Japan’s cellular market is a profitable however advanced puzzle for world builders. Why achieve this many well-funded apps fail to attach with native customers? The reply lies in a technique that goes far past easy translation.
We spoke with cellular advertising professional Yu Nakamura to unpack what really works in Japan. On this Q&A, Yu breaks down the important nuances of localization, the rising energy of rewarded advertisements, and the important thing variations in Japanese participant habits that each writer wants to grasp.
AppSamurai: Getting into Japan’s app market goes far past translation, it calls for deep localization, from culturally attuned language to seasonal occasions tied to holidays. Out of your expertise, how are profitable publishers tailoring each their localization technique and UA strategy to resonate with Japanese gamers, and the place do worldwide builders most frequently get it flawed?
Yu Nakamura: Localization for the Japanese market is a really attention-grabbing matter. One widespread mistake I’ve seen is when publishers attempt to apply the identical methods that labored in different international locations on to Japan, and find yourself failing. I imagine this occurs as a result of Japan has a really totally different tradition as an island nation, and likewise as a result of the sport business right here has developed in its personal distinctive manner, with long-established firms like Nintendo and Sony shaping the market.
For smartphone video games, a number of years in the past it felt nearly essential to localize every little thing right into a “Japanese model,” together with the artwork. That was as a result of a lot of the standard apps in Japan on the time had been made domestically. However not too long ago, abroad titles have turn into extra broadly accepted, so localizing the paintings isn’t all the time important anymore. However, cautious localization of in-game language continues to be important. Japanese gamers usually don’t really feel as comfy with English as with their native language. So even when a recreation appears enjoyable, if the tutorial begins out in English, many customers will rapidly churn. Not everybody, in fact, however it’s not unusual for Japanese gamers to have a form of resistance to English in video games.
As for UA, not that many publishers are doing heavy localization for Japan. One motive is that many more recent video games are extra non-verbal, and their video creatives don’t embody a lot textual content.
That stated, one channel that has been rising strongly is rewarded advertisements. Japan has a number of native rewarded networks along with the worldwide ones, and from what I do know, there are no less than 4 or 5 main gamers. Plus, some new networks are getting into the market this 12 months, so I count on this channel will hold increasing within the close to future.
AppSamurai: Brief drama apps in Japan are rising over 30% YoY, fueled by aggressive paid person acquisition, TikTok-style vertical codecs, AI-powered content material, and influencer-led discovery. Out of your perspective, what’s driving this surge extra: the aggressive UA or the content material technique itself? And are there classes that cellular video games or different apps can be taught from these traits to spice up engagement and monetization in Japan?
Yu Nakamura: I imagine this progress is being pushed by each aggressive UA and the content material technique. Japan has a long-standing manga tradition. Titles like Dragon Ball and Naruto, and extra not too long ago Demon Slayer, have turn into world hits, whereas on the similar time there are numerous IPs that stay standard solely inside Japan. Manga was initially consumed by means of magazines and books, however with the rise of smartphones, it grew to become simply accessible by means of apps. I see brief drama apps as an extension of this pattern.
Right this moment, anybody can simply shoot, edit, and distribute movies, which has led to an explosion of content material. On the similar time, I really feel that many customers who as soon as spent their time on manga apps at the moment are shifting towards brief movies, since they’re even simpler to eat.
With regards to cellular video games, it is likely to be troublesome to instantly reapply the identical UA methods. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be taught from the inventive facet. Lately, UGC (user-generated content material) creatives have been on the rise, and lots of the point-reward apps which are rising in Japan rely closely on UGC-style promoting. In recreation advertising as nicely, we’re seeing extra circumstances the place micro-influencers are getting used, and it’s not uncommon for YouTubers to look in advertisements.
For the reason that effectiveness of a video relies upon significantly on the channel, I imagine the secret is to check a wide range of inventive codecs and hold optimizing to seek out one of the best match.
AppSamurai: Japanese cellular video games present clear patterns: ad-driven genres lean on quantity, whereas IAP-heavy video games profit from loyalty and retention, with paid UA driving early engagement. Out of your expertise, how ought to builders stability person acquisition, content material funding, and retention methods throughout totally different recreation varieties to maximise each engagement and monetization in Japan?
Yu Nakamura: To reply this query, I feel it’s essential to first contact on the traits of Japanese customers. Typically talking, Japanese gamers are likely to immerse themselves deeply in video games, they don’t stop simply, they usually typically proceed enjoying patiently even when the gameplay is considerably repetitive.
So, when you’re not seeing the form of person habits you count on within the Japanese market, I imagine it normally means you want deeper localization—particularly on the language facet. After all, there are exceptions. Typically the problem is solely that the sport belongs to a style that isn’t nicely accepted in Japan. I gained’t level to particular genres right here, however when you take a look at the rankings on the Japanese App Retailer or Google Play and see a number of different titles in your class, you then’re most likely effective. But when there are nearly none, then sadly localization alone is unlikely to make it profitable.
Coming again to the primary level—first, on person acquisition. As I discussed earlier, I feel it’s effective to start out through the use of the identical video creatives that work globally and run them by means of the advert networks. There’s no have to make Japan-specific investments instantly; that may come later.
Subsequent, relating to content material funding and retention. Excessive-quality translation is important, in fact. And in Japan, seasonal occasions are broadly appreciated. This observe comes from Japanese social video games, which have lengthy used seasonal occasions to encourage gamers to spend on “gacha,” providing new characters or outfits tied to these occasions. It’s a long-standing cultural expectation, so I feel reapplying it nonetheless makes a variety of sense.
To sum up, my view on priorities can be: Content material funding (primarily language localization) < Retention methods = Consumer acquisition.
