Nippon Ichi Software announced on September 2 that its farming simulator, Village in the Shade, has sold over 200,000 copies in Japan (this includes physical copies and digital downloads). The milestone was reached a little over a month after the game was released domestically on July 30.
Village in the Shade hit its first milestone of 100,000 copies sold just four days after its domestic release, with physical editions selling out in numerous stores across Japan (the publisher even apologized to fans for the inconvenience). The game is doing so well that Nippon Ichi Software revised its consolidated financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2027. The company predicts a significant increase in revenue and a return to profitability due to Village in the Shade sales, which are expected to increase once the global version releases on October 27.
Set in the fictional Japanese mountain village of Kagatsu, Village in the Shade lets you live a peaceful rural life as you engage in activities like cultivating crops, raising animals, and interacting with the local community. However, the village has “secrets” and “rules” which must not be broken (such as not going out at night), lest you discover the darker side of the settlement and its citizens.
While there are some horror-esque elements, the developers have told us that the game focuses more on the “uncanniness” of Kagatsu and the hints of folk horror surrounding it. Those who want nothing to do with horror can activate Peaceful Life Mode, which does away with the scary events and lets you focus on farming.
