Before the coronavirus pandemic, I often heard from Chinese companies that they wanted to invest in Japanese game studios. This is against the backdrop of the rapidly growing Chinese game market and the tightening of regulations by the Chinese government.In other words, Chinese companies are looking at the domestic market, which will become more difficult in the future, and are saying, “I would like to invest my current cash overseas.” ” There was a situation.
From the perspective of Chinese companies, the Japanese game industry has strong IP and high quality, and it seems that investing in it is a sound investment.
Since then, various developments have occurred, including the coronavirus pandemic and economic trends, and while the number of such inquiries from China has decreased considerably, the number of inquiries from other regions and countries has increased instead.
Specifically, most of the companies are from the United States and Europe, but recently we have been receiving more inquiries from investors from the Middle East. There are countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, that have deep ties to Japan’s entertainment industry, and there are some countries that are considering the entertainment industry, including games, as one of the candidates to become the next industry axis after oil.
Although the current stock price in Japan is said to be largely influenced by foreign investors, investment in Japan outside of the stock market is also progressing.
Particularly in the IT field, huge investments are being made, as exemplified by the news that global companies are establishing new factories and data centers in Japan. This is partly because Japan is becoming less expensive, but it is also because Japan is valued for its stable society.
The various inquiries from overseas in the game field can be said to be part of this trend of increasing investment in Japan.
Now, I think this increase in foreign investment is itself a very good thing. I’ll leave it to experts to evaluate the pros and cons of the weak yen, but it cannot be denied that the relatively cheap yen is attracting investment from overseas.
For Japan’s entertainment and game industry, which already has a large number of high-quality IP, this could be an opportunity to gain investment from overseas and make a leap forward.
On the other hand, this increase in foreign investment also includes aspects that require caution. In other words, it is the investors, not the creators, who earn the most profits in business. In business, those who take the risk of spending money are in the strongest position.
Japan’s gaming-related profits gained from foreign investment are primarily returned to overseas investors. Although this is the correct trend, there are some concerns as to whether Japanese creators will essentially be able to obtain economic security.
Japan’s entertainment industry has a history of evolving uniquely against the backdrop of Japan’s unique culture and society. Although its unique expression is valued as one of a kind, its occurrence is outside of economic rationality.
I am a little worried about whether overseas investors will understand this point.
The basis of the competitiveness of Japan’s entertainment industry is not economic rationality, and in particular, small and medium-sized game studios and IP that are the target of investment will lose their original value if they compete on this basis. I’m thinking that I might end up doing it. The strength of Japan’s entertainment industry, including games, is its ability to appeal to people’s essence, but since this requires the cultivation of a culture, it may take longer to recover the investment than foreign investors think.
When I talk to them, I often hear that things will work if we combine Japan’s high quality with their business acumen, but that doesn’t really work.
When cultural backgrounds and values differ, there needs to be a buffer between them, but I think this is because there is an overwhelming lack of people and companies in Japan who can play that role.
There are various views on whether the current situation is an opportunity or a crisis for the Japanese game industry, but as I mentioned earlier, I think it is a good thing that investment funds are being gathered.
I hope that we can take advantage of this situation and spread the great things that Japan has to the world, and that creators can continue to create content without having to worry about economics.
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