In an industry already tanking a bunch of hits, full of layoffs and studio closures, the Japanese games industry seemed to be an exception in 2025—as noted by an analyst last month, five out of eight major publishers and studios hit all-time share price highs at the start of this year, with their only real issue being a lack of staff.
Well, the tariffs imposed by the United States have begun to put a stop to all that, it seems. Last week, the Trump administration imposed "reciprocal" tariffs across the globe. Japan is set to endure a 24% tariff that'll go into effect April 9—which has naturally created a huge dent in the stock market.
