Why Some Japanese Smartphone Games Don’t Get Released Overseas

Japan is notable for releasing awesome smartphone games for both Android and iOS. A lot of them are from popular anime franchises. While games like Fate/Grand Order, Love Live! School Idol Festival, and BanG Dream Girls Band Party are getting released in English and is available for people around the world, there are just some of those games that don’t get an English release. If ever you want to play the game, you would probably end up with a game with all Japanese text or even worse you need a VPN for you to access and play it.

So the main question is: Why some Japanese smartphone games don’t get released overseas?

We will give you a rundown on the possible reasons why. So hang tight.

The Series Isn’t Popular Enough to Be Released

The anime is quite popular and the game is getting like thousands of downloads. However, some game developers do not like to take risks in releasing the game overseas for the possibility that the series may not be as popular as you expect it to be. Yes, it’s popular in Japan but what about in other countries? Releasing the game overseas requires a lot of hardwork and money. Some would take the risks, some don’t.

The Game is Still A Work in Progress

Although some Japanese smartphone games are released in Japan, let’s not forget that each of the apps are still a work in progress and you will most likely encounter game bugs along the way. With the game still very young and still fresh from its release date, it might take a year or two for the game to be released for other countries. It’s a long wait, yes. However, it would be best that we wait for the stable version of the game to be developed and released. This is better than you release an international version of it in the wild and the developer gets bombarded with complains due to some bugs.

A Lack of Budget

Making games costs money. Hiring some people to do tasks costs money. A possible reason why your game might not be getting an international or English release is due to lack of budget. They might not have enough funds yet to hire more people and to develop the game to be available to you on where you are. This is also a great risk too, and this is something that not a lot of companies will take.

Needs Research

In relation to the things we mentioned earlier, some of these game companies need more research on their market which takes time. It’s not a walk in the park. The results of this would make the final verdict if the game deserves to have an international release or not.

The Game Might Not Be Fun for a Lot of People

The game may be fun for Japanese players, but there’s a chance that it might be the exact opposite when it’s released internationally. There are possible factors to why a certain game might not be fun to some people but this is also another risk that some game companies to want to take. They rather play it safe and cater more of the game contents to their Japanese market for now.

Conclusion

No matter how fun they are, not all Japanese mobile games get an overseas release treatment like the others. Some of them just shut down (you might want to check out this article too) leaving fans just disappointed that the game is ending its service. Others just rather not take the big leap and rather just release in Japan. We can only hope from here.