formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese
video game magazine
Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...
s published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the form of special topical issues devoted to only one console, video game company, or other theme. the original ''Famitsu'' publication, is considered the most widely read and respected
video game news magazine in Japan.
From October 28, 2011, the company began releasing the digital version of the magazine exclusively on
BookWalker weekly.
The name ''Famitsu'' is a
portmanteau abbreviation of the word "Famicom" itself comes from a portmanteau abbreviation of "Family Computer" (the Japanese name for the
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
)—the dominant
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...
in Japan during the 1980s.
History
, a computer game magazine, started in 1982 as an extra issue of ''
ASCII
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
'', and later it became a periodic magazine. was a column in ''Login'', focused on the Famicom platform, and ran from March 1985 to December 1986 issue. It received a good reception, so the publisher decided to found the magazine specialized for it.
The first issue of ''Famitsu'' was published on June 6, 1986, as ''Famicom Tsūshin''. It sold less than 200,000 copies, despite 700,000 copies printed. The major competitor was ''Family Computer Magazine'' launched in July 1985 by
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...
. ''Famitsu''s editor found many readers had multiple game consoles, and they thought it would be better if the magazine covered various platforms. Increasing contents and the page count gradually, the magazine was published three times per month instead of semimonthly publication. On July 19, 1991 (issue #136) the magazine was renamed to and issues were published weekly thereafter. Alongside the weekly magazine, a monthly version called was also published.
Hirokazu Hamamura , former ''Weekly Famitsu'' chief editor, now is president of Enterbrain. He is also the director of Kadokawa Group Holdings, Kadokawa Group Publishing, Kadokawa Games and Walker Books. His pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or ...
, an editor-in-chief (1992-2002), felt the beginning of a new era when he saw a private demonstration of ''
Final Fantasy VII'' in 1993. He thought the name ''Famicom Tsūshin'' should be refurbished. At the start of 1996 (with issue #369) the magazines underwent another name change, truncating their titles to and The name ''Famitsu'' had already been in common use.
The magazine was published by
ASCII
ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
from its founding through March 2000 when it was sold to
Enterbrain
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...
, which published it for 13 years until their parent company
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
published it from 2013 to 2017. Since 2017, Kadokawa's subsidiary Gzbrain has been publishing the magazine, while in 2019 the company changed its name to Kadokawa Game Linkage.
''Shūkan Famitsū'' and ''Gekkan Famitsū''
''Famicom Tsūshin'' initially focused on the Famicom platform, but later it featured multi-platform coverage. ''Famicom Tsūshin'' was renamed to ''Famitsu'' in 1995. ''Shūkan Famitsū'' is a weekly publication concentrating on video game news and reviews, and is published every Thursday with a circulation of 500,000 per issue.
''Gekkan Famitsū'' is published monthly.
Necky the Fox
''Famitsu'' magazine covers alternately feature pop idols or actresses on even-numbered issues and the ''Famitsu'' mascot, the Fox in odd-numbered issues. Year-end and special editions all feature Necky dressed as popular contemporary video game characters. Necky is the cartoon creation of artist
Susumu Matsushita
Susumu Matsushita (松下進 ''Matsushita Susumu''; born February 6, 1950 in Fussa, Tokyo) is a Japanese manga artist known for his unique American comic book, American comic–influenced design. His most famous works are the designing of the masco ...
, and he takes the form of a costumed fox. The costumes worn by Necky reflect current popular video games. Necky's name was chosen according to a reader poll, and it derives from a complex Japanese pun: "Necky" is actually the reverse of the Japanese word for fox, and his original connection to ''Famicom Tsūshin'' is intended to evoke the bark of the fox, the Japanese onomatopoeia of which is . Necky makes a cameo appearance in ''
Super Mario Maker
is a 2015 side-scrolling platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players can create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles ...
''.
Special-topic ''Famitsu'' publications
''Famitsu'' publishes other magazines dedicated to particular consoles. Currently in circulation are:
* (previously ) is written for an older audience and covers
retrogaming
Retrogaming, also known as classic gaming and old school gaming, is the current playing and collection of obsolete computer game, personal computers, video game console, consoles, and video games. Usually, retrogaming is based upon systems that ...
. It has been published monthly since November 2010.
* reports on online gaming.
* reports on Nintendo platforms (currently the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
). The magazine was formerly known as ''Famitsū 64'' and then ''Famitsū Cube'' (among other variations of those two names) based on whatever platforms Nintendo was producing games for at the time.
* reports on mobile gaming via
GREE
GREE (derived from an abbreviation of the " Six degrees of separation" concept) is a Japanese social networking service founded by Yoshikazu Tanaka and operated by GREE, Inc.
GREE focuses primarily on mobile games and over ninety percent of it ...
.
* reports on mobile gaming via
Mobage
is a portal and social network for games, owned by DeNA. The service had 30 million users, who largely play on feature phones.
On February 14, 2011, DeNA announced renaming Mobage Town service name to Mobage, which also merged the Plus+
Plus+ ...
.
Former special topics
''Famitsu'' spin-offs that are no longer in circulation include:
* (previously ''Famicom Tsūshin Kōryaku Special'') was written for younger audiences and concentrated on video game hints and strategy. It was published monthly and was discontinued in September 2002.
* (previously ''Famitsū Comic'') was a comic and manga magazine published irregularly between 1992 and 1995.
* reported on
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
platforms news and covered the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
. Previous incarnations of this magazine included ''Sega Saturn Tsūshin'' which covered the
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
, with earlier issues covering earlier Sega platforms.
* covered
bishōjo game
A or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls".
''Bishōjo'' games are similar to ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' books in the way of narrative, in which the game tells a story but the player may make ...
s.
* covered the
Satellaview
The is a satellite modem peripheral produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom in 1995. Containing 1 megabyte of ROM space and an additional 512 kB of RAM, Satellaview allowed players to download games, magazines, and other media through sate ...
. It was published monthly and ran for only 12 issues from May 1995 to May 1996. Its inaugural issue was the May 1995 issue of ''Gekkan Famicom Tsūshin''.
* covered the
Virtual Boy
The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic "3D" graphics. The player uses the console like ...
. Only one issue was ever published in 1995.
* (previously ''PlayStation Tsūshin'') began publication in May 1996, and reported on
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
platforms news. It was later known as ''Famitsū PS2'' and ''Famitsū PSP+PS3'' before being discontinued in March 2010.
* (previously ''GameWave DVD'') covered events, film, and previews. Each magazine included a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
disc (
NTSC
The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
Region 2) that contained video game footage such as trailers and gameplay tips, as well interviews with developers and publishers. It was published monthly, first starting in September 2000 until its final issue of May 2011.
* reported on
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
news. It was published monthly, first starting in January 2002 before being discontinued in 2013.
Scoring
Video games are graded in ''Famitsu'' via a "Cross Review" in which a panel of four video game reviewers each give a score from 0 to 10 (with ten indicating the best game). The scores of the four reviewers are then added up for a maximum possible score of 40. From the twenty-four games awarded with a perfect score , three are for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
and five are for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
. The
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
also has five games with a perfect score and the
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
has four, with both consoles having four titles in common. The others are for different platforms with only one title each. Franchises with multiple perfect score winners include ''
The Legend of Zelda
''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'' with four titles, ''
Metal Gear
is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...
'' with three titles, and ''
Final Fantasy
is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' with two titles. The most recent game to receive a perfect score is ''
Ghost of Tsushima
''Ghost of Tsushima'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol ...
''.
, all but three games with perfect scores are from Japanese companies, nine being published/developed by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
, four by
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
, three by
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
, three by
Konami
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
and one by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
. , the only three completely foreign games to achieve a perfect score are ''
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' by
Bethesda Softworks, ''
Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
'' by
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
, and ''
Ghost of Tsushima
''Ghost of Tsushima'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol ...
'', from
Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch Productions, LLC is an American video game developer based in Bellevue, Washington. It is best known for creating character action games for PlayStation consoles such as '' Sly Cooper'', '' Infamous'', and '' Ghost of Tsushima''. ...
. Other foreign games that have achieved near-perfect scores are ''
L.A. Noire
''L.A. Noire'' is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows detective Cole Phelps's rise among the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he so ...
'', ''
Red Dead Redemption
''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A spiritual successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redempt ...
'', ''
Red Dead Redemption 2
''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
'' and ''
Grand Theft Auto IV
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...
'' – all four of which came from
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
; ''
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'', ''
Call of Duty: Black Ops'', and ''
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' – all from
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
, although published by Square Enix in Japan; ''
Gears of War 3
''Gears of War 3'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the third installment of the Gears of War, ''Gears of War'' series. Originally due for re ...
'' from
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
; and
The Last of Us Part II
''The Last of Us Part II'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Set five years after ''The Last of Us'' (2013), the game focuses on two playable chara ...
and
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End from
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...
. (''
Kingdom Hearts II'' is a joint effort between
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
and
Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Interactive. Prior to its closure in 2016, it developed and distributed multi-platform video games and interac ...
.)
Awards
''Famitsu'' administers the ''Famitsu'' awards. Video games receive a number of different awards in categories like Innovation, Biggest Hit, Rookie Award, Highest Quality, etc. One or two "
Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
" awards are granted as the top prize. Top prize winners are determined by a combination of critical and fan review scores as well as sales figures.
Relationship with other magazines
UK trade magazine
MCV and ''Famitsu'' have an exclusive partnership which sees news and content from each magazine appear in the other.
[
]
See also
*
Enterbrain
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...
*
Famitsu Bunko
is a light novel publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Enterbrain, a division of Kadokawa Future Publishing
is the publishing arm of Kadokawa Corporation, publishing manga, novels, light novels, magazines, tabletop ...
*
Famitsu scores
Notes
References
External links
*
''Famitsu'' scores archive(via The
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
)
{{Video Game Critics
1986 establishments in Japan
Fictional foxes
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Magazines established in 1986
Magazines published in Tokyo
Monthly magazines published in Japan
Video game magazines published in Japan
Weekly magazines published in Japan