Three years ago, we reported on some relatively glowing PC gaming numbers in Japan, courtesy of an in-depth analysis from Famitsu. Worldwide, the platform has seen remarkable growth vectors for a long time, bouncing back from a somewhat niche perception in decades past. Yet, Japan’s own figures aren’t necessarily all that they seemed to be.
At first blush, this may seem like a direct contradiction to the things we’ve heard about PC-focused interest in one of the world’s leading game-making nations, but there’s enough nuance in all of this that fans of computer gaming should breathe easily; it’s hardly a sign of a massively transformational tide. Just the same? It’s pretty interesting, and it’s proof that not everywhere on Earth is as enthusiastic about it as the headlines might lead us to believe.
Three Million Down
The latest data comes by way of Famitsu yet again, though you’ll be unsurprisingly hard-pressed to read that article unless you’re fluent in Japanese or rely upon a translation. Luckily enough, the hard-working folks at Automaton have done the job for us.
An estimated 54.7 million people between the ages of 5 and 59 play video games in Japan
42.77 million of those people play games on mobile devices
29.51 million play on consoles
14.52 million play on PC
Now, as Automaton notes, “these figures are not mutually exclusive, as many users play on more than one platform”. But the salient point here is that, since 2015, while the console gaming audience has increased by a few million, and the mobile gaming audience has increased by an astronomical 28 million, PC gaming numbers have dropped by three million.
There was a slight rebound in 2024, but a year prior to 2015, Famitsu had estimated 20.37 million PC players. So, yeah. The trend has been negative. Where does this come from, then, and why do Japanese developers consistently recognize PC’s importance for their titles more so than they once did?
For starters, getting traditionally console-centric games on Steam is important to the international audience, even as it’s not quite so critical in the homeland. Take Square Enix, for example. They’re in the midst of a massive restructuring effort that will push for a far more multiplatform sales strategy. In Japan, much of that work is going to relate to the Switch and Switch 2, as Nintendo’s consoles are dominating the market.
While Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth underperformed at launch, however, PC has been a large part of its gradual shift toward the success it deserves. If that’s happening not because of Japanese consumers, but because of umpteen foreign crowds, who cares, right? Sales are sales.
The meteoric rise of mobile gaming certainly contributes to Japan’s somewhat diminished PC audience. On ResetEra, journalist James Galizio of RPG Site fame (who goes by ‘Theswweet’ on Era)was quick to point out that there’s more to this than meets the eye, regardless of the particulars:
“I’d assume the decline doesn’t tell the full story; you had a lot more browser games that were popular at the time, and I’d assume most of that demographic moved over to mobile as it became more viable. I’ve had several devs talk about how PC gaming can’t really be ignored in Japan these days.”
So, it’s all relative. And, relatively speaking, Japanese publishers are increasingly viewing PC as a pivotal gaming platform. Just look at what China did with their own 2024 blockbuster Black Myth Wukong! I’m still a bit surprised by today’s news, but a country with a gargantuan interest in mobile gaming, not to mention this much Switch 2 launch support, is just “built differently” from the other major markets.
AloJapan.com