Social Gaming Market in Japan - Yano Research Home

Yano Research Institute
RESEARCH SUMMARY
January 10, 2012
2-46-2 Honcho, Nakano-ku,
Tokyo 164-8620, Japan
Social Gaming Market in Japan: Key Research Findings
2012
◆ Research Outline
Yano Research Institute has conducted a study on the domestic social gaming market with the
following conditions:
1. Research period: November to December, 2012
2. Research target: Domestic SNS companies, social application providers, gaming publishers and
developers, online gaming providers and developers.
3. Research methodologies: Face-to-face interviews by the specialized researchers, telephone/email
surveys, and literature research
The social gaming in this research is defined as online gaming provided within SNS, which enable SNS
users to communicate with each others through such gaming.
Note that size of the social gaming market is estimated by calculating the sums paid by domestic Japanese
SNS users for playing the social gaming, which does not include advertisement revenues.
◆ Key Findings
• Domestic Social Gaming Market Expected to Continue Growing, 110% of Previous
Year to Attain 425.6 Billion Yen in FY2013
The domestic social gaming market in FY2012 achieved 387.0 billion yen, 137% of the previous
year. Increasing tendency of the domestic social gaming market is estimated to continue in
FY2013, though the growth rate slows down to 110% of the previous year, at 425.6 billion yen.
The market expansion is secured by the revenues from domestic SNS customers and the user
payments.
• Active Voluntary for Healthy Development of Industry
The social gaming industry is facing various issues, such as so-called “complete gacha”,
real-money-trading of unauthorized copies of items, expensive payment charged to young people,
and etc, which have become social problems. The industry is now trying to dispel such problems
and has been voluntarily making itself healthier; one of such efforts is to create industrial
organizations.
• Transition of Battlefield to Global Smart Phones Market
It is likely that smart phones will be the major terminals for the users to play social gaming for
the future. The leading SMS businesses have already been shifted to support smart phones.
From FY2013 and later, the full entrance to overseas market is expected. Whether gaming

titles for smart phones can be successfully monetized or not is the key for further expansion of
the industry.
◆ Report format:
Published report: “Social Gaming Market 2012-2013”
Issued on: December 27, 2011
Language: Japanese
Format: 288 pages in A4 format
Price: 126,000 yen (6,000 yen of consumption tax shall be charged for the sales in Japan.)
Contacts: Public Relations
Yano Research Institute Ltd. (URL: http://www.yanoresearch.com)
Phone: +81-3-5371-6912
E-mail: press@yano.co.jp
• Figure 1: Estimated Size of Domestic Social Gaming Market
5,000
4,500
4,000
(Hundred Million Yen)
3,870
4,256
3,500
3,000
2,824
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,380
1,000
500
0
361
FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012
(Estimate)
FY 2013
(Estimate)
Estimated by YRI
Notes:
1. Figures are estimated by calculating sums of users paid to play social gaming, and no advertisement
revenues included.
2. Social gaming for all terminals including smart phones, mobile phones, personal computers, etc.