Video games are immensely popular in Japan. From arcade classics to mobile games on the go, video games are a staple of Japanese media.
We had the opportunity to visit three gaming companies while in Tokyo.
The first company we visited was iNiS, a new developer known for their musically infused titles such as Gitaroo Man for the PS2 and Elite Beat Agents for Nintendo DS.
Gitaroo Man in Action
These titles are innovative in their genre for featuring music so prominently that it’s a core aspect of each game. Interestingly, Elite Beat Agents is a sequel to a series that had previously attained popularity in Japan.
A poster for the Japanese prequel to Elite Beat Agents
I liked visiting iNiS because most of the people we talked to were close to my age. Their office was very Americanized – casual clothing, laid-back attitude, young staff – yet they still produce great games.
The group at iNiS
Another gaming company we visited was Q? Entertainment. They also make music-based titles including Rez HD and the popular title for Nintendo DS, Lumines.
The Q? Entertainment Building
A video of Lumines
The president of Q? actually sat down and talked with us for a couple hours. He had some really interesting insights on gaming in Japan. He also gave us some insider information about a new game release, but we’re “not allowed to blog about it” 
Finally, we also visited FutureScope, a company that creates and licences games for mobile phones and other mobile devices. They had a pretty swanky new office!
The office lobby of FutureScope
Since mobile phones are more popular and advanced in Japan, mobile gaming has taken off far better here than in the United States. Although some popular titles have been released in the U.S., most mobile games are available only in Japan and/or Korea.
Most mobile games are part of the “casual games” genre – games that are simple, repetitive, and are usually only played for 20 minutes at a time. I think that the popularity of mobile games has increased the buzz around casual games in general, and it’s definitely a factor in the increase of available casual games in Asia and America.
Later on the trip, we’ll also be visiting Square-Enix, one of my favorite game developers. Look for a post about that soon!
3 Comments
I think it is great that you mentioned the casual clothing and laid back attitude at iNis. I also found that to be very interesting, because it seems that the technology companies such as this are moving away from the more traditional style of Japanese company toward the more Western style of business. I think it will be something to keep an eye on in the future to see if other Japanese companies make this change or if this is just something that is true for the game and technology industries!
I really enjoyed the laid back environment of iNis. The people we met were all very down to earth. I remember Elite Beat Agents being one of my most favorite games back in the day. They created a fantastic way to interact with music on the Nintendo DS. I look forward to a sequel in the near future.
I really liked iNis for a couple of different reasons. It seemed like the workplace was pretty laid back and easy to work at. The game Elite Beat Agents was shown to us. I had never seen this game before, but it looked pretty cool in concept. It was similiar to the game Guitar Hero. I will definitley play it when I get some free time.