Sapporo ¨C The pandemic proved a boon for the video game industry, sparking a frenzy of investment to keep up with demand. But this gold rush met its reckoning when normality returned in 2023, a banner year for quality games but a bleak one for overseas developers hit by mass layoffs as studios downsized or closed, something that continues into 2024.
Home to world-leading gaming companies, Japan has been a bright spot among the turmoil, not only avoiding widespread job cuts but hiring new graduates as usual. An example can be found in the capital of Japan¡¯s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. Here, Sega has opened Sapporo Studio, its first domestic development base outside Tokyo. Established in December 2021 in the middle of the pandemic-fuelled gaming craze, the young studio is remarkable for growing amid a recent slump in the industry.
¡°The gaming market continues to expand on a global scale, driven in part by recent digital transformation,¡± explains Takaya Segawa, the studio¡¯s president and Sega¡¯s senior executive officer. ¡°We decided to set up a new base in order to secure a stable development structure.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.