NEWSWORTHY
'Game over' in China as Beijing halts approvals of video game licenses
China's regulators have frozen approvals of game licenses amid a government shake-up, according to people familiar with the matter, throwing the world's biggest gaming market into disarray. The halt follows a restructuring of power among departments, said the people, who asked not to be named ...
Nintendo embraces "Minecraft," SNK offers a tiny big-game experience and "Okami" comes to Switch
Oasis hedge fund boss bets on Japan's professional gaming scene
Competitive gaming in Japan has found a champion: hedge fund boss Seth Fischer. The chief investment officer of Hong Kong-based Oasis Management Co., which owns more than $1 billion in Japanese securities, said esports is now among his top five investment themes for Japan. He ...
At last, Japan gives nod to gaming as a profession
A skinny chain smoker with pale skin, Yota Kachi doesn't look much like a professional athlete. But this weekend, the 31-year-old will get a chance to become one by playing video games. Japan will begin the process of legalizing paid esports with a tournament near ...
Beloved games get bigger and better
'Dissidia' breeding' In the "Dissidia" games, "Final Fantasy" characters get together and beat the crap out of each other. The latest entry is no different, but that doesn't mean it's just another "Dissidia Final Fantasy." Developed by Square Enix, the first "Dissidia Final Fantasy" debuted on ...
The 2018 fashion cycle is just beginning
The "new year, new you" cliche that tempts consumers to spend more on style at this time of the year often has even the most cynical admitting that an excuse to indulge feels good. But when it comes to genuinely new fashion, it's actually ...
The gods are back "Okami" is one of the most beautiful and imaginative games ever made. It first came out in 2006 on the PlayStation 2 and was dubbed the best game of that year. Over a decade later it is still wonderful. "Okami" is a ...
Updates for the fan boys and girls
Ready to paint the town again? Nintendo's colorful third-person shooter returns, ready to splatter players with ink and cuteness. When released in 2015, "Splatoon" was a big departure for Nintendo. First, it was a multiplayer shooter. Second, its vibrant color palette ushered in a new ...
VR wave to leave Japan awash in business opportunities
New technological innovations have a tendency to create new business opportunities, and the latest craze, virtual reality, is no exception. With the debut of cutting-edge VR headsets this year, many firms from video game makers, 360-degree-video distributors, arcade operators and cellphone carriers are gearing up ...
New releases fill in the gaps in gaming
A necessary evil "Resident Evil 7" was announced this month, but it won't be available until January 2017. What's a "Resident Evil" ("Biohazard" in Japan) fan to do until then? Luckily, to tide us over, Capcom is also releasing a remastered version of "Resident Evil ...
Bright new things in Japan's gaming world
Nintendo's summer colors Over the years, Nintendo has released a slew of colors for its 3DS handhelds, so it's easy to feel jaded and write new ones off as just another sales grab, but the upcoming Japan-only 3DS pop color combinations are definitely eye-catching. Deliberately contrasting, ...
As the new year kicks in, so do popular game updates
Nintendo thinks outside the box, again It's only been a year, but "Hako Boy" is already back and it's even better than before. "Hako Boy," which was released for the Western audience as "Box Boy," features a box-shaped hero, who solves puzzles and clears stages ...
