Published by Thames & Hudson, Japansoft: An Oral History is a 348-page book filled with insights from developers who worked at emerging studios in the early days of the Japanese video game industry. Developers from Sega, Enix, Capcom, Nihon Falcom, and Hudson Soft are featured in this insightful oral history. Written by Alex Wiltshire, Japansoft was originally published in 2022 but has been out of print for a while.
A good chunk of the content first appeared in John Szczepaniak’s The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, a truly massive book (well, books) that is worth checking out if you want an even wider look at the beginnings of the game industry in Japan. But even if you’re familiar with Szczepaniak’s books, Japansoft does have new reporting based on interviews Wiltshire conducted, including conversations with Nasir Gebelli (Final Fantasy, Red Racer), Manami Matsumae (Rockman, otherwise known as Mega Man), Harumi Fujita (Bionic Commando), Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders), and Noritaka Funamizu (1943, Area 88).
Along with these exclusive interviews, the book takes an overarching look at the history of game development in Japan and features illustrations from popular artist Yu Nagaba. You’ll also find a variety of photographs, ads, and other visuals scattered throughout. All told, there are 89 illustrations–30 of which are in full color.
If you’re interested in preordering Japansoft ahead of its September 3 release, you should definitely check out Szczepaniak’s book. When we referred to it as “massive,” we weren’t exaggerating. Clocking in at 1,346 pages across three volumes, this deep dive could keep you busy longer than a JRPG.
All three volumes are in stock at Amazon for list price ($30 each) and are sold and shipped directly from Amazon. The ebook versions are significantly cheaper, and Kindle Unlimited subscribers can actually read all three without spending a dime. Note that the page count expands drastically in ebook format due to design differences.
