I was just thinking about indie game development around the world and realized that I can't think of many Japanese indie studios, especially compared to their prominence in the AA-AAA space. Do we hear less about them because they tend not to get localized for the West? Do they just concentrate more on mobile? Or is it that the Japanese indie scene really is just comparatively smaller than other parts of the world for some reason?

Also, what is your favorite Japanese indie developer?

Thanks.

I watch a few Japanese vtubers.  They play a lot of well-known games and western indie hits but they also play a fair amount of Japanese horror games that are obviously low budget.  These games are usually really janky and stylized but they seem to be popular, at least among streamers.  I'm guessing the relatively small number of PC gamers is the big limiting factor.

The other thing I see are visual novel type games or mobile style games that can also be played on other platforms, like the Suika game (which is surprisingly fun).

I’ve noticed this as well. I would guess the scene is relatively small and that many of the less marketable indie games aren’t localized outside of Japan.

My favorite Japanese indie developer is Edelweiss, which made a stellar shoot-‘em-up in Astebreed and a great platforming/farming simulation game in Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.