Famitsu

formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''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 dominant video game console in Japan during the 1980s.

History

, a computer game magazine, started in 1982 as an extra issue of ''ASCII'', 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. ''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, 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 from its founding through March 2000 when it was sold to Enterbrain, which published it for 13 years until their parent company Kadokawa 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, 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''.

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. It has been published monthly since November 2010.
* reports on online gaming.
* reports on Nintendo platforms (currently the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch). 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.
* reports on mobile gaming via Mobage.

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 platforms news and covered the Dreamcast. Previous incarnations of this magazine included ''Sega Saturn Tsūshin'' which covered the Sega Saturn, with earlier issues covering earlier Sega platforms.
* covered bishōjo games.
* covered the Satellaview. 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. Only one issue was ever published in 1995.
* (previously ''PlayStation Tsūshin'') began publication in May 1996, and reported on Sony 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 disc ( NTSC 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 and Xbox 360 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 and five are for the Wii. The PlayStation 3 also has five games with a perfect score and the Xbox 360 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'' with four titles, ''Metal Gear'' with three titles, and ''Final Fantasy'' with two titles. The most recent game to receive a perfect score is '' Ghost of Tsushima''.

, all but three games with perfect scores are from Japanese companies, nine being published/developed by Nintendo, four by Square Enix, three by Sega, three by Konami and one by Capcom. , the only three completely foreign games to achieve a perfect score are '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' by Bethesda Softworks, '' Grand Theft Auto V'' by Rockstar Games, and '' Ghost of Tsushima'', from Sucker Punch Productions. Other foreign games that have achieved near-perfect scores are '' L.A. Noire'', '' Red Dead Redemption'', '' Red Dead Redemption 2'' and '' Grand Theft Auto IV'' – all four of which came from Rockstar Games; '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'', '' Call of Duty: Black Ops'', and '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' – all from Activision, although published by Square Enix in Japan; '' Gears of War 3'' from Epic Games; and The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End from Naughty Dog. ('' Kingdom Hearts II'' is a joint effort between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios.)

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" 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
*Famitsu Bunko
*Famitsu scores

Notes

References

External links

*
''Famitsu'' scores archive
(via The Internet Archive)

{{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