According to a recent report by Automaton, Famitsu has unveiled a preview of its annual Famitsu Game Hakusho, a comprehensive survey conducted by Kadokawa ASCII Research Laboratories that delves into the dynamics of the gaming industry. Among the intriguing insights derived from this data is the revelation that Japan’s gaming market is experiencing unprecedented growth. Notably, the economic impact of the PC gaming sector is approaching that of consoles, despite a slight decline in the overall number of gamers in the country. This trend is particularly striking when considering that there are millions fewer PC gamers today compared to a decade ago.
Japanese games industry by market size (Famitsu estimate)
- Overall market 2024: 2,396.1 billion (.2 billion)
- Overall market 2023: 2,317.6 billion (.7 billion)
- PC gaming market 2024: 265.3 billion (.8 billion)
Japanese gamers by population (Famitsu estimate)
- Overall 2024: 54.753 million
- Overall 2014: 48.55 million
- PC 2024: 14.52 million
- PC 2023: 14.45 million
- PC 2014: 17.49 million
The market figures align with those released earlier this year by investment strategy firm Epyllion, which highlighted robust growth in PC and mobile sales, contrasted with a slight downturn in console sales. However, the population statistics present a puzzling scenario: there are three million fewer PC gamers than reported in the 2015 Famitsu Game Hakusho. This decline is particularly perplexing given the significant growth of the PC market in Japan over recent years. Last October, Kantan reported that Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) indicated that the PC gaming sector had tripled in size from 2020 to 2024, based solely on software sales, while Famitsu’s data encompasses both software and hardware sales.
Further complicating the narrative, a Nikkei article noted that the prices of pre-built PCs in Japan have surged by 40% since 2019, with certain components, notably graphics cards, experiencing price increases of over 300% during the same timeframe. This raises the possibility that while there are fewer PC gamers, those who remain are investing significantly more in their gaming setups.
Yet, this explanation may not capture the entire picture. As Wes Fenlon, senior editor at PC Gamer, pointed out, many gamers who invested in a gaming PC in 2019 are likely still using it today. Iconic graphics cards like the GTX 970 and 1060, released in 2015 and 2016, respectively, continue to support a wide array of games.
Another potential factor contributing to the discrepancy between market growth and gamer population could be the waning popularity of inexpensive and free browser games, as mobile gaming rises in prominence. However, definitive data to substantiate this theory remains elusive. Regardless of the underlying reasons, it seems improbable that three million dedicated Japanese PC gamers have entirely abandoned their desktops over the past decade.
