While 2026 is filled with several high-profile releases from major Japanese studios ¡ª Nioh 3, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, to name just a few ¡ª the country¡¯s indie developers have started the year off on the back foot.
In November 2025, Tokyo-based Fontworks, one of Japan¡¯s leading digital typeface licensors, announced that it would discontinue its most popular subscription plan that cost around ?60,000 per year. Instead, the company would offer a plan priced at $20,500 (about ?3.16 million), plus a per-game player cap of 25,000 and extra fees for games that attract users above that predefined limit.
To indie developers like Masahiko Nakamura, CEO of Osaka-based Indie-us Games, the news came as a major surprise.
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