{"id":64847,"date":"2026-04-09T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=64847"},"modified":"2026-04-08T17:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T08:03:38","slug":"japanese-game-shop-management-sim-lets-you-experience-25-years-of-gaming-history-from-behind-the-counter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-game-shop-management-sim-lets-you-experience-25-years-of-gaming-history-from-behind-the-counter\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese\u00a0game shop management sim\u00a0lets you experience\u00a025 years of gaming history from behind\u00a0the\u00a0counter\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Depending on when you were born, you may have experienced different\u00a0generations\u00a0of video games\u00a0and consoles\u00a0over several eras.\u00a0To make up for the periods that you missed,\u00a0Japanese indie management sim\u00a0Sunset Game Shop\u00a0Shayou<\/strong>\u00a0takes you through\u00a0over 25 years of video game history from the inside of a pixelated local game shop.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though the games you are selling are fictional, Sunset Game Shop Shayou covers real events from 1985 to 2010, including the NES-era boom in the early 1990s and the release of iconic games like BioWare\u2019s Mass Effect 2. Based on changes in the industry, you must manage your shop via a turn-based system (one turn equals one month passed) without going under. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing your local game shop starts with checking the news. Based on hype levels and early reviews, you can predict which titles will do well and which ones are likely to flop. Using that information, you must decide which titles to purchase and how many copies to stock up on. The end goal is to offset your costs, turn a profit, and make sure your business stays afloat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, not everything will go as planned. Games with high hype levels might not end up reviewing well; small titles that you thought\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0sell\u00a0can\u00a0start flying off the shelves;\u00a0and\u00a0market\u00a0crashes are bound to happen.\u00a0Amidst industry changes,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0also\u00a0have to adapt to\u00a0local issues such as troublesome customers and increasing shop costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite its unpredictable nature,\u00a0Sunset Game Shop\u00a0Shayou\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0leave you to\u00a0fend for yourself. Shop owner skills,\u00a0employee\u00a0promotions,\u00a0shop improvements, and other upgrades\u00a0help\u00a0make your everyday job easier,\u00a0but\u00a0often come\u00a0at\u00a0a cost.\u00a0On\u00a0the other hand, shop rivals and one-time visitors will test your abilities and help you become a better manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though the gameplay seems very numbers-heavy, Lobstudio<\/a> assures that Sunset Game Shop Shayou is also about people. Inspired by one developer\u2019s question as to why so many local game shops have disappeared over time, the game is their way of preserving their memories.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunset Game Shop Shayou is set to release on April 22 for Windows and macOS (Steam<\/a>). A free demo<\/a> is also available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0From depressed game dev simulator to cozy store management with crunchy ASMR\u00a0sounds:\u00a0Japanese indie games about jobs\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manual of Japanese retro game alone valued at over $1,400 USD for including photos and commentary by late celebrity Ai Iijima<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Developed by Kyoto-based Lobstudio, Sunset Game Shop\u00a0Shayou is a management sim that mixes real-life industry history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":64851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-64847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indie-games","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapanese\u00a0game shop management sim\u00a0lets you experience\u00a025 years of gaming history from behind\u00a0the\u00a0counter\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Developed by Kyoto-based Lobstudio, Sunset Game Shop\u00a0Shayou is a game shop management sim that mixes real-life industry history.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-game-shop-management-sim-lets-you-experience-25-years-of-gaming-history-from-behind-the-counter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japanese\u00a0game shop management sim\u00a0lets you experience\u00a025 years of gaming history from behind\u00a0the\u00a0counter\u00a0 - 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