Japanese indie game media and X accounts to pitch (2026) — and how to pitch them

If you are an indie developer outside Japan, Japanese game media can feel like a closed room: the sites are in Japanese, the contact pages are in Japanese, and it is hard to tell which outlets actually accept news from small studios.

The good news is that many of the larger Japanese outlets publish an official address or form for press releases. You do not need a contact inside the newsroom to send them your news. You do need to send it in a way that a Japanese editor can read quickly.

This guide lists eight outlets whose submission route I checked on each outlet's own website, explains how each one asks to receive releases, and shows how to put together a short Japanese pitch.

Why Japanese coverage is worth the effort

Chris Zukowski of How To Market A Game collected several examples in his post "Big in Japan". According to the developers he quotes:

• Glyphica: Typing Survival was covered by Denfaminicogamer during Steam Next Fest. Zukowski notes that the festival makes the exact impact hard to separate, but the biggest one-day spike, almost 3,000 wishlists, came after the article.
• Manly Mines saw 3,166 wishlists in one week after an AUTOMATON article and the related post on X.
• Mystopia gained over 500 wishlists in its first two weeks after Indie Freaks posted about the newly launched Steam page.

Those are reported results for specific games, not a promise. But they make a point that is easy to miss from outside Japan: Japanese outlets do cover unknown indie games, and Japanese players do click through to Steam.

Zukowski also noticed something that matters for this guide. Several of the games that got picked up already had a Japanese store page. He recommends translating your store page and adding Japanese outlets to your list for every major news beat: store page launch, demo, release date announcement and launch.

Valve says something similar in its own documentation. On the Visibility on Steam page, Steam states that it "will be more likely to show your game to players that speak a language supported by your game."

How I built this list

I only included outlets that meet two conditions:

1. The outlet is active and covers games, including smaller PC titles.
2. The outlet's own website (or its operating company's website) states how to send a press release.

I left out outlets where I could only find the address on third-party lists. Contact details change, so treat this list as a starting point and open each link before you send anything.

The list

The X accounts above are the ones linked from each outlet's own website.

AUTOMATON

AUTOMATON describes itself as a game site that digs into current news and community topics, with the concept "Veracity in Gaming." It also runs an English edition, AUTOMATON WEST, which opened in August 2021 and has its own indie games section.

• How to send: The Japanese contact page says the form is for general inquiries and that press releases should go to press@automaton.am. The English contact page gives the same address.
• Tip: Because AUTOMATON has an English edition, an English release is not wasted here. For the Japanese site, a Japanese version still makes the editor's job easier.

Denfaminicogamer (電ファミニコゲーマー)

Denfaminicogamer publishes news, long interviews with developers and original features.

• How to send: The site's About page lists a press-release contact, shown as an image: release@mare-inc.net.
• What they say: The outlet's media kit states plainly that it cannot promise coverage. It asks you to send your materials and explain what makes your game interesting or new. That is useful advice for every outlet on this list.

Game*Spark

Game*Spark covers both Japanese and overseas games and is run by IID, Inc.

• How to send: The site links to IID's media contact form for Game*Spark. The form has a category called "リリース送付" (release submission).
• Paid versus editorial: IID also announced a paid advertising program for indie games called "Indie Hype Train". Sending a release through the form is not the same thing as buying that program. If you only want editorial consideration, choose the release category.

4Gamer.net

4Gamer.net is one of the largest Japanese game news sites.

• How to send: On the official contact form, the section for publishers and developers includes the category "ニュースリリースの送付について" (about sending news releases).
• What developers report: One Japanese indie developer wrote on Zenn that 4Gamer replied by email with the address to use for releases. In other words, plan for one extra step and do not send your release on launch day if this is your first contact.

Famitsu.com (ファミ通.com)

Famitsu is one of the best-known game brands in Japan.

• How to send: The Famitsu.com contact page asks for news releases by email to kgl-famitsu-release@ml.kadokawa.jp.

IGN Japan

• How to send: IGN Japan's contact page lists one address for press releases, feedback and business inquiries: ign_japan@ign.com. The page also includes an English line with the same address.

GAME Watch

GAME Watch is part of Impress Watch, a group of Japanese tech and hobby news sites.

• How to send: The GAME Watch contact page asks for press releases about games, gaming PCs and devices, esports, anime and theme parks at game-watch@impress.co.jp.
• What they say: The editors decide independently whether to publish, and they do not answer questions about whether something will be published. Do not send "Did you get my email?" follow-ups.

Indie Freaks

Indie Freaks focuses on indie games.

• How to send: The Indie Freaks company page lists press@indie-freaks.com for media coverage, blog features and game keys, and contact@indie-freaks.com for business inquiries.
• Worth knowing: The same page lists paid services such as marketing support, Japanese social media management and English-to-Japanese localization. Editorial coverage and paid services are separate routes, so be clear about which one you are asking for.

How to pitch a Japanese outlet

Every outlet above receives far more news than it can publish. The suggestions below are my own view as a Japanese reader, not rules set by the outlets. The aim is to make your release easy to understand in the first few seconds.

1. Send a Japanese version

English-only releases may work at outlets with English-speaking staff. In my view, a Japanese version can make the editor's job easier. If budget is tight, translate at least the subject line, the first paragraph and the fact table, and attach the full English release below it.

2. Use a clear subject line

Japanese releases usually put the type of news in brackets at the start of the subject line, followed by the title in 『 』 brackets and the news itself. For example:

【プレスリリース】『Tide Mender』Steamストアページ公開、2027年春発売予定

(Press release: "Tide Mender" Steam store page now live, release planned for spring 2027)

【プレスリリース】『Tide Mender』Steam Next Fest にて体験版を配信

(Press release: "Tide Mender" demo available during Steam Next Fest)

Tide Mender is a made-up title used only for these examples.

3. Open with the essentials

The first paragraph should answer who, what, when and where. A simple Japanese lead looks like this:

インディーゲームスタジオ○○（所在地：カナダ・バンクーバー）は、港町再建シミュレーション『Tide Mender』のSteamストアページを本日公開しました。発売は2027年春を予定しています。

(Indie studio XX, based in Vancouver, Canada, today opened the Steam store page for the harbor-town rebuilding sim "Tide Mender." Release is planned for spring 2027.)

4. Add a fact table

Japanese editors are used to a short product summary block, called 製品概要 (product overview). Keep it factual:

タイトル：Tide Mender（タイドメンダー）
ジャンル：港町再建シミュレーション
対応機種：PC（Steam）
発売日：2027年春予定
価格：未定
対応言語：英語（日本語は今後対応予定）
開発：○○ Studio
Steamストアページ：https://store.steampowered.com/app/xxxxx/
プレスキット：https://example.com/presskit

5. Be precise about Japanese support

This is the line Japanese readers care about most, and it is the one that most often gets blurred. State exactly what is in Japanese:

• 日本語対応（インターフェース・字幕） — Japanese interface and subtitles
• 日本語対応予定 — Japanese support planned
• 日本語非対応（ストアページのみ日本語） — no Japanese in the game, store page only

If the game is not in Japanese yet, say so. An article that implies Japanese support, followed by Japanese players finding an English-only game, is not a good outcome for anyone.

6. Link, don't attach

Put your trailer, screenshots and key art in a press kit and link to it. Large attachments are easy to miss or get filtered.

7. Time it with a real news beat

Good moments to send are the ones Zukowski lists: store page launch, demo, release date announcement and launch. Steam Next Fest is another one. According to Valve's event page, the February 2027 edition runs from February 22 to March 1, 2027, with registration closing on January 10, 2027 (Pacific time). In Japan Standard Time, the festival opens on the morning of February 23.

Remember that Japan is ahead of Europe and the Americas. A release that lands in the middle of a Japanese night will sit under the next morning's pile.

8. Post in Japanese on X, too

Zukowski points out that X still matters in Japan, and every outlet above links to an active account. When your news goes out, post a short Japanese version on your own account with the Steam link and a clip. Do not tag outlets in the hope of forcing a reply. Send the release through their official route.

Before you send: a short checklist

• ☐ Subject line in Japanese, with the title in 『 』
• ☐ First paragraph answers who, what, when and where
• ☐ Fact table with Steam link and press kit link
• ☐ Japanese support stated exactly
• ☐ One email per outlet, sent through the official route listed above
• ☐ No follow-ups asking whether you will be covered
• ☐ Your Steam store page is ready for Japanese visitors

Make sure the page they land on is in Japanese

Everything above leads to one place: your Steam page. If an editor or reader clicks through and finds only English, much of the effort is lost. Zukowski's examples and Valve's own guidance point the same way.

If your store page is not in Japanese yet, I can help with that part. JapanOps offers a fixed-price Japanese Steam Store Page Pack for US$99: natural Japanese for your short description, long description and feature list (up to 1,000 English source words), with one revision. Press releases are not included in the pack.

See what the US$99 Steam Pack includes →

Kohey Nishi is a native Japanese speaker based in Japan and runs JapanOps. Outlet contact details were checked on each outlet's official website on October 17, 2026. JapanOps has no relationship with any outlet listed here.