What could be the reasons behind the recent surge of Japanese games on PC?

KiLAM · Jul 7, 2018

Recently, there has been a huge surge in pc gaming. We have seen microsoft finally pay attention to pc market with all ms exclusives coming to pc. They even want to make changes to the store and app to make it more pc friendly. We have seen games which I would never have thought to see like Yakuza, NieR Automata, Shenmue,Vanquish, crash bandicoot finally make their way on pc. DMC 5, monster hunter worlds, Babylon's fall are some examples of upcoming games.

So what according to you changed this trend from previous generation where games like these were mostly made with consoles in mind?

As much flak as denuvo gets(most of it is justified imo), can that be the reason why publishers are much more flexible and confident towards pc market? I know it has been proven time and time that piracy doesn't hurt pc gaming but I think just having an option has really changed the mentality towards pc gaming in general.

Edit: Pc gaming has been steadily growing for years ever since inception of steam for sure. By recently, I mean in context of japanese games that have been coming out on pc. Microsoft exclusives may have a different reason altogether.

Windu · Jul 7, 2018

Steam

ProstatePuncher · Jul 7, 2018

PC was never dead. Always growing, even if at a snails pace. Especially nowadays as new markets open up worldwide.

garion333 · Jul 7, 2018

China

Nere · Jul 7, 2018

Personally, cheap games. It might be more expensive to get into PC gaming, since a computer costs much more than a console but once you are there and can wait for some sales or search for deals, the games get incredibly cheap.

data west · Jul 7, 2018

Streaming is huge in the PC market and streaming is huge. They synergize perfectly

kennyamr · Jul 7, 2018

The similarities between console hardware and PC.

The evolution and expansion of the internet.

Deleted member 24118 · Jul 7, 2018

Steam.

Deleted member 7450 · Jul 7, 2018

Recently?

Hektor · Jul 7, 2018

[email protected] said:
We have seen games which I would never have thought to see like Yakuza, NieR Automata, Shenmue,Vanquish, crash bandicoot finally make their way on pc. DMC 5, monster hunter worlds, Babylon's fall are some examples of upcoming games.

As much flak as denuvo gets(most of it is justified imo), can that be the reason why publishers are much more flexible and confident towards pc market?

Dark Souls and Valkyrica Chronicles were already million sellers on PC before Denuvo was even invented.

KiLAM · Jul 7, 2018

Svart said:
Recently?

Windu said:
Steam

60EffPeeEss said:
PC was never dead. Always growing, even if at a snails pace. Especially nowadays as new markets open up worldwide.

Pc has always been growing for sure. But with all future ms exclusives incoming and more japanese games which were not particularly fond of pc in previous gen, i think this is a sudden and a big leap.

Hektor · Jul 7, 2018

€: Wrong button

Deleted member 13015 · Jul 7, 2018

I think its streaming (Twitch.tv).

Streamers encouraging their audience that PCs are the "cool" gamer tech everyone needs. PC Master race.

Also some popular games are played mainly on PC, like Overwatch, Counter Strike, League of Legends, and now Fortnite.

saci · Jul 7, 2018

Define "recently".

Pc gaming's boom started way before Denuvo was around. Even theorizing that Denuvo has anything to do with it is honestly quite insulting.

TheFireman · Jul 7, 2018

It's a lot of things. It's been easier to get into with more games moving towards a GaaS route. It's easier to learn if Fortnite runs on my PC when it's literally free to download. Likewise, other hugely popular PC games-DOTA, LOL, Siege, Overwatch, PUBG-are either free to play or relatively cheap to start. Even slightly less popular games like Street Fighter V or Friday the 13th are relatively cheap to start. The evolution of esports are likely moving more FPS and TPS players towards the keyboard and mouse set up that PCs provide. In addition, we're 4.5 years into the console generation. People might want to purchase something new, and Sony and Microsoft both have less exclusives this gen. Many of the exclusives they do have are shared with PC. If you purchased only a PS4 or Xbox One, I think buying a gaming PC would be a far more attractive option than purchasing the other console.

impact · Jul 7, 2018

Weak consoles

KiLAM · Jul 7, 2018

saci said:
Define "recently".

Pc gaming's boom started way before Denuvo was around. Even theorizing that Denuvo has anything to do with it is honestly quite insulting.

By recently I mean with all the japanese games(just examples) as i have mentioned. Although not related to denuvo but ms exclusives too.
Also i am not saying it's solely because of denuvo. That could be one of many reasons.

shan780 · Jul 7, 2018

youtube and twitch

CreepingFear · Jul 7, 2018

Youtube, twitch, steam. The resources for learning how to build a PC or choose parts for a boutique build have never been better. I found a career in IT thanks to learning how to build my first PC in 2011.

K.Jack · Jul 7, 2018

Sony and MS's moves to using non-exotic hardware in their consoles are not an insignificant factor. Not the factor, but it definitely matters.

LRB1983 · Jul 7, 2018

Consoles are not plug and play anymore.
They have sense when you bought a game, insert the card or disc on the console and you haven't to worry about updates, newmodels, graphic options, install the game... They're now too similar to PCs and Steam appeared.

Toucan · Jul 7, 2018

Regarding the increasing number of Japanese games on PC, I remember reading somewhere that the success of the PC port of Dark Souls was what made Japanese developers take note of the platform. Most of them were absolutely clueless about the popularity of PC gaming in the West in general and Steam in particular before that point.

Rendering... · Jul 7, 2018

Probably that post-E3 drop in Nintendo's stock, which augured the company's downfall and led to a mass exodus of frightened and confused gamers.

TeenageFBI · Jul 7, 2018

[email protected] said:
By recently I mean with all the japanese games(just examples) as i have mentioned. Although not related to denuvo but ms exclusives too.
Also i am not saying it's solely because of denuvo. That could be one of many reasons.

The Japanese push has been in full swing for ~5 years already. The success of Dark Really changed the market. Now we just have a few holdouts like Atlus, SIGH.

As for MS, they should have embaced the market a decade ago but Valve ate their lunch. Considering stuff like the Windows 10 store and UWP being hammered into games that would be better in Win32, it’s for the best.

Max Payne · Jul 7, 2018

I don't feel the recent surge, for me, it always felt like PC is the most relevant platform for gaming. I don't see any difference today, compared to 10 years ago.

Themaddestgamer · Jul 7, 2018

I love what MS did. Now I can play those games and not own another console. Win win for me.

Derrick01 · Jul 7, 2018

Depends how you define recently. I'd argue about 10 years ago Steam was coming into its own and that was the catalyst for changing everything in the core market. All you have to do is go back to when games like bioshock/mass effect/oblivion etc came out and most on a forum like gaf would consider them xbox exclusives, almost pretending that the PC version didn't even exist. Nowadays we'd go "yeah but they're on PC too". Steam made a lot of things on the software side a LOT easier for the common person to handle and to be fair things also got a lot simpler on the hardware side too around the same time. I still remember the days when simply patching a game would result in countless headaches and just to get the patch you'd sometimes have to navigate through a pretty sketchy site and pray you didn't catch a virus.

More recently, in the past 3-5 years I would say, you have all this streamer stuff that sort of took things to the next level. The majority of streamers that people watch are playing on PCs and that influences a lot of the kids who watch. I've seen quite a few games that I've never heard of apparently have player bases in the millions when you see these steam/PC chart threads pop up every now and then. That's the streamer effect.

edit: If we're talking japanese support then you can file that one directly into the Steam effect as a huge chunk of them don't even appear on other sites or if they do they're Steam keys. It took a long time for them to catch on to Steam being a big deal.

ElOdyssey · Jul 7, 2018

Svart said:
Recently?

This. IMO the PC movement has been strong for years now. It’s just Japanese developers finally dropping their IPs to the platform recently.

Hamster Plugin · Jul 7, 2018

Nere said:
Personally, cheap games. It might be more expensive to get into PC gaming, since a computer costs much more than a console but once you are there and can wait for some sales or search for deals, the games get incredibly cheap.

With PSN sales, game prices are not really a factor any more. Games are often cheaper than Steam sales on EU PS Store, not sure about American.

Jasper · Jul 7, 2018

Did you mean to ask 'why have Japanese publishers noticed pc gaming only now?'

Because that's what it looks like to me.

Microsoft also took their sweet time to find an appropriate way to exploit the fact that pc gaming's taking place on their operating system. And they still have lot to improve.

MazeHaze · Jul 7, 2018

Derrick01 said:
Depends how you define recently. I'd argue about 10 years ago Steam was coming into its own and that was the catalyst for changing everything in the core market. All you have to do is go back to when games like bioshock/mass effect/oblivion etc came out and most on a forum like gaf would consider them xbox exclusives, almost pretending that the PC version didn't even exist.

It's still like this. Look at Hollow Knight. We've been playing that game for more than a year, but now that it's out on Switch everybody is calling GOTY and shit. It came out over a year ago lol.

aisback · Jul 7, 2018

Maybe something like Crysis 4 , something to really push and show the limits of PC gaming

KiLAM · Jul 7, 2018

Jasper said:
Did you mean to ask 'why have Japanese publishers noticed pc gaming only now?'

Because that's what it looks like to me.

Microsoft also took their sweet time to find an appropriate way to exploit the fact that pc gaming's taking place on their operating system. And they still have lot to improve.

Yeah mainly japanese. Guess i should've mentioned that.

SaintBowWow · Jul 7, 2018

Streaming is huge and most streamers are playing PC games.

Deleted member 7450 · Jul 7, 2018

[email protected] said:
Pc has always been growing for sure. But with all future ms exclusives incoming and more japanese games which were not particularly fond of pc in previous gen, i think this is a sudden and a big leap.

This has nothing to do with the platform itself suddenly becoming relevant.

The "recent surge" you've mentioned has more to do with public perception of mainstream marketing.

Zukuu · Jul 7, 2018

Embrace of standard engines like Unreal made it easier to port to PC and the localization process is also easier. Asian publishers also understand the market more. Also, the PC is such a huge market, that it's foolish to ignore and Steam is a very, very easy and direct way to cut out publishers.

franklyshankly · Jul 7, 2018

PC gaming has always been massive, it's just not necessarily in games primarily console gamers immediately think of. Mobas and such have had absolutely massive playerbases compared to basically any console games, they just don't seem to "count" to many people for whatever reason.

I think you're conflating PC getting more recent ports of certain games with a rise of popularity, it was already hugely popular.

ducktape · Jul 7, 2018

I wouldn't call this a recent thing at all. With PC getting nearly all Xbox exclusives now and in the future, as well as third parties taking the platform more seriously over the years, PC's been in a great place for years upon years.

Windu · Jul 7, 2018

[email protected] said:
By recently I mean with all the japanese games(just examples) as i have mentioned. Although not related to denuvo but ms exclusives too.
Also i am not saying it's solely because of denuvo. That could be one of many reasons.

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-japan-learned-to-love-pc-gaming-again/

texhnolyze · Jul 7, 2018

Jasper said:
Did you mean to ask 'why have Japanese publishers noticed pc gaming only now?'

Because that's what it looks like to me.

Microsoft also took their sweet time to find an appropriate way to exploit the fact that pc gaming's taking place on their operating system. And they still have lot to improve.

Yeah, this is what I see from this thread too. Microsoft's move is an entirely different thing from the surge of Japanese games coming to PC nowadays.

Though I tend to agree with OP, Denuvo more or less has a part in it. Almost every big Japanese games are 'protected' by Denuvo, especially the brand new ones. I feel like it's a requirement from the higher-ups in Japanese companies. Their views on PC gaming is still archaic, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them despise PC gaming due to piracy.

Bede-x · Jul 7, 2018

There's probably many reasons, but the fact that it has become easier to use with Steam is one of the biggest. As a former primarily console gamer a standard for controller support was extremely important in making PC my preferred platform. At the beginning of last generation controller support was clumsy or maybe not available and to me that's an easy no buy.

EDIT: Missed the Japanese part.

galv · Jul 7, 2018

PC gaming used to be large due in part to MMORPG-craziness, and I feel that the success of WoW back in the day made a lot of people play on the platform, and League of Legends afterwards. In that time, Steam has also been steadily growing. TF2, DOTA 2 & CS:GO gave it a huge bump in numbers and their continual (insane numbers, 200K+ is massive no matter which way you look at it) popularity just served to open a market that publishers somewhat ignored. Now, with the added success of Twitch and streaming in general, Battle Royale's insane explosion over the last year with Fortnite & PUBG, the success of Japanese games like Dark Souls/Dark Souls 3 (and even to a relative extent the success of VNs and smaller Japanese titles like Atelier), success of Ubisoft's AAA titles like Rainbow Six Siege and Ghost Recon Wildlands, runaway success of games like Overwatch, being the main platform for Minecraft's mod community as well as the mod communities for Skyrim/Fallout/Witcher, being the main platform for strategy games like Europa Universalis, XCOM, Total War and Civilization (all of which have large amounts of dedicated fans), no monthly fees to play online, and the platform has become very very attractive to anyone who wants to target not only the casual demographic but also the hardcore demographic.

Not to mention organizing entire communities used to take place through IRC (and now Discord) and it's way easier to do that on PC than on locked down consoles, so smaller communities of people with similar interests definitely helps keep the player base active and interested. People say that backwards compatibility doesn't matter, but tell that to the small communities who are dedicated enough to keep dedicated servers online for old titles because of comfort. All those smaller communities add up to make a much larger number of potential customers you can entice into playing the new Battlefield, because they have very little risk if it doesn't work out - they can always go back to their comfort zone. Being able to always go back to playing something like CS1.6 for example, when Battlefield Hardline bombed is a good insurance policy.

It's now easier than ever to game on PC and publishers have certainly noticed.

KiLAM · Jul 7, 2018

texhnolyze said:
Yeah, this is what I see from this thread too. Microsoft's move is an entirely different thing from the surge of Japanese games coming to PC nowadays.

Though I tend to agree with OP, Denuvo more or less has a part in it. Almost every big Japanese games are 'protected' by Denuvo, especially the brand new ones. I feel like it's a requirement from the higher-ups in Japanese companies. Their views on PC gaming is still archaic, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them despise PC gaming due to piracy.

Yep this is what I mean..my bad
Would be great if some moderator can change the title accordingly.

MrDoctor · Jul 7, 2018

alternate revenue source with high demand

ms came to the conclusion that the xbox brand is no longer strong enough on its own

Teeth · Jul 7, 2018

As far as increased Japanese publisher support, I blame Dark Souls.

Deleted member 38397 · Jul 7, 2018

I’m not sure what’s going on. Yes it seems PC gaming is doing well, because of Steam initially but now because the world and his wife are streaming.

But why isn’t that reflected in game sales? It seems no game bar the ones that are the big mp titles like PUBG outsell the console versions. Why? There are more PCs than consoles but something like Destiny 2 has only 15% of its sales on PC. Are PC people only playing the same handful of games continuously?

Falconbox · Jul 7, 2018

Probably the popularity of some huge free to play games.

neon_dream · Jul 7, 2018

Japanese companies in particular?

Steam hit a critical mass of paying consumers in the Western market. Media coverage of PC improved. Community advocacy reached Japanese publishers/developers. Early Japanese risk-takers found success on Steam. Mid-sized developers began to take risks and also found success. Now PC is seen as a viable platform for the Japanese market.

There's not JUST ONE reason. It was a number of reasons and a progression over time.

GibdoInferno · Jul 7, 2018

One factor is that upgrade churn is a lot slower than it was in previous decades. Plenty of players are running current AAA games with greater-than-console detail and performance on 4-year-old graphics cards and even older CPUs. Removing the need for frequent upgrades makes the PC viable as a gaming platform for a lot more people.

joylevel11 · Jul 7, 2018

ps4 pro/xbox one x probably helped. people probably realised it was better to build a PC. they keep trying to market these consoles as 4K but most of the time they struggle to do it. if i'm spending £400 on a console that can't do 4K then i might as well put that to towards a PC. these consoles are aimed at people who are happy to spend more for the extra performance/graphics. i can see these consoles as a stepping stone into PC gaming.

if you want 4K 30fps building a capable PC isn't much more expensive and you can always upgrade it as you see fit. also it helps that microsoft are bringing their titles to PC so there is even less a reason to get an xbox. I had an xbox but when they started bringing out their games on PC i sold the xbox and used it towards upgrading my PC. the only games I miss playing are Halo but we'll be getting Infinite and maybe....maybe MCC.

another reason is that AMD has really helped making gaming PCs more affordable with Ryzen. you can put together a quite capable PC for much cheaper now. it might not run at the great settings with amazing performance but for a lot of people they don't really care about that. with games like CS:GO, Dota 2, LoL, Fortnite, Overwatch etc you really don't need a powerful PC. the whole esport thing has got people hooked and excited. only 3 of those games i mentioned are on consoles (although CS:GO probably might as well not count) and even then if you want to take it seriously or play competitively you'll be at a huge disadvantage if you play with a controller so playing on PC with mouse/keyboard will be preferable.

there are a load of other reasons....cheap prices for games. free online, etc...

What could be the reasons behind the recent surge of Japanese games on PC?

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