear open world design and subversive themes 203 In 1994 Final Fantasy VI moved away from the medieval setting of its predecessors instead being set in a steampunk environment 204 The game received considerable acclaim and is seen as one of the greatest RPGs of all time 205 for improvements such as its broadened thematic scope 206 plotlines characters multiple choice scenarios 207 and variation of play 208 Final Fantasy VI dealt with mature themes such as suicide war crimes child abandonment teen pregnancy and coping with the deaths of loved ones 209 Square s Live A Live released for the Super Famicom in Japan featured eight different characters and stories with the first seven unfolding in any order the player chooses as well as four different endings 210 The game s ninja chapter in particular was an early example of stealth game elements in an RPG requiring the player to infiltrate a castle rewarding the player if the entire chapter can be completed without engaging in combat 210 Other chapters had similar innovations such as Akira s chapter where the character uses telepathic powers to discover information 210 Robotrek by Quintet and Ancient was a predecessor to Pokemon in the sense that the protagonist does not himself fight but sends out his robots to do so Like Pokemon Robotrek was designed to appeal to a younger audience allowed team customization and each robot was kept in a ball 211 FromSoftware released their first video game titled King s Field as a launch title for the PlayStation in 1994 212 The game was later called the brainchild of company founder Naotoshi Zin who was considered a key creative figure in the series 213 The eventual success of the first King s Field prompted the development of sequels establishing the King s Field series 214 215 The design of King s Field would influence later titles by FromSoftware including Shadow Tower Demon s Souls and the Dark Souls series The latter would propel FromSoftware to international fame 214 213 216 In 1995 Square s Romancing Saga 3 featured a storyline that could be told differently from the perspectives of up to eight different characters and introduced a level scaling system where the enemies get stronger as the characters do 192 a mechanic that was later used in a number of later RPGs including Final Fantasy VIII 217 Sega s Sakura Wars for the Saturn combined tactical RPG combat with dating sim and visual novel elements introducing a real time branching choice system where during an event or conversation the player must choose an action or dialogue choice within a time limit or not to respond at all within that time the player s choice or lack thereof affects the player character s relationship with other characters and in turn the characters performance in battle the direction of the storyline and the ending Later games in the series added several variations including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the analog stick depending on the situation 218 The success of Sakura Wars led to a wave of games that combine the RPG and dating sim genres including Thousand Arms in 1998 Riviera The Promised Land in 2002 and Luminous Arc in 2007 219 The survival horror video game genre began with Capcom s Resident Evil 1996 which coined the term survival horror and defined the genre 220 221 The game was inspired by Capcom s Sweet Home 1989 retroactively described as survival horror 222 The first Tokyo Game Show was held in 1996 223 From 1996 to 2002 the show was held twice a year once in the Spring and once in Autumn in the Tokyo Big Sight 224 Since 2002 the show has been held once a year It attracts more visitors every year 2011 s show hosted over 200 000 attendees and the 2012 show bringing in 223 753 The busiest TGS was in 2016 with 271 224 people in attendance and 614 companies had exhibits 225 The event has been held annually since 1996 and was never canceled The 20th anniversary of TGS was celebrated in 2016 226 The Fujitsu FM Towns Marty is considered the world s first 32 bit console predating the Amiga CD32 and 3DO being released only released in Japan on February 20 1993 by Fujitsu However it failed to make an impact in the marketplace due to its expense relative to other consoles and inability to compete with home computers 227 228 Around the mid 1990s the fifth generation home consoles Sega Saturn PlayStation and Nintendo 64 began offering true 3D graphics improved sound and better 2D graphics than the previous generation By 1995 personal computers followed with 3D accelerator cards While arcade systems such as the Sega Model 3 remained considerably more advanced than home systems in the late 1990s 229 230 The next major revolution came in the mid to late 1990s which saw the rise of 3D computer graphics and optical discs in fifth generation consoles The implications for RPGs were enormous longer more involved quests better audio and full motion video This was clearly demonstrated in 1997 by the phenomenal success of Final Fantasy VII which is considered one of the most influential games of all time 231 232 akin to that of Star Wars in the movie industry With a record breaking production budget of around 45 million 231 the ambitious scope of Final Fantasy VII raised the possibilities for the genre with its more expansive world to explore 233 much longer quest more numerous sidequests 231 dozens of minigames and much higher production values The latter includes innovations such as the use of 3D characters on pre rendered backgrounds 234 battles viewed from multiple different angles rather than a single angle and for the first time full motion CGI video seamlessly blended into the gameplay 232 effectively integrated throughout the game 231 Gameplay innovations included the materia system which allowed a considerable amount of customization and flexibility through materia that can be combined in many different ways and exchanged between characters at any time and the limit breaks special attacks that can be performed after a character s limit meter fills up by taking hits from opponents 232 Final Fantasy VII continues to be listed among the best games of all time for its highly polished gameplay high playability lavish production well developed characters intricate storyline 234 and an emotionally engaging narrative that is much darker and sophisticated than most other RPGs 235 The game s storytelling and character development was considered a major narrative jump forward for video games and was often compared to films and novels at the time 236 One of the earliest Japanese RPGs Koei s The Dragon and Princess 1982 237 featured a tactical turn based combat system 238 239 Koji Sumii s Bokosuka Wars originally released for the Sharp X1 computer in 1983 240 and later ported to the NES in 1985 241 is credited for laying the foundations for the tactical RPG genre or simulation RPG genre as it is known in Japan with its blend of basic RPG and strategy game elements 242 The genre became with the game that set the template for tactical RPGs Fire Emblem Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi 1990 243 Treasure s shoot em up Radiant Silvergun 1998 introduced an element of narrative to the genre It was critically acclaimed for its refined design though it was not released outside Japan and remains a much sought after collector s item 122 46 244 245 Its successor Ikaruga 2001 featured improved graphics and was again acclaimed as one of the best games in the genre Both Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga were later released on Xbox Live Arcade 122 46 246 The Touhou Project series spans 22 years and 27 games as of 2018 and was listed in the Guinness World Records in October 2010 for being the most prolific fan made shooter series 247 The genre has undergone something of a resurgence with the release of the Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 and Wii online services 246 while in Japan arcade shoot em ups retain a deep rooted niche popularity 248 Geometry Wars Retro Evolved was released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2005 and in particular stood out from the various re releases and casual games available on the service 249 The PC has also seen its share of dōjin shoot em ups like Crimzon Clover Jamestown Legend of the Lost Colony Xenoslaive Overdrive and the eXceed series However despite the genre s continued appeal to an enthusiastic niche of players shoot em up developers are increasingly embattled financially by the power of home consoles and their attendant genres 248 250 2005 2015 Edit See also Handheld game console Japanese mobile phone culture and Seventh generation of video game consoles A man playing a drumming arcade game Drummania in Tsukuba Ibaraki 2005 Girls playing The House of the Dead III in an amusement arcade in Japan 2005 PlayStation 3 at Tokyo Game Show 2006In 2002 the Japanese video game industry made up about 50 of the global market that share has since shrunk to around 10 by 2010 251 The shrinkage in market share has been attributed to a difference of taste between Japanese and Western audiences 251 and the country s economic recession 252 Nintendo had seen record revenues net sales and profits in 2009 as a result of the release of the Nintendo DS and Wii in 2004 and 2006 respectively 253 254 255 but in Nintendo s subsequent years its revenues had declined 256 257 In 2007 Tokkun Studio released Marie BabySitter for PC In 2009 FromSoftware released Demon s Souls for the PlayStation 3 which brought them international exposure Its spiritual successor Dark Souls was released in 2011 In March 2014 Dark Souls II was released while Dark Souls III was released in 2016 258 Other FromSoftware games inspired by the Dark Souls series Bloodborne 2015 and Elden Ring 2022 received critical acclaim and strong sales 259 260 They have also received a number of awards primarily those for the role playing genre including multiple RPG of the Year and Game of the Year awards 261 262 263 264 Since release Dark Souls and Bloodborne have been cited by many publications to be among the greatest games of all time 265 266 267 The decline of the Japanese video game development industry during this period was partially attributed to the traditional development process Japanese companies were criticized for long development times and slow release dates on home video game consoles their lack of third party game engines and for being too insular to appeal to a global market 268 Yoichi Wada stated in 2009 that the Japanese game industry had become almost xenophobic 269 He also stated The lag with the US is very clear The US games industry was not good in the past but it has now attracted people from the computer industry and from Hollywood which has led to strong growth 269 270 At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show Keiji Inafune stated that Everyone s making awful games Japan is at least five years behind and that Japan is isolated in the gaming world If something doesn t change we re doomed stressing the need for Japanese developers to bring in Western approaches to game development to make a comeback 251 Related to the isolationism games developed in Western countries did not perform well in Japan whereas Japanese games were readily played by Western market consumers 271 272 273 274 Foreign games often sell more poorly in Japanese markets due to differences in what consumers expect for escapism between these cultures 275 Microsoft had attempted to push both the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles in Japan with poor success at they struggled to compete against Sony and Nintendo there 276 However as detailed above Japanese console games became less successful even in their own country as of 2013 277 278 279 In the Japanese gaming industry arcades have remained popular through to the present day As of 2009 out of Japan s 20 billion gaming market 6 billion of that amount is generated from arcades which represent the largest sector of the Japanese video game market followed by home console games and mobile games at 3 5 billion and 2 billion respectively 280 In 2005 arcade ownership and operation accounted for a majority of Namco s for example 281 With considerable withdrawal from the arcade market from companies such as Capcom Sega became the strongest player in the arcade market with 60 marketshare in 2006 282 Despite the global decline of arcades Japanese companies hit record revenue for three consecutive years during this period 283 However due to the country s economic recession the Japanese arcade industry has also been steadily declining from 702 9 billion US 8 7 billion in 2007 to 504 3 billion 6 2 billion in 2010 252 In 2013 estimation of revenue is 470 billion 252 In the 2010s Japanese RPGs have been experiencing a resurgence on PC with a significant increase in the number of Japanese RPGs releasing for the Steam platform This began with the 2010 release of doujin indie game Recettear 2007 for Steam 284 selling over 500 000 units on the platform 285 This led to many Japanese doujin indie games releasing on Steam in subsequent years 284 Beyond doujin indie titles 2012 was a breakthrough year with the debut of Nihon Falcom s Ys series on Steam and then the Steam release of From Software s Dark Souls which sold millions on the platform Other Japanese RPGs were subsequently ported to Steam such as the previously niche Valkyria Chronicles which became a million seller on the platform and other titles that sold hundreds of thousands on Steam such as the 2014 localization of The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky 2014 and ports of numerous Final Fantasy titles Japanese developers have been increasingly considering Steam as a viable platform for the genre with many Japanese RPGs available on the platform 284 By 2015 Japan had become the world s fourth largest PC game market behind only China the United States and South Korea 286 The Japanese game development engine RPG Maker has also gained significant popularity on Steam including hundreds of commercial games Every year hundreds of games released on Steam are created using RPG Maker as of 2017 287 In the present day Japan is the world s largest market for mobile games 288 The Japanese market today is becoming increasingly dominated by mobile games which generated 5 1 billion in 2013 more than traditional console games in the country 289 Former rivals in the Japanese arcade industry Konami Taito Bandai Namco Entertainment and Sega are now working together to keep the arcade industry vibrant This is evidenced in the sharing of arcade networks and venues having games from all major companies rather than only games from their own company 290 2016 present Edit Japanese players at a shoot em up arcade in Akihabara Tokyo 2017 A line graph depicting the first year sales of the Nintendo Switch red Wii U green and PlayStation 4 blue in JapanThe eighth generation of video game consoles primarily includes the home video game consoles of the Wii U released in 2012 the PlayStation 4 family in 2013 the handheld game consoles of the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 Nintendo 2DS in 2013 and the PlayStation Vita in 2011 as well as the first hybrid game console the Nintendo Switch in 2017 which played as a handheld but could be docked to played like a home console Unlike in most prior generations there were few new innovative hardware capabilities to mark this generation as distinct from prior ones Sony continued to produce new systems with similar designs and capabilities as their predecessors but with improved performance processing speed higher resolution graphics and increased storage capacity that further moved consoles into confluence with personal computers and furthering support for digital distribution and games as a service Motion controlled games of the seventh generation had waned in popularity but consoles were preparing for advancement of virtual reality VR Sony introduced the PlayStation VR in 2016 291 292 Though prior console generations have normally occurred in five to six year cycles the transition from seventh to eighth generation lasted approximately eight years 293 The transition is also unusual in that the prior generation s best selling unit the Wii was the first to be replaced in the eighth generation 293 In 2011 Sony considered themselves only halfway through a ten year lifecycle for their seventh generation offerings 294 295 Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had stated that his company would be releasing the Wii U due to declining sales of seventh generation home consoles and that the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles 296 Sony considered making its next console a digital download only machine but decided against it due to concerns about the inconsistency of internet speeds available globally especially in developing countries 297 On September 13 2012 Nintendo announced that the Wii U would launch in Japan on December 8 2012 298 The PlayStation 4 and Wii U use AMD GPUs and the PS4 also use AMD CPUs on an x86 64 architecture similar to common personal computers as opposed to the IBM PowerPC Architecture used in the previous generation Nintendo and Sony were not aware that they were all using AMD hardware until their consoles were announced 299 This shift was considered to be beneficial for multi platform development due to the increased similarities between PC hardware and console hardware 300 In October 2013 online retailer Play com announced that its Wii U sales saw a 75 sales increase The company also predicted that the Wii U would be more popular than its competition the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One among children during the holiday season 301 Following the release of Wii Party U on October 31 in Japan weekly Wii U sales spiked to 38 802 units sold 302 During the first two weeks of December the Wii U was the top performing home console in Japan with 123 665 units sold 303 In fiscal year FY 2013 ending early 2013 Nintendo sold 23 7 million consoles 304 By February 26 2014 Wii U sales had surpassed those of the Xbox 360 in Japan 305 However by June 2015 the basic Wii U was discontinued in Japan and replaced by a 32 GB Premium set that includes white hardware and a Wii Remote Plus 306 307 In mid November 2016 Nintendo announced that Japanese production of the Wii U would be ending in the near future 308 The PS4 was released in Japan at 39 980 on February 22 2014 309 In September 2015 Sony reduced the price of the PS4 in Japan to 34 980 310 with similar price drops in other Southeast Asian markets 311 Within the first two days of release in Japan during the weekend of February 22 2014 322 083 consoles were sold 312 PS4 software unit sales surpassed 20 5 million on April 13 2014 313 During Japan s 2013 fiscal year heightened demand for the PS4 helped Sony top global console sales beating Nintendo for the first time in eight years 314 Since 2016 Japanese video games have been experiencing a resurgence 315 316 317 as part of a renaissance for the Japanese video game industry 318 319 In 2017 Japanese video games gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim 315 318 In 2016 the global success of Pokemon Go helped Pokemon Sun and Moon set sales records around the world 316 Final Fantasy XV was also a major success selling millions There were also other Japanese RPGs that earned commercial success and or critical acclaim that year including Dragon Quest VII Fragments of the Forgotten Past Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse Bravely Second Fire Emblem Fates Dragon Quest Builders World of Final Fantasy Exist Archive The Other Side of the Sky and I Am Setsuna 317 Anticipating the release of the console s successor the Nintendo Switch a hybrid video game console Nintendo had planned to diminish production of the Wii U It formally announced the end of its production on January 31 2017 320 321 The company had posted its first loss as a video game company in 2012 prior to the Wii U s introduction that year and had similar losses in the following years due to the console s poor uptake 322 The New York Times attributed Nintendo lowering financial forecasts in 2014 to weak hardware sales against mobile gaming 323 Previously the company had been hesitant about this market with then president Satoru Iwata considering that they would cease to be Nintendo and lose their identity if they attempted to enter it 324 About three years prior to the Switch s announcement Iwata Tatsumi Kimishima Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto crafted a strategy for revitalizing Nintendo s business model which included approaching the mobile market creating new hardware and maximizing their intellectual property 325 Prior to his death Iwata was able to secure a business alliance with Japanese mobile provider DeNA to develop mobile titles based on Nintendo s first party franchises believing this approach would not compromise their integrity 326 327 Following Iwata s death in July 2015 Kimishima was named as president of Nintendo while Miyamoto was promoted to the title of Creative Fellow 325 The Switch was officially released on March 3 2017 in Japan with an MSRP of 29 980 328 The design of the Switch was aimed to bridge the polarization of the gaming market at the time creating a device that could play leisurely video games along with games that are aimed to be played deeply according to Shinya Takahashi and Yoshiaki Koizumi general manager and deputy general manager of Nintendo s Entertainment Planning amp Development Division EPD respectively 329 This approach also would apply to the cultural lifestyle and gaming differences between Japanese and Western players Japanese players tend to play on the go and with social groups while Western players tend to play at home by themselves 330 The design of the Switch would meet both cultures and certain games like 1 2 Switch could potentially make social gaming more acceptable in Western culture 331 Two key elements that were set to address this mixed market were the ability for the unit to play both on a television screen and as a portable and the use of detachable controllers 329 In Japan first weekend sales exceeded 330 000 units which was on par with the PlayStation 4 during its launch period 332 333 Media Create estimated that more than 500 000 Switch units were sold in Japan within its first month beating out the PlayStation 4 to this figure 334 Console sales in Japan which had been languishing due to the strength of the mobile game market saw its first annual growth of 14 8 in 2017 due to the release of the Switch 335 Based on its first year sales the Switch was considered to be the fastest selling game console in history in many regions With 2017 year end Japanese sales data from Media Create the Switch became the fastest selling home console in Japan in first year sales with its total sales of 3 2 million units exceeding the 3 0 million units of the PlayStation 2 during its first year of release 336 337 while Famitsu reported that these sales had eclipsed the lifetime sales of the Wii U in the country 338 and helped to support the first growth in sales within Japan s console market in eleven years 339 By May 2019 the Switch had overtaken the PS4 s lifetime sales in Japan 340 In 2017 Japanese RPGs gained further commercial success and greater critical acclaim 315 318 The year started strong with Gravity Rush 2 318 followed by Yakuza 0 which some critics consider the best in the Yakuza series Nioh which is considered to have one of the eighth generation s best RPG combat systems and then Nier Automata which has gameplay and storytelling thought to be some of the best in recent years 315 Persona 5 won the Best Role Playing Game award at The Game Awards 2017 341 Some Japanese RPGs that were previously considered niche became mainstream million sellers in 2017 including Persona 5 Nier Automata 318 Nioh 342 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Nintendo Switch 343 2017 was considered a strong year for Japanese RPGs with other notable releases including Dragon Quest VIII on the Nintendo 3DS Tales of Berseria Valkyria Revolution Ever Oasis Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age Ys VIII Etrian Odyssey V Dragon Quest Heroes II The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky the 3rd Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood and Tokyo Xanadu 344 In 2018 Monster Hunter World sold over 10 million units 345 becoming Capcom s best selling single software title 346 and Square Enix s Octopath Traveler sold over 1 million units 347 Sony released the PlayStation 5 in 2020 and have emphasized that they want this to be a soft transition allowing PlayStation 4 games to be directly backwards compatible on their respective systems 348 349 Sony has stated the overwhelming majority of PlayStation 4 games will play on the PlayStation 5 with many running at higher frame rates and resolutions 350 See also EditJapanese popular culture Soft power Japan Cool JapanLocations Joypolis Sega World Warehouse KawasakiReferences Edit SEGA OFFICIAL August 11 2017 秋葉原にお越しのみなさまにお知らせです Tweet via Twitter You can now rent Sega s iconic Building 2 Akihabara arcade space but it ll cost you A LOT October 6 2020 Sega Akihabara Building No 2 Closes Losing Its Iconic Branding TheGamer September 23 2020 Prisco Jacopo November 12 2017 How Japan changed video games forever CNN Retrieved 2023 05 29 Japan Games Market 2018 Archived from the original on 2020 09 24 Retrieved 2020 04 27 a b Steven L Kent 2000 The First Quarter A 25 Year History of Video Games p 83 BWD Press ISBN 0 9704755 0 0 Ashcraft 2008 p 133 Steve L Kent 2001 The ultimate history of video games from Pong to Pokemon and beyond the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world p 102 Prima ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 a b Mark J P Wolf 2008 The video game explosion a history from PONG to PlayStation and beyond p 149 ABC CLIO ISBN 0 313 33868 X D S Cohen Killer Shark The Undersea Horror Arcade Game from Jaws About com Archived from the original on 2017 07 03 Retrieved 2011 05 03 a b 1969 Sega Duck Hunt Arcade Flyer pinrepair com Retrieved 2011 05 03 Duck Hunt 1969 at the Killer List of Videogames Missile at the Killer List of Videogames a b c d e Picard Martin The Foundation of Geemu A Brief History of Early Japanese video games Game Studies 13 2 ISSN 1604 7982 Ashcraft Brian 2008 Arcade Mania The Turbo Charged World of Japan s Game Centers Kodansha International p 94 Szczepaniak John 2014 The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 1 SMG Szczepaniak p 7 ISBN 978 0 9929260 0 7 First ever stealth game Manbiki Shounen Selected Contents Szczepaniak John 2014 The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 1 SMG Szczepaniak pp 604 605 ISBN 978 0 9929260 0 7 SUZUKI Hiroshi Manbiki Shounen Shoplifting Boy PET2001 1979 11 Selected Contents Szczepaniak John 2014 The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 1 SMG Szczepaniak pp 604 615 ISBN 978 0 9929260 0 7 Selected Contents 005 from Sega Popularplay Retrieved 2009 08 20 Video games in Japan at the Killer List of Videogames 005 Arcade History a b Martin Picard The Foundation of Geemu A Brief History of Early Japanese video games International Journal of Computer Game Research 2013 a b Edwards Benj Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Space Invaders 1UP com Archived from the original on 2009 02 26 Retrieved 2008 07 11 Buchanan Levi Space Invaders Archived 2008 12 08 at the Wayback Machine IGN March 31 2003 Accessed June 14 2008 Retro Gamer Staff Nishikado San Speaks Retro Gamer No 3 Live Publishing p 35 a b Geddes Ryan Hatfield Daemon December 10 2007 IGN s Top 10 Most Influential Games IGN Archived from the original on 2008 07 23 Retrieved 2008 07 11 Kevin Bowen The Gamespy Hall of Fame Space Invaders GameSpy Archived from the original on 2008 04 08 Retrieved 2010 01 27 Craig Glenday ed March 11 2008 Record Breaking Games Shooting Games Roundup Guinness World Records Gamer s Edition 2008 Guinness World Records Guinness pp 106 107 ISBN 978 1 904994 21 3 Players Guide To Electronic Science Fiction Games Electronic Games Vol 1 no 2 March 1982 pp 34 45 44 Archived from the original on 2012 04 02 Retrieved 2012 02 01 Essential 50 Space Invaders 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 10 18 Retrieved 2011 03 26 Kohler Chris 2005 Power up how Japanese video games gave the world an extra life Indianapolis Indiana BradyGames p 18 ISBN 0 7440 0424 1 Retrieved 2011 03 27 Can Lasers Save VIdeo Arcades The Philadelphia Inquirer February 3 1984 Retrieved 2012 03 13 Last year arcade game revenues were approximately 5 billion compared to 8 billion in 1981 and 7 billion in 1982 Craig Glenday ed March 11 2008 Record Breaking Games Shooting Games Roundup Guinness World Records Gamer s Edition 2008 Guinness World Records Guinness pp 106 107 ISBN 978 1 904994 21 3 Richards Giles July 24 2005 A life through video games The Observer Guardian Media Group Retrieved 2008 05 22 JAPAN 100 Yen Y 82 Yr 42 1967 Yr 63 1988 World Coin price Guide Numismatic Guaranty Corporation Retrieved 2013 02 27 a b Fox Mark 2012 Space Invaders targets coins World Coin News Krause Publications 39 2 35 37 Retrieved 2013 03 11 Mark J P Wolf 2001 The medium of the video game University of Texas Press p 44 ISBN 0 292 79150 X going into virtually every location in the country even a few funeral homes had video games in the basements a b Steven L Kent 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story behind the Craze that Touched Our Lives and Changed the World Prima p 352 ISBN 9780761536437 With more than 60 000 units sold in the United States Donkey Kong was Nintendo s biggest arcade hit Nintendo released Donkey Kong Junior in 1982 and sold only 30 000 machines 20 000 Popeye machines also 1982 and a mere 5000 copies of Donkey J 1983 Bureau of National Affairs 1983 United States Patents Quarterly Volume 216 United States Patents Quarterly Associated Industry Publications vol 216 Since February 1980 Midway has sold in excess of 40 000 Galaxian games Steve L Kent 2001 The ultimate history of video games from Pong to Pokemon and beyond the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world Prima p 352 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 In 1982 Universal Sales made arcade history with a game called Mr Do Instead of selling dedicated Mr Do machines Universal sold the game as a kit The kit came with a customized control panel a computer board with Mr Do read only memory ROM chips stickers that could be placed on the side of stand up arcade machines for art and a plastic marquee It was the first game ever sold as a conversion only According to former Universal Sales western regional sales manager Joe Morici the company sold approximately 30 000 copies of the game in the United States alone Arcade Games Joystick 1 1 10 September 1982 Montfort Nick Bogost Ian January 9 2009 Racing the Beam The Atari Video Computer System MIT Press ISBN 9780262261524 via Google Books Playing With Power Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming Forever Archived 2016 11 12 at the Wayback Machine 1UP a b The History of SNK Archived 2012 05 14 at the Wayback Machine GameSpot Accessed February 16 2009 Wii com Iwata Asks Super Mario Bros 25th Anniversary Us wii com Archived from the original on 2010 10 09 Retrieved 2011 03 23 a b c d e f g h i Game Genres Shmups date December 2018 bot InternetArchiveBot fix attempted yes Professor Jim Whitehead January 29 2007 Accessed June 17 2008 Glass John 2014 Ray Linda ed Things To Do At Disneyland 2014 The Ultimate Unauthorized Adventure Guide Alternative Travel Press p 113 Retrieved 2018 12 15 ジャンプバグ レトロゲームしま専科 Archived from the original on 2008 02 11 Retrieved 2008 06 18 Gainesville Sun Google News Archive Search news google com How Nintendo Made The NES And Why They Gave It A Gun Kotaku October 16 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 10 16 7 things I learned from the designer of the NES The Verge October 18 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 10 19 Kent Steven L 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Roseville California Prima Publishing pp 279 285 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 The Nintendo Threat Computer Gaming World June 1988 p 50 Kent Steven L 2001 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World First ed Roseville California Prima Publishing p 347 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Takiff Jonathan June 20 1986 Video Games Gain In Japan Are Due For Assault On U S The Vindicator p 2 Retrieved 2012 04 10 via Google News Archive Keiser Gregg June 1998 One Million Sold in One Day News amp Notes Compute New York City COMPUTE Publications 10 7 ISSN 0194 357X Retrieved 2013 11 10 Freitag Michael June 8 1989 Talking Deals How Nintendo Can Help A T amp T International New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2015 02 07 Nintendo Corporate Information Company History Nintendo com Retrieved 2015 11 02 Liedholm Marcus Liedholm Mattias A new era 1990 97 Nintendo Land Archived from the original on 2009 07 28 Retrieved 2006 02 12 Koelsch Frank 1995 The Infomedia Revolution How it is Changing Our World and Your Life McGraw Hill Ryerson p 87 ISBN 0075518473 Kent Steven L 2001 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World First ed Roseville California Prima Publishing p 280 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Keizer Gregg July 1989 Editorial License Compute p 4 Retrieved 2013 11 11 McGill Douglas C December 4 1988 Nintendo Scores Big New York Times Retrieved 2010 07 01 Smart Bomb Inside the Video Game Industry Talk of the Nation November 14 2005 National Public Radio Kent Steven L 2001 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond The Story That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World First ed Roseville California Prima Publishing pp 306 307 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Kohler 2005 p 57 Kent Steven L 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Roseville California Prima Publishing p 353 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Kent Steven L 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Roseville California Prima Publishing p 357 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Turner Benjamin Christian Nutt July 18 2003 8 Bit Memories 1988 1994 GameSpy com p 20 Archived from the original on 2009 05 20 Retrieved 2010 06 30 Kent Steven L 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Roseville California Prima Publishing p 358 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Kohler 2005 p 95 Kohler 2005 p 222 Toy Trends Orange Coast Emmis Communications vol 14 no 12 p 88 December 1988 ISSN 0279 0483 retrieved 2011 04 26 Takiff Jonathan June 20 1986 Video Games Gain in Japan Are Due For Assault on U S The Vindicator p 2 Retrieved 2012 04 10 a b c John Szczepaniak Retro Japanese Computers Gaming s Final Frontier Retro Japanese Computers Hardcore Gaming 101 Retrieved 2011 03 29 Reprinted from Retro Gamer 2009 Maher Jimmy June 25 2014 Of Wizards and Bards The Digital Antiquarian Retrieved 2014 07 11 Adams Roe R November 1990 Westward Ho Toward Japan That Is An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines Computer Gaming World no 76 pp 83 84 a b Jeremy Parish 2012 What Happened to the Action RPG 1UP Retrieved 2015 01 14 John Szczepaniak 2015 The Untold History Of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2 pages 38 49 ISBN 978 1 5186553 1 9 Selected Contents John Szczepaniak 2015 The Untold History Of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2 page 38 ISBN 978 1 5186553 1 9 Selected Contents Kalata Kurt Dragon Slayer Hardcore Gaming 101 Archived from the original on 2011 07 23 Aruru San July 14 2022 Hydlide Game Giant Bomb Retrieved 2023 06 24 1982 1987 The Birth of Japanese RPGs re told in 15 Games Gamasutra IGN India discusses game design Combat in open world games November 2 2015 John Szczepaniak War of the Dead Hardcore Gaming 101 15 January 2011 Peckham Matt November 15 2012 ALL TIME 100 Video Games TIME Archived from the original on 2014 03 30 Retrieved 2014 08 12 Mc Shea Tom December 21 2011 The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary A Look Back GameSpot Retrieved 2014 08 12 How The Legend of Zelda Changed Video Games Archived from the original on 2019 04 10 Retrieved 2018 03 25 Dru Hill The Chronicle of Druaga 1UP Archived from the original on 2005 01 19 Retrieved 2018 03 25 Herzog Zwei Archived 2012 03 09 at the Wayback Machine GameSpy Are Real Time Strategy Games At Their Peak GameSpy May 9 2001 Archived from the original on 2017 07 29 Retrieved 2014 12 14 Zzap Issue 68 December 1990 p 45 Amiga Reviews Battlemaster Archived from the original on 2006 02 11 Retrieved 2006 12 17 Ryan Geddes Daemon Hatfield December 10 2007 IGN s Top 10 Most Influential Games IGN Archived from the original on 2012 02 14 Retrieved 2009 04 14 The History of Street Fighter GameSpot Archived from the original on 2009 02 04 Retrieved 2008 10 11 IGN Presents the History of SEGA April 21 2009 Retrieved 2018 03 25 Extentofthejam com Extentofthejam com May 3 2013 Retrieved 2018 01 08 The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki Part 1 Archived from the original on 2013 11 13 Retrieved 2018 01 08 The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki Part 1 Archive is Archived from the original on 2013 11 13 Retrieved 2018 01 08 Buchanan Levi Space Harrier Retrospective Archived 2011 07 13 at the Wayback Machine IGN September 5 2008 Accessed February 17 2009 a b Maragos Nich Space Harrier PS2 1UP com January 1 2000 Accessed February 17 2009 a b Ashcraft 2008 p 76 Kasavin Greg Gradius Collection Review GameSpot June 7 2006 Accessed February 12 2009 Fahs Travis Fantasy Zone Retrospective Archived 2011 07 13 at the Wayback Machine IGN October 1 2008 Accessed February 13 2009 Kalata Kurt Fantasy Zone Archived 2010 01 16 at the Wayback Machine Hardcore Gaming 101 Accessed February 02 2010 Kalata Kurt Greene Robert Hydlide Hardcore Gaming 101 a b c Gifford Kevin The Essential 50 Part 20 Dragon Warrior 1UP com Archived from the original on 2013 01 02 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Cassidy William The GameSpy Hall of Fame Dragon Warrior GameSpy Archived from the original on 2004 06 16 Retrieved 2005 05 29 Jeremy Parish October 27 2005 Solid Gold The Best of NES 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 10 19 Retrieved 2011 05 18 Nintendo Power volume 221 Future US 2007 pp 78 80 At the time I first made Dragon Quest computer and video game RPGs were still very much in the realm of hardcore fans and not very accessible to other players So I decided to create a system that was easy to understand and emotionally involving and then placed my story within that framework Goro Gotemba amp Yoshiyuki Iwamoto 2006 Japan on the upswing why the bubble burst and Japan s economic renewal Algora Publishing p 201 ISBN 0 87586 462 7 Retrieved 2011 05 06 a b Vestal 1998 Dragon Quest 15 Most Influential Games GameSpot 2005 Archived from the original on 2009 06 10 Retrieved 2009 09 01 Bailey Kat February 2010 The Uncanny Valley of Love The challenges and rewards of crafting a video game romance 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 09 06 Retrieved 2011 09 12 Parish Jeremy December 12 2006 Why the tiniest Dragon Quest is the biggest deal 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 10 19 Retrieved 2010 10 06 a b Bielby Matt The YS Complete Guide To Shoot em ups Part II Your Sinclair August 1990 issue 56 p 19 Segre Nicole Commando Sinclair User February 1986 issue 47 John Szczepaniak Retro Japanese Computers p 4 a b John Szczepaniak Retro Japanese Computers p 3 a b リリース プロジェクトEGGから3月25日に ウィバーン 発売 4Gamer net Retrieved 2011 03 05 Translation Christian Nutt September 12 2014 Stalled engine The TurboGrafx 16 turns 25 Gamasutra Video Game Trader Magazine March 16 2009 Video Game Trader 3 March 2008 Videogametrader com Archived from the original on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2011 07 05 a b c Buchanan Levi Top 10 Classic Shoot Em Ups Archived 2012 02 16 at the Wayback Machine IGN April 8 2008 May 26 2009 Todd Brett R Type Dimensions Review GameSpot February 7 2009 Accessed February 13 2009 Navarro ALex Raiden Review Archived 2011 09 20 at the Wayback Machine GameSpot November 17 2004 Accessed February 13 2009 Buchanan Levi Raiden Archived 2009 07 24 at the Wayback Machine IGN February 17 2004 Accessed February 13 2009 3 D WorldRunner AllGame Archived from the original on 2014 01 01 JJ Tobidase Daisakusen Part II Japanese AllGame Archived from the original on 2014 01 01 Space Harrier 3 D AllGame Archived from the original on 2014 01 01 a b c Kurt Kalata Christopher J Snelgrove August 8 2010 Megami Tensei Hardcore Gaming 101 Retrieved 2011 03 06 a b c d e f Time Machine Phantasy Star ComputerAndVideoGames com January 2 2011 Retrieved 2011 05 15 John McCarroll August 20 2002 RPGFan Previews Phantasy Star Collection RPGFan Archived from the original on 2013 03 23 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Kalata Kurt Miracle Warriors Seal of the Dark Lord Haja no fuuin Hardcore Gaming 101 Archived from the original on 2011 05 04 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Adams Roe R November 1990 Westward Ho Toward Japan That Is An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines Computer Gaming World no 76 pp 83 84 83 Action adventures were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting such as Castlevania Trojan and Wizards amp Warriors Travis Fahs August 27 2010 IGN Presents the History of Zelda Retro Feature at IGN Uk retro ign com Retrieved 2011 01 25 Most prolific action adventure video game series Guinness World Records January 1 2007 Retrieved 2012 04 17 Japanese Secrets chrismcovell com Retrieved 2017 01 09 a b Kasavin Greg The Greatest Games of All Time Phantasy Star II Features at GameSpot GameSpot Archived from the original on 2005 07 18 Retrieved 2010 09 13 Bert Max GOTW Sweet Home GameSpy Archived from the original on 2010 03 11 Retrieved 2009 08 28 Harrison Thomas Nowlin 2006 The Sweet Home of Resident Evil Kalata Kurt Tengai Makyou Ziria Hardcore Gaming 101 Retrieved 2011 09 07 PSM3 UK March 16 2010 Are JRPGs dead GamesRadar Retrieved 2010 09 05 Barton 2008 p 228 Neal Hallford amp Jana Hallford 2001 Swords amp circuitry a designer s guide to computer role playing games Cengage Learning p xxiv ISBN 0 7615 3299 4 retrieved 2011 05 16 Adams Roe R November 1990 Westward Ho Toward Japan That Is An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines Computer Gaming World no 76 pp 83 84 84 Last year also saw the coattail effect of traditional bestselling CRPGs being ported over onto dedicated game machines as the new market of machines blossomed into money trees Games like Ultima Shadowgate and Defender of the Crown appeared to mixed reviews These stalwarts of computer fame were not perceived by many of the players to be as exciting as the Japanese imports Kaiser Rowan February 16 2012 East Is West How Two Classic RPGs Prove the Stereotypes False Joystiq Archived from the original on 2015 01 28 Retrieved 2012 02 19 Barton Matt April 11 2007 The History of Computer Role Playing Games Part III The Platinum and Modern Ages 1994 2004 Gamasutra p 12 Retrieved 2010 09 05 a b Vestal 1998 Dragon Quest IV Harris 2009 p 8 Kalata Kurt February 4 2008 The History of Dragon Quest Gamasutra p 5 Retrieved 2011 07 14 Final Fantasy III Na square enix com Archived from the original on 2008 06 25 Retrieved 2010 09 13 Square Enix Co ed 1999 Final Fantasy Anthology North American instruction manual Square Enix Co pp 17 18 SLUS 00879GH Harris 2009 p 14 Kalata Kurt March 19 2008 A Japanese RPG Primer The Essential 20 Gamasutra p 8 Archived from the original on 2014 11 11 Retrieved 2014 03 14 Vestal 1998 Crystalis Console vs Handheld Crystalis 1up com Archived from the original on 2013 01 01 Retrieved 2007 10 23 Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom Review IGN April 25 2008 Bahamut Reviews Final Fantasy II RPGFan Archived from the original on 2006 03 29 Retrieved 2006 03 06 Kasavin Greg December 12 2005 Final Fantasy IV Advance Review GameSpot Archived from the original on 2011 06 28 Retrieved 2006 09 10 Final Fantasy Retrospective Part XIII GameTrailers November 2 2007 Retrieved 2009 03 30 a b Andrew Vestal The History of Final Fantasy Final Fantasy IV Gamespot Archived from the original on 2010 05 13 Retrieved 2008 12 31 Loguidice amp Barton 2009 p 82 Kent Steven L 2001 The Ultimate History of Video Games The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Roseville California Prima Publishing pp 413 414 ISBN 0 7615 3643 4 Why Super Nintendo Is the Reason You re Still Playing Video Games Rolling Stone Retrieved 2017 06 26 Consolidated Sales Transition by Region PDF Nintendo January 27 2010 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 02 24 Retrieved 2011 09 29 Allen Danny December 22 2006 A Brief History of Game Consoles as Seen in Old TV Ads PC World Archived from the original on 2008 05 08 Retrieved 2007 07 15 Jeremy Parish September 6 2005 PS1 10th Anniversary retrospective 1UP com Archived from the original on 2007 09 27 Retrieved 2007 05 27 Shanna Compton 2004 Gamers writers artists amp programmers on the pleasures of pixels Soft Skull Press p 119 ISBN 1 932360 57 3 a b c Spencer Spanner The Tao of Beat em ups part 2 EuroGamer 12 February 2008 Retrieved 8 March 2009 June Laura January 16 2013 For Amusement Only the life and death of the American arcade The Verge Retrieved 2018 01 08 Jay Carter July 1993 Insert Coin Here Getting a Fighting Chance Electronic Games Retrieved 2014 12 16 a b c Ashcraft 2008 p 77 Davison Pete June 8 2013 Curtains for You The History of Bullet Hell Archived from the original on 2018 10 09 Retrieved 2019 12 04 Bullet hell Glitchwave video games database glitchwave com Archived from the original on 2022 05 25 Ashcraft 2008 p 78 80 Ashcraft 2008 pp 77 78 Magrino Tom Contra conquering DS Archived 2011 09 19 at the Wayback Machine GameSpot June 20 2007 Accessed February 17 2009 Staff Contra Q amp A Archived 2011 09 20 at the Wayback Machine GameSpot October 1 2002 Accessed February 17 2009 Bozon Mark Metal Slug Anthology Review Archived 2009 02 14 at the Wayback Machine IGN December 20 2006 Accessed February 17 2009 Goldstein Hilary Panzer Dragoon Orta Archived 2009 03 07 at the Wayback Machine IGN January 10 2003 July 17 2008 Brudwig Erik Rez HD is Coming Archived 2011 07 13 at the Wayback Machine IGN January 22 2008 Accessed February 17 2009 Kalata Kurt The History of Dragon Quest Features Gamasutra Retrieved 2011 02 22 Kurt Kalata 2007 Dragon Quest V Retrieved 2008 01 29 Glasser AJ February 9 2009 Knocked Up A Look At Pregnancy In Video Games Kotaku Retrieved 2011 05 15 Gaming s most important evolutions GamesRadar October 10 2010 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Sullivan Meghan October 11 2005 Romancing SaGa Review IGN Retrieved 2011 05 15 Gann Patrick February 6 2010 RPGFan Reviews Glory of Heracles RPGFan Archived from the original on 2018 12 06 Retrieved 2011 05 15 darkfact January 10 2005 HonestGamers Dragon Knight II review HonestGamers Retrieved 2011 05 15 Skid December 1993 Lunar The Silver Star Archived from the original on 2005 01 26 Retrieved 2011 05 16 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Sanachan RPGFan Reviews Lunar The Silver Star RPGFan Archived from the original on 2018 12 06 Retrieved 2011 05 15 RPGFan Reviews Lunar Silver Star Story Complete RPGFan Archived from the original on 2012 10 06 Retrieved 2011 05 15 jaraph The 7th Saga Review RPGamer Archived from the original on 2012 03 28 Retrieved 2011 05 15 a b Yazarc420 RPGFan Reviews Romancing SaGa 3 RPGFan Archived from the original on 2011 07 15 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Virtua Racing Arcade 1992 15 Most Influential Games of All Time GameSpot March 14 2001 Archived from the original on 2011 12 13 Retrieved 2014 01 19 Virtua Cop Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine IGN 7 July 2004 Retrieved 7 February 2009 Parish Jeremy Frank Cifaldi Kevin Gifford December 2003 Classics Column 1 Desperately Seeking Seiken 1UP com Ziff Davis Archived from the original on 2012 08 25 Retrieved 2007 07 26 a b Dutton Fred December 17 2010 Secret of Mana hits App Store this month Eurogamer Retrieved 2011 05 15 Grand Rabite RPGFan Reviews Secret of Mana RPGFan Archived from the original on 2013 11 01 Retrieved 2011 05 15 a b Secret of Mana for iPhone iPod touch and iPad on the iTunes App Store Apple com a b Mackenzie Gavin December 14 2010 Dungeon Siege III Developer Interview NowGamer Archived from the original on 2011 01 02 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Karge Anthony May 27 2005 Secret of Mana SNES review at Thunderbolt Games Thunderbolt Games Archived from the original on 2013 07 29 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Barton 2008 p 220 IGN staff February 18 1997 Square The Final Frontier IGN Retrieved 2008 12 13 Romancing SaGa 2 doesn t get enough credit for helping shape modern JRPGs PCGamesN January 29 2018 Square Co Ltd October 11 1994 Final Fantasy III Super Nintendo Entertainment System Square Soft Inc NPC in Jidoor You like art No Philistines Top 100 RPGs of All Time IGN com via www ign com Final Fantasy III Nintendo Power 65 page 27 October 1994 Scary Larry November 1994 Final Fantasy III GamePro Vol 64 no 11 IDG Communications pp 192 194 Now Playing Nintendo Power 65 page 103 October 1994 A love letter to Final Fantasy VI Reader s Feature October 26 2014 a b c Lada Jenni February 1 2008 Important Importables Best SNES role playing games Gamer Tell Archived from the original on 2012 07 30 Retrieved 2009 09 11 Kaiser Joe July 8 2005 Unsung Inventors Next Gen biz Archived from the original on 2005 10 28 Retrieved 2010 04 02 Ciolek Todd March 16 2015 The History of From Software ign com Retrieved 2018 04 07 a b Mielke James October 5 2016 Dark Souls Creator Miyazaki on Zelda Sequels and Starting Out Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 2016 10 05 Retrieved 2018 07 03 a b Ciolek Todd March 16 2015 The History of FromSoftware IGN Archived from the original on 2015 03 18 Retrieved 2018 07 03 ゲーム戦線超異状 任天堂VSソニー in Japanese Life Inc 1996 pp 77 90 ISBN 4 7973 2010 9 なぜいまマゾゲーなの ゲーマーの間で評判の 即死ゲー Demon s Souls デモンズソウル 開発者インタビュー in Japanese 4Gamer net March 19 2009 Archived from the original on 2009 03 22 Retrieved 2018 07 03 Cunningham Michael Final Fantasy VIII Staff Retroview RPGamer Archived from the original on 2011 07 15 Retrieved 2011 05 15 Sakura Wars So Long My Love Interview RPGamer 2010 Archived from the original on 2012 05 11 Retrieved 2011 03 30 Jeremy Parish May 8 2009 Sakura Wars Comes to America But is it Too Late to Matter 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 07 18 Retrieved 2011 05 18 Justin Speer Cliff O Neill The History of Resident Evil GameSpot Archived from the original on 2008 09 06 Retrieved 2009 04 17 Enter The Survival Horror A Resident Evil Retrospective Game Informer 174 October 2007 132 133 Top 11 Survival Horror Games Sweet Home UGO Networks May 21 2008 Archived from the original on 2008 06 08 Retrieved 2009 04 17 Tokyo Game Show Expo nikkeibp co jp Retrieved 2010 10 14 TOKYO GAME SHOW 2001 AUTUMN Cesa or jp October 12 2001 Archived from the original on 2010 10 08 Retrieved 2010 10 14 東京ゲームショウ2016結果速報 PDF Tokyo Game Show September 18 2016 Retrieved 2018 09 20 東京ゲームショウ2016開幕直前情報 PDF Tokyo Game Show September 7 2016 Retrieved 2018 09 20 FM Towns Marty FM Towns Marty 2 Console Information Consoledatabase com Archived from the original on 2005 05 07 Retrieved 2009 08 17 Wolf Mark J P 2012 Encyclopedia of Video Games The Culture Technology and Art of Gaming Volumen 1 ABC CLIO p 296 ISBN 978 0313379369 Retrieved 2018 12 04 News Virtua Fighter 3 Computer and Video Games 174 10 1 May 1996 THG RU January 1 2000 Second Hand Smoke One up two down THG RU Retrieved 2018 01 08 a b c d The Essential 50 Part 38 Final Fantasy VII from 1UP com 1UP com Archived from the original on 2012 07 21 Retrieved 2011 05 15 a b c Loguidice amp Barton 2009 p 84 Loguidice amp Barton 2009 p 77 a b Loguidice amp Barton 2009 p 78 Loguidice amp Barton 2009 p 86 Boyer Brandon Cifaldi Frank November 3 2006 The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards Storytelling Gamasutra Retrieved 2011 05 15 ランダム アクセス メモ Oh FM 7 August 4 2001 p 4 Archived from the original on 2012 03 22 Retrieved 2011 09 19 Translation Dark Age of JRPGs 1 The Dragon amp Princess 1982 blog hardcoregaming101 net Retrieved 2018 03 25 Pepe Felipe October 10 2016 1982 1987 The Birth of Japanese RPGs re told in 15 Games Gamasutra UBM Techweb Retrieved 2016 11 26 Bokosuka Wars GameSpot Bokosuka Wars Virtual Console Nintendo Retrieved 2011 05 16 translation VC ボコスカウォーズ www nintendo co jp Retrieved 2018 03 25 Game Design Essentials 20 RPGs Retrieved 2018 03 25 Buchanan Levi Fond Memories Radiant Silvergun Archived 2011 07 13 at the Wayback Machine IGN April 7 2008 Accessed February 13 2009 McCarthy Dave The Best Games That Never Came out in Britain Archived 2009 01 30 at the Wayback Machine IGN January 26 2009 Accessed February 13 2009 a b Staff Top 10 Tuesday 2D Space Shooters Archived 2009 09 03 at the Wayback Machine IGN March 6 2007 Accessed February 13 2009 Most prolific fan made shooter series Guinness World Records Archived from the original on 2013 04 24 Retrieved 2011 09 24 a b Ashcraft 2008 p 88 Gouskos Carrie Geometry Wars Retro Evolved Review Archived 2009 01 30 at the Wayback Machine GameSpot November 23 2005 Accessed February 13 2009 State of the Shoot eEm Up Edge Magazine Next gen biz November 17 2008 Retrieved 2011 09 06 a b c Cieslak Marc November 4 2010 Is the Japanese gaming industry in crisis BBC Retrieved 2010 11 06 a b c Market Data Capcom Investor Relations October 14 2011 Retrieved 2012 04 14 Nintendo defies recession with record profits The Sydney Morning Herald May 7 2009 Retrieved 2018 09 09 Harris Craig September 20 2004 Official Nintendo DS Launch Details IGN Retrieved 2018 09 09 2009 Annual Financial Report Financial Section PDF Report Nintendo 2009 p 17 Retrieved 2015 09 03 Nicks Denver January 17 2014 Nintendo Chief We Failed Time ISSN 0040 781X Archived from the original on 2019 12 14 Retrieved 2019 03 01 Luckerson Victor May 7 2015 Why Nintendo is Suddenly Profitable Again Time Retrieved 2019 03 01 Dark Souls 3 confirmed coming early 2016 Polygon June 15 2015 Retrieved 2015 10 02 May 8 2014 Financial Highlights for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2014 NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc Elden Ring shipments and digital sales top 16 6 million Gematsu August 18 2022 Retrieved 2022 08 18 den Ouden Adriaan RPG of the Year RPGamer Archived from the original on 2010 04 01 Retrieved 2010 03 26 Marchello Sam Best Graphics RPGamer Archived from the original on 2010 04 10 Retrieved 2010 03 26 Staples Ken Best PS3 RPGamer Archived from the original on 2010 04 06 Retrieved 2010 03 26 Community Choice Game of the Year Game Revolution December 23 2011 Archived from the original on 2013 04 02 Retrieved 2011 12 31 Polygon Staff November 27 2017 The 500 Best Video Games of All Time Polygon com Retrieved 2017 12 01 The Top 300 Games of All Time Game Informer No 300 April 2018 Edge Presents The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time Edge August 2017 Why do Japanese developers keep us waiting The Japan Times Retrieved 2011 10 09 a b Square Enix eyes further acquisitions Financial Times Retrieved 2012 01 21 Johnson Gerry Whittington Richard Scholes Kevan Angwin Duncan Regner Patrick 2014 Exploring Strategy 10th Ed Pearson Education 2014 Organization Pearson Education p 357 Retrieved 2018 12 15 permanent dead link Kent Steven April 28 2004 Video games that get lost in translation NBC News Retrieved 2014 06 19 Robson Daniel June 29 2011 Local heroes take Japanese video games to the world The Japan Times Retrieved 2014 06 19 Ashcraft Brian August 3 2011 Top game designers going social The Japan Times Retrieved 2014 06 19 Ashcraft Brian May 2 2012 Japan s gamers are starting to shoot em up The Japan Times Retrieved 2014 06 19 Ashcraft Brian September 5 2012 Gunslinging the Japanese way Japan Times Retrieved 2014 06 19 Yin Poole Wesley November 17 2013 Why Xbox failed in Japan Eurogamer Retrieved 2018 09 18 Inafune Japanese game industry is not fine Destructoid April 4 2013 Retrieved 2013 07 28 Johnson Stephen August 9 2010 Itagaki japanese game industry dying G4tv Retrieved 2013 07 28 Robinson Martin October 10 2012 The truth about Japan a postcard from the Japanese games industry Eurogamer Retrieved 2013 07 28 Sambe Yukiharu 2009 Japan s Arcade Games and Their Technology In Natkin Stephane Dupire Jerome eds Entertainment Computing ICEC 2009 8th International Conference Paris France September 3 5 2009 Proceedings Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol 5709 Springer p 338 doi 10 1007 978 3 642 04052 8 62 Carless Simon May 2 2005 Namco Bandai To Merge Gamasutra Retrieved 2012 03 13 Video Games Daily Yu Suzuki The Kikizo Interview Page 2 archive videogamesdaily com Retrieved 2015 06 28 https www segasammy co jp english ir library pdf printing annual 2008 e 2008 annual pdf Archived 2012 10 21 at the Wayback Machine Page 16 The domestic market has continued to expand for five years and has set new records for three consecutive years a b c Fenlon Wes April 10 2017 How Japan learned to love PC gaming again Pc Gamer Recettear An Item Shop s Tale Steam Spy Retrieved 2017 10 12 PC games revenue to hit 42 billion in 2020 DFC GamesIndustry biz August 2 2016 Retrieved 2016 08 02 The surprising explosion of RPG Maker on Steam PC Gamer April 12 2017 Negishi Mayumi December 11 2013 Japan Tops World In Mobile Apps Revenue Wsj com Retrieved 2015 04 16 Johnson Erik July 30 2014 Japanese console market down as mobile gaming takes over Games industry news MCV Mcvuk com Retrieved 2015 04 16 Russell Danny Interview Takenobu Mitsuyoshi TSSZ News Archived from the original on 2013 03 31 Retrieved 2015 06 28 PlayStation Boss One In 20 PS4 Buyers Also Bought PSVR UploadVR June 5 2019 Retrieved 2020 07 18 Bol Mike June 10 2019 Data Point of the Week 5 Million PSVRs AR Insider Retrieved 2020 07 18 a b Radd David Nintendo s Project Cafe Will Gamers Feel The Buzz Business Insider Retrieved 2011 06 11 Brightman James May 26 2011 PlayStation 4 in the Works Sony Confirms IndustryGamers com Eurogamer Network Ltd Archived from the original on 2011 05 28 Ewalt David M PlayStation Chief Jack Tretton How To Sell Vita Navigate Clouds and Debut The PS4 Forbes Interview with Jack Tretton president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America Yin Poole Wesley January 27 2012 Nintendo market is now waiting for new home consoles Eurogamer Retrieved 2012 01 27 Sherr Ian Wakabayashi Daisuke May 30 2012 Sony Rejects Web Based PlayStation Console The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on 2020 03 14 Retrieved 2012 05 31 Ashcraft Brian September 13 2012 Wii U Goes On Sale In Japan On December 8 Kotaku Retrieved 2012 09 15 Gorman Michael June 12 2013 AMD s Saeid Moshkelani on building custom silicon for PlayStation 4 and Wii U Engadget AMD won the next gen console war and PC gamers could reap the reward The Verge June 21 2013 Parfitt Ben Play com predicts Wii U dominance this Christmas MCV UK Retrieved 2013 12 12 Haywald Justin Wii U sales in Japan surpass PS3 Vita and Xbox 360 this week GameSpot Retrieved 2013 12 19 Cook Dave December 18 2013 Japanese game charts Puzzles amp Dragons Z tops software Wii U sales up VG247 Retrieved 2013 12 19 Consolidated Sales Transition by Region PDF Nintendo July 30 2013 Archived from the original PDF on 2013 08 10 Retrieved 2013 07 31 Whitehead Thomas February 26 2014 Wii U Lifetime Sales in Japan Overtake the Xbox 360 Nintendo Life Retrieved 2014 05 17 Basic Wii U to be discontinued in Japan IGN Wesley Copeland May 21 2015 Retrieved 2015 05 22 Dent Steve Nintendo kills off the basic Wii U in Japan Engadget Retrieved 2015 05 22 Osborn Alex November 11 2016 Nintendo Officially Announces Wii U Production is Ending IGN Retrieved 2016 11 11 Sarkar Samit February 21 2014 Sony launches PS4 in Japan polygon com archived from the original on 2015 09 24 retrieved 2015 09 22 Vincent James September 15 2015 Sony announces PS4 price drop in Japan theverge com Archived from the original on 2017 02 21 Retrieved 2017 07 28 Barker Sammy September 16 2015 TGS 2015 PS4 s Price Drop Extends to Asia As Well pushsquare com Archived from the original on 2015 09 19 Retrieved 2015 07 28 2014 02 25 プレイステーション4が発売2日間で32万2083台を販売 Archived July 26 2017 at the Wayback Machine Famitsu Romano Sal April 16 2014 PlayStation 4 sales top 7 million worldwide gematsu com Archived from the original on 2014 04 21 Retrieved 2014 04 27 Sony tops game consoles for 1st time in 8 years Nikkei Asian Review June 7 2014 Archived from the original on 2015 12 10 Retrieved 2015 12 08 a b c d 2017 The Year Japanese RPGs Caught Up To Western RPGs GameRevolution March 27 2017 Retrieved 2018 03 25 a b The JRPG is Doing Just Fine Thanks USgamer net December 21 2016 Archived from the original on 2017 10 13 Retrieved 2018 03 25 a b Did 2016 truly hold up as a comeback year for the JRPG genre December 27 2016 Retrieved 2018 03 25 a b c d e How Japanese video games made a comeback in 2017 June 30 2017 Retrieved 2018 03 25 Yakuza Nioh and the New Japan Renaissance PC amp Tech Authority Archived from the original on 2017 10 26 Retrieved 2018 02 19 Carter Chris January 31 2017 Wii U production is dead in Japan long live the Wii U Destructoid Archived from the original on 2017 02 02 Retrieved 2017 01 31 Ashcraft Brian January 31 2017 Wii U Production Has Officially Ended For Japan Update Kotaku Archived from the original on 2017 01 31 Retrieved 2017 01 31 Wingfield Nick November 24 2012 Nintendo s Wii U Takes Aim at a Changed Video Game World The New York Times Retrieved 2018 11 21 Wingfield Nick January 18 2014 Resisting Mobile Hurts Nintendo s Bottom Line New York Times Archived from the original on 2017 07 28 Retrieved 2016 12 09 Thomas Lucas M September 13 2011 Nintendo Smartphones Iwata Says Absolutely Not IGN Ziff Davis Archived from the original on 2017 07 30 Retrieved 2015 09 03 a b Nakamura Yuji Amano Takashi October 28 2016 Nintendo s Big Switch Q amp A With President Tatsumi Kimishima Bloomberg Archived from the original on 2016 12 20 Retrieved 2016 12 09 Peckham Matt March 18 2015 Exclusive Nintendo CEO Reveals Plans for Smartphones Time Time Inc Archived from the original on 2015 04 23 Retrieved 2015 07 13 Makuch Eddie March 18 2015 Players More Important Than Money Nintendo Pres Says About Smartphone Deal GameSpot CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 2017 07 29 Retrieved 2015 07 21 Choudhury Saheli Roy January 13 2017 Nintendo Switch to launch globally on March 3 to cost 300 in the US CNBC Archived from the original on 2017 01 14 Retrieved 2017 01 13 a b Hester Blake December 26 2017 How the Polarization Of Video Games Spurred the Creation of the Switch Glixel Archived from the original on 2017 12 26 Retrieved 2017 12 26 Peckham Matt February 6 2017 The 8 Most Interesting Things Nintendo Told Us About Switch Time Archived from the original on 2017 02 06 Retrieved 2017 02 06 Peckham Matt February 7 2017 19 Things Nintendo s President Told Us About Switch and More Time Archived from the original on 2017 02 07 Retrieved 2017 02 07 Grubb Jeff March 6 2017 Nintendo sells 313 700 Switch consoles in Japan over launch weekend Venture Beat Archived from the original on 2017 03 07 Retrieved 2017 03 06 Frank Allegra March 7 2017 Nintendo Switch launch sales are good news but not great news yet Polygon Vox Media Archived from the original on 2017 03 08 Retrieved 2017 03 09 Handrahan Matthew March 30 2017 Nintendo Switch reaches 500 000 sales in Japan GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on 2017 03 30 Retrieved 2017 03 30 Kerr Chris July 4 2017 Japanese console market grows for the first time in three years Gamasutra Archived from the original on 2017 07 08 Retrieved 2017 07 04 Miucin Filip December 28 2017 Nintendo Switch Sets New Sales Milestone IGN Archived from the original on 2017 12 28 Retrieved 2017 12 28 Vincent Brittany December 28 2017 The Switch has officially sold more than the PlayStation 2 in its first year Dot Esports Archived from the original on 2020 03 14 Retrieved 2018 08 15 Good Owen January 6 2018 Nintendo Switch eclipses Wii U lifetime sales in Japan Polygon Archived from the original on 2018 01 06 Retrieved 2018 01 06 Ashcroft Brian January 10 2018 For The First Time In 11 Years The Japanese Console Game Market Has Grown Kotaku Archived from the original on 2018 01 10 Retrieved 2018 01 10 Craddock Ryan May 15 2019 Nintendo Switch Overtakes PS4 s Lifetime Sales In Japan Nintendo Life Retrieved 2019 05 18 Awards The Game Awards Archived from the original on 2018 02 26 Retrieved 2017 12 16 Nioh Complete Edition Coming to PC IGN October 2 2017 via www ign com Handrahan Matthew January 31 2018 Nintendo s revenue rockets as Switch nears 15m sold GamesIndustry biz Retrieved 2018 01 31 Schreier Jason December 25 2017 The Year In JRPGs 2017 Kotaku Monster Hunter World Sales Reach At Least 10 Million PlayStation LifeStyle August 14 2018 Kerr Chris March 5 2018 Monster Hunter World is now the best selling title in Capcom history Gamasutra Retrieved 2018 03 05 Kent Emma August 3 2018 Octopath Traveler sells 1m copies worldwide Eurogamer Retrieved 2018 08 03 Rubin Peter April 16 2019 Exclusive What to Expect From Sony s Next Gen PlayStation Wired Retrieved 2019 04 16 次世代コンソールゲーム機 プレイステーション 5 に名称決定 Next generation game console named PlayStation 5 press release in Japanese Sony Interactive Entertainment October 8 2019 archived from the original on 2019 10 20 retrieved 2020 09 08 Wales Matt March 20 2020 Sony clarifies overwhelming majority of PS4 games will be backward compatible on PS5 Eurogamer Retrieved 2020 04 08 SourcesBarton Matt 2008 Dungeons amp Desktops The History of Computer Role Playing Games A K Peters Ltd ISBN 978 1 56881 411 7 Retrieved 2010 09 08 Harris John July 2 2009 Game Design Essentials 20 RPGs Gamasutra Loguidice Bill Barton Matt 2009 Vintage Games An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto Super Mario and the Most Influential Games of All Time Focal Press ISBN 978 0 240 81146 8 Vestal Andrew November 2 1998 The History of Console RPGs GameSpot Archived from the original on 2009 08 02 Retrieved 2009 09 10 External links EditSzczepaniak John March 4 2014 History of Japanese computer games Gamasutra Think Services Portals Japan Video games Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Video games in Japan amp oldid 1170012448, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.