harry_holmwood_marvelous_introduction to doing business in japan

Marvelous AQL Europewww.maqleurope.comwww.marvelousgames.com

Introduction to Doing Business in Japan

Harry HolmwoodCEO, Marvelous AQL Europe

About MarvelousAQL

• Japanese, publicly listed mobile, console and web game publisher

• Console titles like Harvest Moon, No More Heroes, Senran Kagura, Half Minute Hero, Valhalla Knights, Soul Sacrifice

• PC/Mobile titles including Logres(MMO), 3 Kingdoms,

• MAQL Europe oversees western digital business• Publishing titles in western and Asian markets• Investing in titles and studios

Why Japan?

• Mobile business extremely strong• F2P long established• Highest ARPU in the world

4Western Games Breaking Through

• Apple, Google, LINE etc receptive to western content

• Japanese customers opening up to western games• Clash of Clans• Candy Crush

• Runbot – Feature support in Japan

Japanese vs Western Mobile Games

• Evolved from different places• Japanese mobile games derived from featurephone

games• Western mobile games derived from console games

• Converging to similar places• Smartphone games are neither console nor

featurephone games• Apple are dominating phone sales• 75%+ of phone sales are now iPhone

Don’t Panic

• Japanese society has a lot of rules about hierarchy and politeness

• …but a non-Japanese person would not be expected to adhere to them

• More important to understand how Japanese company culture works than to worry about some of the ‘rituals’

Basic Etiquette

• Be polite• Have a business card with your name and job

title in Japanese• Treat business cards with respect

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Company Culture

• Try to understand how Japanese companies operate

• Don’t expect them to be ‘westernised’

• Don’t be pushy, loud or abrasive• Contracts are less important than

trust

Japanese Business Approach

• Consensus is key• Meetings are for information gathering, not

decision making• Less direct/confrontational - keen to nurture

harmony• Long term thinking / partnerships• Oral agreements

Language Advice

• If dealing in English, slow down and be clear• Typically people will not tell you if they don’t

understand• It is your job to make sure you are

• Much discussion will take place in Japanese• Ideally, take an interpreter with you to

important meetings

Relationship Building

• Smart small and build – long term relationships are key

• Make it easy for Japanese company to say ‘yes’ to something

• Social as well as business relationships are important

• Introduction by friend/colleague is best

Game Style Differences

• Different assumptions about what audience already knows

• Bigger focus on gacha, collection, fusion

• One-handed operation, portrait mode

• Quick bursts of gameplay• Guilds and social features

Opportunities

• Casual/mid core titles with simple core gameplay but depth

• Western mobile developers excelling at 3D, tactile experiences

• Apple/Google/LINE and others all keen to engage with western developers

• Want to help with culturalization, marketing, partnerships, operations

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Ask me about Japan, F2P, funding, publishing or anything else now or… harry@maqleurope.com@hholmwood