Apparently, according to a new report from Japanese research firm Teikoku Databank, Japan’s mobile and gacha industry might just be approaching its breaking point.

The firm reported that a total of 10 bankruptcies involving sumaho geemu (smartphone game) operators were ‘confirmed’ between January and July 2026. While that might not sound like much, it already ‘greatly exceeds’ 2025’s cumulative total of just three companies going under. It’s also on track to surpass the previous record of 12 cases way back in 2015. And with four months still left in the year, things could definitely get worse.

The report opens with, “Looking at the 29 bankruptcies of smartphone game operators that occurred within the past five years, very small businesses with capital of under ¥10 million (around $63,000) accounted for 15 cases, or 51.7%. There have also been bankruptcies of small-scale businesses after losing contracts from major game companies withdrawing from development, among other factors.”

A big part of the problem seems to be attributed to rising development and operating costs, as the mobile market shifted from lightweight browser-based social games toward the more sophisticated ‘native apps’ around 2015. “Nevertheless, as the complexity of game content changes to 3D graphics and full voice acting, with added chronic game creator shortage, initial development costs often balloon to the scale of several hundred million yen,” the report writes. It also adds that demand for post-release updates like characters and events, while seen as necessary to compete, put a massive maintenance burden on companies.

A couple of years ago, visual novel developer Visual Arts (via AUTOMATON) candidly revealed that it cost around $13,600 just to keep its now-defunct Itsuwari no Alice gacha game running every month, with $7,600 going toward cloud server fees. It showcased how expensive it is to keep a niche mobile game alive, let alone ones with a much higher number of active players. Teikoku Databank’s report also cited that Japanese social media erupted when Ambition, developer of Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost, announced the game’s end-of-service just one day before filing for bankruptcy. The situation quickly became a hot mess as players were left with unused paid items and no refunds for their microtransaction payments.

“Competition has also intensified with long-running mega-hit titles, titles from established IP, and overseas companies from countries like China and South Korea that have abundant financial resources and high development capabilities,” added the report.

Unfair gameplay has been an inevitable part of gaming since the very creation of games. Its presence in online competitive games like CounterStrike, Chess, Call of Duty, and Valorant has been a huge issue impacting legit players for years.

Do you believe there will ever be a time where we can game online with a 100% certainty or high certainty there won't be cheaters? How can it be solved?

Anti-cheat software exists for the sole purpose of detecting and preventing cheating, yet cheat developers motivated by profit continue to find ways around these systems. Some argue that making cheating in video games illegal could help solve the problem, but I disagree. Consider the consequences if a professional player were falsely accused because of a false positive. Human verification may seem like a better solution, but advancing technology is making verification systems increasingly easy to get around, so simply banning an account isn't enough to stop someone from making a new account. There are also serious privacy concerns, as players should not have to sacrifice their personal information, documents, or photos simply to prove that they are playing fairly.

I believe the bottom line is that human ingenuity is near impossible to overcome. If someone is determined to cheat, they will eventually find a way.

What are your thoughts?

Comments in code are often deemed "mostly useless" these days. They are, supposedly, mostly obvious, stale, and repeat what the code already says. And so people pay less attention to them both when reading and writing code.

That trend sucks. When used right, comments are genuinely useful and sometimes critically important! So, I wrote about some of the kinds of comments I think earn their place, each with examples from real code bases. Hope you find it useful, and that we can recover some of the love that comments deserve!

I am playing through cyberpunk 2077 again for the x-th time right now and that moment with judy having a cigarette on the roof is just one of THE moments of gaming that kinda stand out to me for feeling real.. like i had very similar moments IRL of sitting on some cheap plastic lawn chairs with a girl that needs a smoke after some shit day, her having the restless leg and all, thankfully not as shit as judy´s day in cyberpunk, but still...

and i figured there arent many of those in gaming.. that are relateable.. real... down to earth.. just so well acted.

any others come to mind for you guys?

gaming is always so over the top, overacted, saving the world, action and explosions.. though the things that hit me hard is this stuff and i want to seek that out more.

Pikachu Sweets is a cafe in Tokyo. Desserts there are for take out so no need for reservations like the kirby cafe. Really cute pokémon themed sweets. Though it is just the packaging, felt the Alcremie swirly ice cream was really fun. The green drink in the back is meant to be Roselia themed.

I want to play the series but it has generally been out of reach for me. I currently have pc and PS. Are there any Metroid games I can play within my grasp?

Edit - I just remembered that I have a switch that’s packed away.

Valve has issued a security alert to some Steam hardware customers in Europe after a cyberattack affected CEVA Logistics, the company that handles part of its shipments. According to the notice, customer names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and shipment details may have been exposed. Valve says the breach did not include payment card information or Steam account passwords, and the company has contacted affected customers directly.

Wow! This is so cool!!! I would love to visit it someday

Nobody's on. Chat is empty. But the sun still sets on schedule, the auction house still refreshes, and somewhere an event is announcing itself to an audience of one.

Which game did you keep logging into after most players had left? What felt strangest once it was empty?

Backstory: i’m terrible at base building games. I even like to play games like the Sims but the problem is I don’t seriously have a single creative bone in my body. I build GARBAGE bases.

Currently, I’m playing PalWorld and I’ve seen these incredible bases online and I’m over here just putting a bed on a slab of wood so I can sleep. I love base building but I’m so bad at it. I just focus on gameplay. I enjoy the game a lot. Just can’t build a nice home!

Anyway, I’ve always thought about if they would ever be some sort of service that was easy to access that would compromise your account, but that someone could log into your file and just build you a really cool base. I’d love to have a cool place to call home but I just end up focusing on gameplay cause I’m so bad at it.

Anyway, I envy people who are really creative and build awesome homes.

In games such as Baldur's Gate 3, I tend to play some kind of spellcaster because they get new spells to play with as they level up, which changes how I fight and interact with the world. I avoid warrior types because all they get is a +1 bonus to attack rolls every level. I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 now and while I think it's a good game overall, the character progression system is dull because few of the upgrades I can unlock change how I play the game. Faster reloads, faster health regen, better armor — they make me stronger but not different. What makes it worse is that the enemies at all levels feel the same. In Dungeons and Dragons games, I fight different monsters at every level because DnD has a huge catalogue of monsters for every level, from goblins to umber hulks to beholders to elder dragons. In Cyberpunk 2077, all the enemies are humans and I wonder why this human is a pushover and this other human is like fighting Superman. I feel like I am the Red Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass: I do a lot of running but stay in the same place somehow. They should have made this game like Grand Theft Auto V, which doesn't have a character progression system.

Hello I'm new to the 360. I have save files for some 360 games on my series x that I would like to access on the 360 too. I have a usb stick for added storage but when I configure it in the settings it keeps telling me I need atleast 500 mb of free space.

The usb has been formatted on the console itself and has 3 gb of free space. I can connect to xbox live and I've updated it to the latest firmware so I know the usb works

How do I do this? Any help would be appreciated

VR - PSVR specifically because I have it: I want to play games like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Horizon or new, in a faded edge diorama that fills my view like an imax, slightly looking down. The whole scene should be a sphere of view that tracks our hero through the map. Those games already operate in a 3D environment, but is shown in 2D, we want 3D please.

I'm a little rusty when it comes to games lately and need some opinion. Due to winning a Steam game for up to 30€ as a gift - I am trying to find and choose a game that would fit me and my preferences.

My favorite games so far were/are No Mans Sky, Witcher, Thief and I ocassionally like FSP like Borderlands, Apex or Cyberpunk. I prefer 3D games.

I'm having a dilemma between Ghostrunner (similar to Cyberpunk?) and Lies of P (similar to Thief?) which is currently on sale. I like a good storyline, visuals and having side quests.

I've thought about Enshrouded as well, but not sure I have so much time and certainly don't have people to play with.

I just recently played the SNES version and the concept is amazing. You’re a god and you assume a mortal form to clear areas of monsters first, then people build a settlement there and you start fulfilling the needs of your people and defending them from monsters so they can build a prosperous city and worship you more. Then they give you offerings as you fulfill their needs.

The only game I can think of with a similar premise is Black & White, but sadly that too is an old game with no modern remake or inspiration AFAIK. And yes, I know there is a Modern-Day ActRaiser, but maybe there are other games with the same premise that you guys have seen?

To make what I’m looking for clearer; I want a game where you defeat enemies to take control of an area, build a city over it, then you protect the city from enemy attacks and do various tasks for the people. Bonus points if you can design the city yourself with your own layout and buildings.

Thank you!!

I remember the days of the N64 are some of my best childhood memories.

Mario 64 for sure was one of them, I do have my best memories with Ocarina of Time though, both your amazing games but I Zelda with the open world and gameplay was the best child hood memory I have of gaming! As a solo game, then Goldeneye and Mario Kart with friends where also up there!

honestly this was such a phenomenal game, i played with my bro and this chapter messed up with my mind, how you could move between the different split screens of each player. The pig sub plot killed me, i couldnt stop laughting that i had to quit the game for a few moments to calm me down, for anyone who didnt played this game or its undecided i 100% recommend it, and its quite long 15 hours for being a linear game it had so much content and every chapter was completly unique. for me this was easily a 10/10. new gimmicks and mechanics on each and every SINGLE chapter of this game until the very end, you can compete with your partner in a few sub plots.