Japanese indie publishers steer Tokyo Indie Games Summit: "Companies are paying attention"

10.05.2024 - 09:27 / gamesindustry.biz

Indie gaming in Japan is growing, while domestic investment in indie publishing and greater investment in independent and doujin creators is uprooting the Japanese games industry.

According to the report released by Tokyo Game Show organizers Nikkei, a record number of indie developers submitted titles for consideration in the Selected Indie 80 at the event, including a record 218 Japanese creators. Even the Japanese government recently announced investment schemes to fund and produce more domestic indie titles.

With large companies more willing than ever to step in and help solo developers and small teams bring their games to a larger audience, investment is bringing eyes and ears on an overlooked and talented pool of creators.

Perhaps nowhere was that more apparent than in the somewhat-cramped halls of a community center and hotel conference room in Kichijoji, Tokyo, where Tokyo Indie Games Summit put indie publishers on center stage in March.

This two-day event, with one day reserved for business and press and another day open to the general public, offered a platform to the city's indie publishers alongside a small selection of curated indie developers to showcase their work to the public – and each other. This was a chance to look forward towards the future of indie gaming in Japan.

At least, one aspect of that future. Unlike events such as Bitsummit, Digige Summit, or Tokyo Game Dungeon, or even a doujin event such as Comiket consisting entirely of hobbyists, this was an event prioritizing greater space to corporations and Japan's many indie publishers over those lacking such investment.

With roughly half of the event, including many prime booth locations, taken up by sponsors and indie publishers, the event sidelined truly-independent developers in favor of larger companies. Many indie creators in the run-up to the event voiced disappointment in failing to secure a space due to the priority given to major companies.

While such an arrangement left those lacking a publisher at a disadvantage for the attention of the general public, this elevated the profile of companies investing in the space.

One such company was Bandai Namco with its Gyaar Studio initiative, created both to encourage new graduates joining the studio to experiment on bite-sized projects, as well as run Indie Game Contests where winning indie game submissions earned investment for further development. Other companies present included G-Mode, Playism, and Room6.

The event offered a fascinating look into the state of publishing in the growing Japanese indie gaming industry, alongside the many walls that exist between Japanese independent creators and publishers with the rest of the world.

Compared to the more established international