Tag - video-games

 
 

VIDEO GAMES

An attendee plays with the Nintendo Switch 2 gaming device at a media event in Tokyo on April 3.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2025
Nintendo says demand for Switch 2 console in Japan is overwhelming
"We have received 2.2 million applications for the lottery sale at our official online store for customers in Japan alone," said Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa.
A police officer stands guard on April 1 at the home of Masaki Eguchi in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, where the body of Waka Kato had been found in a closet.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 21, 2025
Aichi man rearrested, newly charged with murder of high school girl
According to investigative sources, the incident took place after the two got into a quarrel over "Fortnite," a popular online battle royale video game.
In Europe, the PS5 digital edition will now cost €499.99 ($570.04), PlayStation said, while in Britain its price will be £429.99 ($566.53).
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2025
Sony announces PS5 price hikes in some regions
The price of the PS5 digital edition, which has no disk drive, will rise by more than 10% in Europe, Britain and Australia.
Sony and Nintendo might have to raise the prices of their game consoles, which are assembled mainly in China and are shipped to the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 11, 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 and Sony PS5 likely to get price hikes due to tariffs
Pricing could come close to $590 for the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2 or Sony’s PS5 Astro Bot bundle.
Guests play the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console at an event in Paris on April 2.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 10, 2025
Nintendo gets breathing room on tariffs — just in time for Switch 2 launch
Nintendo dodges a 46% tariff on Vietnam-assembled consoles, buying time to flood the U.S. with Switch 2 units before the launch window closes.
Guests play with the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console system during a presentation at the Grand Palais in Paris on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 5, 2025
Nintendo delays Switch 2 preorders in U.S. over tariff concerns
The Kyoto-based company is delaying preorders of its hotly anticipated gaming console as it assesses the fallout from the trade tariffs.
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 3, 2025
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The gaming giant's newest console will retail for ¥49,980 for its Japanese-only version and ¥69,980 for multilingual and multiregion support.
The body of a high school girl was found in a closet at the home of Masaki Eguchi, a 21-year-old unemployed man, on Tuesday in the city of Ichinomiya in Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 2, 2025
Aichi man admits to stabbing Tokyo high school girl over gaming dispute
The victim went missing after saying on Friday she was going to the home of a friend she met through online gaming.
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Apr 2, 2025
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Syndicates are increasingly targeting middle- to upper-class individuals from across the world through something as harmless as online video games.
The stakes are high for the unveiling of the Switch 2 console on Wednesday, with the stock trading near its priciest level in seven years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2025
Stakes are high for Switch 2 after Nintendo’s stock valuation surges
The company's stock is trading near its priciest level in seven years ahead of a reveal of the new console's details.
A figurine of the character Link from the Nintendo video game series The Legend of Zelda is displayed inside the Nintendo Tokyo store in the Japanese capital in November 2019.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 29, 2025
Nintendo announces Legend of Zelda film for 2027
Nintendo made the announcement on "Nintendo Today!", a new app for fans that was launched on Thursday.
China's female gamers are finding the male leads of Love and Deepspace more enticing than real-life partners.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 29, 2025
'Better than real life': In China, virtual boyfriends are emotional aids
For many, virtual companions offer more than entertainment — they provide emotional fulfilment.
While mobile games such as Pokemon Go are at the core of Scopely’s business, the company is developing or considering acquiring PC and console titles.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2025
Behind the $3.5 billion Pokemon deal lies a consolidation strategy
While mobile games such as Pokemon Go are at the core of Scopely’s business, the company is looking into PC and console titles.
Releasing on March 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows excels in atmosphere and open-world gameplay but falls short of narrative expectations.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 19, 2025
Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts samurai style over substance
Ubisoft’s latest game is a gorgeous jaunt through feudal Japan entirely unworthy of the controversy surrounding it.
After nine years, the Square Enix Cafe is finally closing up shop.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 15, 2025
Square Enix Cafe had everything going for it, except the ability to adapt
On March 31, the themed cafe just steps from JR Akihabara Station will close for good.
Nintendo shares sank as much as 9.8% in Tokyo Friday, as U.S. President Donald Trump doubling levies on China means game consoles, mostly made in China, could have higher selling prices in the United States due to heftier import costs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 7, 2025
Nintendo shares plunge on tariff fears as foreign investors retreat
Nintendo sank 9.2% in Tokyo, its biggest intraday drop since the stock market rout on Aug. 5.
On March 21, 1925, a front page headline announced that the Tokyo Radio Broadcasting Bureau, the precursor to NHK, had begun operations with a communications range of 50 kilometers.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Mar 1, 2025
Japan Times 1925: Government sanctions official broadcasting station, the precursor to NHK
Japan’s first official broadcasting station began operating 100 years ago, setting a new precedent for the speed of communication and news.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau found the tax nonpayment after asking information, such as a list of companies, from the tax authorities of Singapore based on the Japan-Singapore tax treaty and analyzing the collected data.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2025
Tokyo tax bureau seizes ¥1.8 billion from Hong Kong game firm over unpaid tax
The company, which operated its Mafia City online game via a platform based in Singapore, failed to pay consumption tax associated with revenue from in-game spending.
In the most recent expansion to the long-running Warframe, Alpha Takahashi voices cyborg mechanic Aoi Morohoshi.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 15, 2025
Alpha Takahashi: ‘The world of video games was tied to my upbringing’
The Tokyo-born actor has voiced Psylocke in Marvel Rivals, Hanako Arasaka in Cyberpunk 2077 and many more since breaking into the industry in 2013.
Sony has prioritized acquiring more content and intellectual property rights at a time when the company’s hardware efforts are stagnating.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2025
Sony lifts forecast on expectations of game and music improvement
Sony has prioritized acquiring more content and intellectual property rights at a time when the company’s hardware efforts are stagnating.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.