Dragon Quest creator talks about an unexpected challenge the series is facing due to graphics becoming more realistic
![Dragon Quest 11](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240724-34589-header-768x434.jpg)
Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii talks about the challenge of making silent protagonists as game graphics grow increasingly realistic.
The no-programming-required Action Game Maker will allow unrestricted access to Godot functions and plugins, according to producer
![Action Game Maker](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240724-34583-768x431.jpg)
The upcoming Godot-based no-programming toolkit Action Game Maker will not restrict any of the engine's functions or plugins.
Square Enix’s new book explains AI usage in game development, features Final Fantasy 7 Remake
![Cloud Final Fantasy Remake Square Enix AI book](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240712-33932-header-768x376.jpeg)
Square Enix's AI Division have compiled a comprehensive book on AI usage in games, featuring examples from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
Final Fantasy creator looks back on Square’s genius programmer Nasir Gebelli
![Final Fantasy 3 Yoshitaka Amano logo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240704-33445-header-768x387.jpeg)
Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi looks back on Nasir Gebelli, the talented programmer who worked on Square's NES games.
Exclusive: Visions of Mana’s directors talk about the high-speed, hands-on game development process that’s only possible at a hybrid studio
![Visions of Mana directors Ryosuke Yoshida and Kenji Ozawa](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240614-32420-header-768x431.jpg)
Visions of Mana directors Ryosuke Yoshida and Kenji Ozawa reveal how Ouka Studios advantageously combines Japanese and Chinese ways of developing games.
Tekken’s quirky character voice lines were a way to entice console gamers, Harada reveals
![Tekken 8 Lili](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240606-32063-header-768x432.jpg)
Tekken director explains how the fighting game series developed unique characters such as Lili, Dragunov and Bryan
How can indie devs stay afloat amidst game industry cutbacks?
![Calculator and money, Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240322-28772-header-768x432.jpeg)
Mass layoffs and risk-averse publishers; it's hard for indie devs to get funding in the current game industry climate. We examine solutions and successes.
Are Japan’s console and mobile game markets shrinking in favor of PC games? Developers discuss
![Stock image of a person playing a video game](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240418-2864-768x512.jpg)
Japanese developers offer their views on the state of Japan's video game industry, including the decline of the mobile and console markets.
Can a video game without “stress” be entertaining? Users discuss tendency towards eliminating stress from games
![Dark Souls III gameplay screenshot](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240312-28400-header-768x432.jpg)
A Japanese developer's musings on how "stress" (and a lack of it) affects games has caused discourse on the topic in the gaming community.
Chinese Unity has advanced features not available globally – miHoYo and other local partners may be why
![Unity company logo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240301-284376-header-1.jpg)
Tuanjie, the Chinese version of Unity, contains a Nanite-like virtual geometry system not found in the global version. This may be the influence of miHoYo and other partners of Unity China.
Japanese dev names the real enemy of all game developers – insufficient memory
![Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Beauclair](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240221-27545-header-768x432.jpeg)
A recent post by a Japanese programmer about one persistent difficulty haunting developers over the decades has gone viral.
My annual income is under $300 – Japanese dev on the harsh reality of indie creators
![Steam Store logo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240220-27451-header-768x432.jpg)
Japanese indie developer comments on the harsh reality of being an independent creator, reporting an annual income of less than 300$.
The Exit 8 dev reveals how he made a top-selling Steam game in UE5 in 9 months
![The Exit 8 in-game screenshot](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240214-27192-header-768x432.jpg)
In a recent interview, Kotake Create, the developer of the Steam hit "anomaly spotting game" The Exit 8, reveals details about his creative process and how the game came to be.
RPG Maker XP is available for free on Steam for a limited time
![RPG Maker XP box art](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240213-27068-768x594.jpg)
As part of a limited time campaign, RPG Maker XP will be available for free on Steam until February 20 (JST). Newer RPG Maker titles are available at discounts.
Resident Evil 1 director Shinji Mikami was against jump scares, but sequels did not follow his ideals
![Resident Evil 1 Biohazard zombie dogs jump scare 1996](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240207-26883-header-768x433.png)
Reminiscing about Resident Evil 1's development, Capcom veteran Hideki Kamiya recently revealed that director Shinji Mikami had some rules about creating fear in the player.
Why are one-time purchase mobile games getting rarer? Japanese dev explains
![](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240118-25786-header-768x432.jpg)
Japanese developer explains why the mobile game market is seeing less and less of one-time purchase game releases, in favor of free-to-play games with frequent microtransactions.
How did the niche gem Suzuki Bakuhatsu come to be? The producer explains the bizarre bomb disposal game’s origin
![Suzuki Bakuhatsu Japanese PS1 game Rin Ozawa](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240116-25557-header3-768x577.png)
Takehiro Ando reveals how the PlayStation 1's quirkiest Japanese puzzle game ended up featuring cute models, weird bombs and a robot anime parody
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth dev shows off game’s C++ code, other Japanese devs join the trend
![Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth art](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240112-25430-header-1-768x403.jpg)
Yutaka Ito, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Technical Manager, shared a snippet of the actual source code of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, garnering a huge response and starting a trend among devs.
Japanese game developer Level-5 reveals how they use generative AI like Stable Diffusion
![Inazuma Eleven Victory Road by Level-5](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231213-24326-header-768x432.png)
Ni no Kuni and Professor Layton developer Level-5 demonstrate exactly how they use generative AI to assist game development and promotion.
This Steam Dev Cheat Sheet includes tips on how to improve your sales
![](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230426-245394-header-768x384.jpg)
Veteran game developer Matt Hackett has created a “Steam Dev Cheat Sheet” that offers tips for releasing a game on Steam. The sheet has caught the attention of many fellow developers.
Is there a homogenization of character sizes in Japanese games? Developers weigh in
![](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221021-16334-header-768x432.jpg)
A tweet posted by an illustrator points out differences between character designs in older Japanese games compared to more recent ones. A number of experienced game developers and character designers chimed in on the subject.
A classic PS1 game masked loading times by having the protagonist trip and fall
![](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221017-223059-header-768x575.jpg)
A Twitter user introduced how Doki Doki Poyatchio, a Japan-exclusive PlayStation 1 RPG released in 1998, handled loading data. The character in the game would fall down and the game would load while they were getting up.