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While the Western AAA gaming industry continues to struggle in the mud of constant layoffs and studio closures, a look at the Eastern world might show a completely different scenery.
Industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto just returned from GDC, where there were many conversations about the gloomy situation. In the latest blog post by Kantan Games, an independent consultancy he founded, he pointed out this huge contrast between Japan and other parts of the world, especially in North America and Europe.
"The mass layoffs and studio closures in North America and Europe really have not spilled over to Japan, apart from isolated exceptions that are a drop in the ocean compared to the storm the industry is seeing in the West currently."
Not only are the Japanese companies staying safe in a sanctuary from the shower, but they are also growing bigger and stronger — "the shares of the majority of publicly traded AAA game companies in Japan have reached all-time highs over the last weeks."
Those Japanese AAA game companies that pop up in your mind, Sony, Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, and Bandai Namco — all of them have seen their share prices reach records either this or last month. The two hardware providers, Sony and Nintendo, "are winning big time" as they managed to get a fair share of the console market with the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
The other major players, Sega, Square Enix, and Koei Tecmo, reached all-time highs in 2006, 2023, and 2021, respectively. It's noted that From Software is not included in the discussion as it usually contributes around 10% of parent Kadokawa's sales.
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