Pokémon Pokopia has shattered a popular Japanese headcanon that Slowpoke is a cute, sleepy gyaru
Slowpoke's choice of pronouns in Pokémon Pokopia came as a big surprise to Japanese fans who like to envision the Pokemon as a gyaru.
VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Amber V
Editor-in-Chief since October 2023.
She grew up playing Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein with her dad, and is now enamored with obscure Japanese video games and internet culture. Currently devoted to growing Automaton West to the size of its Japanese sister-site, while making sure to keep news concise and developer stories deep and stimulating.
Anime-style 3D demon-exorcism game Homura Hime launches to “Very Positive” Steam rating
Homura Hime is a mix of combo-heavy action and 3D bullet hell, voiced by a star-studded Japanese anime VA cast.
The closure of two major Final Fantasy 14 news aggregator sites is a “big turning point” for the Japanese FFXIV community. Veteran player explains what made them so influential
Lucky Bancho, a prominent Japanese FFXIV veteran known for conducting large-scale, unofficial yearly censuses of active players on The Lodestone, weighs in on "matome sites."
Umamusume: Pretty Derby has an “incredibly powerful format that can generate an infinite range of stories,” movie adaptation director says
Ken Yamamoto talks about the strengths of the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise from the perspective of a seasoned movie adaptation director.
Koei Tecmo partners and invests in AI startup behind new character chatbot-style LLM
Koei Tecmo has partnered with SpiralAI, the developer of Japanese character-based conversational AI model Geppetto2.
Final Fantasy 11 is closing off yet another major server to new players due to overpopulation
Starting March 10, Final Fantasy XI's top three largest servers - Asura, Bahamut and Odin - will be closed off to new players.
Japan’s game industry may not be seeing mass layoffs, but reductions are happening “beneath the surface,” devs say
Japanese industry professionals talk about the "less visible ways" rising costs have been affecting domestic developers.
Another Final Fantasy 14 news aggregator in Japan announces closure and apologizes to Square Enix staff
Just a day after Square Enix announced a settlement with the administrator of Netoge Sokuhō, another Final Fantasy 14 blog is shutting down.
Square Enix takes action against admin of Final Fantasy 14 news blog over harassment of development staff
The two parties have reached a settlement, with the admin agreeing to shut down the blog and pay an undisclosed sum.
Stellar Blade developer Shift Up looking to strengthen its self-publishing capabilities
The move encompasses worldwide publishing of in-house titles across consoles and PC.
Pokémon cards are finally becoming accessible to kids again as Japan’s speculative bubble collapses
Prices of Pokemon TCG cards are rapidly dropping in Japan, making them more accessible to children, according to a Tokyo retailer.
Sony’s game division announces record-high starting salary increases in Japan
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) will be significantly raising starting salaries for new hires starting Apil 2026.