Empowering Japanese Indie Developers to Reach a Global Audience

Achieving success as an independent game developer is a daunting task. For every critically acclaimed and commercially successful game, numerous other projects fail to generate a profit for their creators, despite years of dedication and hard work. Many more projects lack the necessary experience to refine their prototypes into polished products or struggle to connect with publishers who can elevate their games' profiles. Game incubators have emerged as a vital solution to bridge this gap. Programs like the MENA Hero Project and the NYU Game Center Incubator aim to transform small independent game projects into launched games, providing creators with access to industry veterans, investors, and essential resources. These incubators offer workshops, co-working spaces, and funding to help developers refine their work and prepare for commercial release. In regions with emerging or smaller indie scenes, incubators can play a crucial role in growing the industry and putting the country on the map. As Japan's indie scene continues to evolve, it's no surprise that new game incubators are being established to support ambitious creators seeking to take their games to the next level. The Indie Game Incubator, launched in 2021, is a joint initiative between Marvelous Entertainment, Ludimus, and Head-High. This six-month incubator provides mentoring, workshops, and a publishing event, connecting incubated developers with publishers from Japan and around the world. A key focus of the program is addressing the language barriers that have historically hindered Japanese games from reaching global audiences, helping developers to effectively communicate their games' appeal in English. According to Sho Sato, CEO of Ludimus and co-founder of the Indie Game Incubator, language barriers were a significant factor in the decision to create this Japan-focused incubator. "Most Japanese developers can't speak English, so they can't apply for many international incubator programs," Sato explains. "The Japanese development community is largely invisible from an international perspective, and while I was a researcher in emerging countries, I came to understand the importance of these incubators, which is why I helped create it." The Indie Game Incubator has already seen promising results, with several titles from its early batches achieving success. Ninja or Die, published by Marvelous, and NeverAwake, published by Phoenixx, are notable examples. The incubator also provides developers with renewed confidence and a platform for future success, as seen with Kotake Create's participation in the third edition of the incubator with Strange Shadow. Although the incubator does not offer additional funding, it provides support and assistance from global mentors, with a promised 400 hours of lectures and mentoring over the six-month schedule. The program also gives games a chance to showcase at major events like Bitsummit. In addition to the Indie Game Incubator, So-Fu is another initiative targeting games further along in development. Run by the Indie Game Incubator in partnership with the Japanese Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry, So-Fu was initially founded in 2022 to support film projects and has since expanded to include the games industry. So-Fu marks the first instance of the Japanese government stepping in to assist the indie gaming scene and boost its growth, recognizing the industry's importance to Japan's global influence. The initiative promises to support up to ten titles in the middle and later stages of development, with funding and guidance on the games business and production. This shift in government support is a significant development, as it acknowledges the importance of the games industry and its potential for growth. According to Sato, the government's attitude towards supporting creators has changed in recent years, with a greater emphasis on investing in the industry. The published proposal from Keidanren, a political business lobby, cites the broader entertainment output of the Japanese economy and the importance of the industry for exerting soft power. Between 2012 and 2021, the market for Japanese entertainment outside Japan grew from ¥1.4 trillion to ¥4.5 trillion, yet it struggles to make inroads in the global market. The proposal argues that investing in creators and providing support for the industry will encourage more diverse voices to emerge and help the market grow. So-Fu has made an express attempt to bring in mentors from both Japan and the global industry, ensuring that developers have access to varied perspectives and knowledge. Samantha Low, a journalist and public relations manager at Neon Noroshi, is one of the mentors chosen to support developers through So-Fu. "Japan has many talented and earnest independent game developers. I hope this can be one more initiative that will help to cultivate that spirit," Low says. The Indie Game Incubator and So-Fu are major initiatives that are seeking to give indie games from Japan the global spotlight they deserve, and they come at a key time in the scene's development. With more publishers entering the scene and events like Bitsummit celebrating record attendance, this is a crucial moment for these games to step into the spotlight. Perhaps incubators like the Indie Game Incubator and So-Fu are the crucial first step they need to achieve that goal.