Famitsu
, formerly, is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage, a subsidiary of Kadokawa. Famitsu is published in weekly and monthly formats, and in special issues devoted to particular themes. It was first published in 1986.
the original 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 on BookWalker weekly.
The name Famitsu is a portmanteau abbreviation of Famicom Tsūshin; Famicom is an abbreviation of Family Computer, the dominant video game console in Japan when the magazine was first published.
History
LOGiN, 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. Famitsus 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 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, felt the beginning of a new era when he saw a private demonstration of Final Fantasy VI in 1993. He thought the name Famicom Tsūshin should be refurbished. At the start of 1996 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 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:- is written for an older audience and covers retro gaming. It has been published monthly since November 2010.
- reports on online gaming.
- reports on Nintendo platforms. The magazine was formerly known as Famitsū 64 and then Famitsū Cube 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
- was written for younger audiences and concentrated on video game hints and strategy. It was published monthly and was discontinued in September 2002.
- 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.
- 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.
- covered events, film, and previews. Each magazine included a DVD disc 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
, all but three games with perfect scores are from Japanese companies, ten 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 by Sucker Punch Productions. Other foreign games that have achieved near-perfect scores are Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Red Dead Redemption 2, all by Rockstar Games; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, all by Activision ; Gears of War 3 by Epic Games; and The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End by Naughty Dog. Kingdom Hearts II, another game with a near-perfect score, was a joint effort between Japanese developer Square Enix and American developer Disney Interactive Studios.