by Japan’s PC gaming market has boomed in the past few years. According to game industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games, the country now has 16 million gamers and 4.5 million of them say they play exclusively on PC. That’s up more than 100% from 2015.
Yet when you walk into a Japanese game shop, Valve or Blizzard games aren’t on display.
Market Size
The Japan pc gaming market is one of the fastest-growing markets in the video game industry. This segment accounted for two trillion yen last year (or about 14 billion dollars) and is expected to continue growing faster than other segments. It includes sales of console hardware and software, smartphone games, and PC games. The most popular genres of PC games are action and strategy titles, role-playing games, and sports games.
According to research firm KADOKAWA ASCII, the number of Japanese PC gamers rose from 11 million in 2015 to 16 million in 2021. Of those, 4.5 million play exclusively on the platform. This is an incredible increase of more than 100% from 2.2 million PC-exclusive Japanese gamers in 2015.
In addition to its large user base, the market is also characterized by high profit margins. This is because most gaming revenues come from in-game purchases and subscription fees. The top gaming publishers in Japan are Tencent, Sony, and Apple. Other major publishers include Konami, Square Enix, and Activison.
The rise of the Japan pc gaming market is due to several factors, including increasing popularity of indie games and a growing esports scene. Many of these games are released on multiple platforms, and Japanese companies have begun releasing their own PC versions as well. As a result, there has been a rise in PC gamers from both within and outside Japan.
Market Segmentation
The Japan video gaming market is one of the world’s largest. It includes consoles, mobile phones and PCs. In 2020, it was worth more than 2 trillion yen ($868 million US). The market’s growth has been driven by the popularity of games such as PUBG and Minecraft. In addition, Japanese game developers have made a name for themselves with titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles X and Sword Art Online.
While Japan’s consoles have always been popular, PC gaming has surged in recent years. Its market share has increased from 2% in 2015 to 4.5% in 2021. This growth has been driven by the popularity of games like PUBG and Minecraft, which are available on both consoles and PCs. In addition, the Japan pc gaming market has been boosted by the popularity of online game marketplaces such as Steam and Epic Games Store.
This growth has shocked some experts, who have long considered PC gaming in Japan a niche market. According to Kantan Games analyst Dr Serkan Toto, the increase in PC gaming in Japan is a result of a storm of separate factors, each contributing to the overall result. These include the COVID-19 pandemic, limited availability of PS5 consoles, a rise in popularity for foreign and indie games that are available on PC cheaply, and improved quality of local PC gaming storefronts such as Steam’s Japanese version.
Market Trends
For decades, PC gaming was a niche interest in Japan. Once consoles and smartphones took hold, PC gaming lost momentum in the country. But now, Japanese PC gamers are re-discovering the platform thanks to games like PUBG and Fortnite. In fact, the market’s value has doubled over the past three years.
A new report from KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories reveals that the total value of the PC gaming market in Japan last year was around 2 trillion yen ($13.0 billion). And although it was still dwarfed by consoles and mobile gaming, the number of Japanese PC gamers is rapidly growing. The company identifies 16 million PC gamers in 2021, an increase of 45% over 2015. And of those, 4.5 million play exclusively on the platform.
Gamers are also spending more money on games. More than half of paying users spent 1,000 yen ($7) or more per month. This reflects the higher price point of PC gaming in Japan, which allows for more immersive game worlds and experiences.
As a result, there is a greater demand for premium and high-quality games. And while social media and friends remain the most popular sources of game recommendations, younger players are more likely to discover games through app store or online gaming platform rankings and influencer/celebrity trials or live plays.
Market Opportunities
The Japan pc gaming market is a growing market, both in terms of revenue and player count. A recent report by Kantan Games analyst Dr Serkan Toto has highlighted that PC gaming in the country was worth a whopping 131.3 billion yen last year (that’s around $868 million).
Toto says the growth of PC gaming in Japan is due to various factors, including COVID-19 keeping people indoors, the availability of console-like PC hardware, and more Japanese developers making PC-first titles. He adds that the fact that Steam and other online platforms now offer more Japanese-language games is another factor that’s boosting the industry.
It’s important to note that PC gaming in Japan is still a fairly niche hobby. Unlike in the West, where you can pick up a game console or PC at just about any electronics store, you’ll only see them in large computer shops. In addition, the vast majority of gamers in Japan use mobile devices and consoles to play.
Despite this, there are some diehard PC gamers in Japan. These include the folks who make games, such as Keiji Inafune of Dead Rising fame or Naoki Yoshida of Final Fantasy XIV, and staffers at Bayonetta designer Platinum Games. These folks are evangelists for the PC gaming scene and want to see it thrive in their country.
