In a Tokyo Game Show 2026 talk regarding the rise of indie games in Japan, Shuhei Yoshida stated that the popularity of Switch and Nintendo’s Indie World promos was the turning point for Japanese indies. Kazuhisa Okada, Editor-in-Chief of 4Gamer, added that since then, articles about indie games began being read by ordinary gamers, beyond just indie followers.
Since 2020, there have been one or more breakout hits every year, so publishers from other industries, such as Shueisha and Sanrio, are now funding indies too. Yoshida, however, is concerned whether these executives truly understand games.
Okada revealed that although articles covering indie games are being read, there’s far less ad revenue; 4Gamer and other Japanese outlets will continue the coverage regardless, out of genuine desire to support them.
Read the full report here.
[Originally posted on 2026-09-18 Pacific Time]
