Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently announced a new support initiative aimed at boosting the global competitiveness of Japan’s content industries, including significant measures targeting game developers.
Called IP360 and nicknamed “sanrokumaru” in Japan, the program will provide funding for the creation of new IPs, and notably, it makes even indie developers eligible for grants of up to 10 million yen (about $62,000 USD), according to GameMakers.
IP360 is part of METI’s broader efforts to push domestic content like anime and games in the overseas market. The government has set a target of increasing annual overseas revenue related to Japanese content to 20 trillion yen (or about $125.5 billion USD), and in 2025, this goal was elevated to an “official national policy” through a cabinet decision (source: Denfaminicogamer).
Against that background, the IP360 program is meant to support activities like creating new IPs and expanding them internationally. The initiative includes several funding options, but the “New IP Creation Support (Startup Support)” program (unofficial translation) has been at the center of attention among Japanese devs ever since it was announced. Unlike many government funding programs that require a registered company, the startup support program is open to individuals and unincorporated entities, making it a very attractive option for indies.
The grant provides, according to IndieGamesJP, a subsidy rate of up to 50% of eligible costs and maximum funding of 10 million yen. The money can be used for multiple stages of development, including pre-production, production, post-production (including localization) and promotion. Additional examples of what “eligible costs” means include: commissioning artists or composers, travelling to overseas conventions, and communication expenses related to the project.
To apply for the program, developers will have to present a prototype and business plan that explicitly involves international distribution (such as localizing and releasing the game overseas), which makes sense given IP360’s purpose. Projects based on existing IPs such as sequels and remakes are not eligible for the program. On the flip side, METI guarantees that it will not interfere whatsoever when it comes to the project’s creative choices and content, reiterating on existing policies.
In the past few years, Japan’s indie scene has seen several massive hits, with even small, solo-developed titles like The Exit 8 evolving into global multi-media franchises. In this sense, it’s not surprising that there’s now a conscious effort to capitalize on the domestic indie scene’s potential.
