It looks like each different day I am writing some article about AI carving by means of folks’s livelihoods and studios closing. I say that to not convey desensitisation, however exhaustion—it has been an absolute nose-dive of a few years for AAA video games, to the purpose the place trade figures are having to repeatedly communicate out in opposition to a gradual and cruel deathroll that does not appear to be stopping as a lot as it’s various in tempo.
Except you are a Japanese AAA writer, during which case you are—um, truly doing fairly properly. That is as identified by Japanese analyst Dr. Serkan Toto on his weblog, KantanGames: “The mass layoffs and studio closures in North America and Europe actually haven’t spilled over to Japan, other than remoted exceptions which are a drop within the ocean in comparison with the storm the trade is seeing within the West at present.”
A report shared by Toto exhibits that some studios are literally eager to develop—to the purpose the place their nook of the market’s truly dealing with labour shortages. He additionally notes that many of those giant, heavy-hitting studios are elevating their salaries. For instance, late final yr, FromSoftware raised its beginning wage by 11%.
Actually, although, essentially the most convincing argument he places ahead is that 5 out of eight main Japanese studios introduced all-time share costs in, like, February. Of 2025. There’s been a little bit of a increase, to say the least. Among the many listing are Sony, Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, and Bandai Namco—which, not like the others, hit its excessive this month.
And searching again on it, jeez. They’ve all been kinda killing it, these days. Sony and Nintendo are possibly much less stunning—Sony’s an unlimited tech firm with its personal console, although it must be famous it has been boosted by a heavy-hitting roster of IPs like Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of Conflict. Nintendo is, you already know, Nintendo.
However Konami, Capcom, and Bandai Namco have all been placing out some stable stuff. Bandai Namco’s declare to fame is apparent, with Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree touchdown to vital acclaim, and Nightreign following shut on its heels—its experimental nature and all-star roster of bosses a potent hype machine.
Capcom, in the meantime, simply launched a goddamn Monster Hunter sport, which is a sufficiently big deal in Japan to create waves of sickdays—and we’re slightly having fun with it on this aspect of the pond, too. However even Konami’s been resurfacing from its lengthy midnight of the soul with a surprisingly stable Silent Hill 2 remake, and with Silent Hill f on the way in which, it very properly might have gotten its groove again.
So, what’s Japan doing otherwise? Nicely, it is somewhat more durable to only lay everybody off, for one. Whereas that is not at all times a great factor, with unsettling practices comparable to expulsion rooms, there’s no less than authorized stress for main Japanese studios to maintain institutional expertise on board—which should you ask Larian, is a lesson many main studios have but to be taught.
Toto, although, sums it up as follows: “There are particular macro developments enjoying a serious function right here (political initiatives like company governance reforms in Japan, weak spot of different Asian inventory markets like China, forex results, and so on.), however the 5 aforementioned AAA sport firms have been doing their homework and performing very properly financially over the previous few years.”
Generally the plan actually is to only make good video games and never make dangerous ones. Except you are Hello-Fi Rush creator Tango Gameworks—however they had been a smaller studio, proper? Absolutely should you’re working for Blizzard you are secure—oh, proper, they laid off 1,900 folks throughout Blizzard and Xbox final yr. Possibly should you assist put out a smash hit like Marvel Rivals? No? Ah, damnit.
