Famitsu, which was previously called Famicom Tsūshin, is a series of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage, a company that is part of Kadokawa. These magazines are released weekly, monthly, and in special editions focused on specific topics. The first issue was published in 1986.

Shūkan Famitsū, the original magazine, is the most widely read and respected video game news magazine in Japan. Starting on October 28, 2011, the company began offering a digital version of the magazine on BookWalker every week.

The name Famitsu comes from combining parts of the words "Famicom Tsūshin." Famicom is short for Family Computer, which was the most popular video game console in Japan when the magazine first began.

History

LOGiN (ログイン), a computer game magazine, began in 1982 as a special edition of ASCII and later became a regularly published magazine. Famicom Tsūshin was a section in LOGiN that focused on the Famicom platform. It appeared in issues from March 1985 to December 1986. Because it was well received, the publisher decided to create a magazine dedicated to it.

The first issue of Famitsu was published on June 6, 1986, and was originally called Famicom Tsūshin. It sold fewer than 200,000 copies, even though 700,000 copies were printed. A major competitor was Family Computer Magazine, which was launched in July 1985 by Tokuma Shoten. Famitsu’s editor noticed that many readers owned multiple game consoles and believed the magazine should cover different platforms. Over time, the magazine added more content and pages. It was published three times per month instead of twice. On July 19, 1991 (issue #136), the magazine was renamed Shūkan Famicom Tsūshin, and weekly issues were published afterward. A monthly version called Gekkan Famicom Tsūshin was also released.

Hirokazu Hamamura, who was editor-in-chief from 1992 to 2002, felt a new era was beginning when he saw a private demonstration of Final Fantasy VI in 1993. He believed the name Famicom Tsūshin needed to change. At the start of 1996 (issue #369), the magazines were renamed to Shūkan Famitsū and Gekkan Famitsū. The name Famitsu was already widely used.

The magazine was published by ASCII from its founding until March 2000, when it was sold to Enterbrain. Enterbrain published the magazine for 13 years until its parent company, Kadokawa, took over in 2013. Kadokawa published the magazine until 2017. Since 2017, Kadokawa’s subsidiary Gzbrain has published the magazine. In 2019, the company changed its name to Kadokawa Game Linkage.

Shūkan FamitsūandGekkan Famitsū

Famicom Tsūshin first focused on the Famicom platform but later covered games on multiple platforms. In 1995, the publication was renamed Famitsu. Shūkan Famitsū is a weekly magazine that shares news and reviews about video games. It is published every Thursday and has 500,000 copies in each issue. Gekkan Famitsū is a monthly publication.

Famitsu magazine covers sometimes feature pop idols or actresses on even-numbered issues and the Famitsu mascot, Necky the Fox, on odd-numbered issues. Special editions and year-end issues always show Necky wearing costumes based on popular video game characters. Necky was created by artist Susumu Matsushita and looks like a fox wearing a costume. The costumes Necky wears are inspired by current video games. The name "Necky" came from a reader poll and is a play on words in Japanese. It is the reverse of the Japanese word for fox, キツネ, and connects to the sound foxes make, which is コンコン. Necky appears in the game Super Mario Maker.

Special-topicFamitsupublications

Famitsu publishes several magazines focused on specific video game consoles. Currently available are:

• Entamikusu (previously Otonafami) is aimed at older readers and discusses older video games. It has been published monthly since November 2010.
• Famitsū Connect! On covers online gaming.
• Famitsū DS+Wii reports on Nintendo platforms (currently the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch). The magazine was previously called Famitsū 64 and Famitsū Cube, depending on the Nintendo platforms being used at the time.
• Famitsū GREE covers mobile gaming through the GREE service.
• Famitsū Mobage covers mobile gaming through the Mobage service.

Famitsu magazines that are no longer published include:

• Famitsū Bros. (previously Famicom Tsūshin Kōryaku Special) was aimed at younger readers and provided tips and strategies for video games. It was published monthly and stopped in September 2002.
• Famicomi (previously Famitsū Comic) was a comic and manga magazine published irregularly from 1992 to 1995.
• Famitsū DC reported on news about Sega platforms, including the Dreamcast. Earlier versions of this magazine included Sega Saturn Tsūshin, which covered the Sega Saturn and earlier Sega systems.
• Famitsū Sister focused on bishōjo games.
• Satellaview Tsūshin covered the Satellaview. It was published monthly and lasted for 12 issues from May 1995 to May 1996. Its first issue was the May 1995 edition of Gekkan Famicom Tsūshin.
• Virtual Boy Tsūshin covered the Virtual Boy. Only one issue was published in 1995.
• Famitsū PS (previously PlayStation Tsūshin) began in May 1996 and reported on Sony platforms. It later became Famitsū PS2 and Famitsū PSP+PS3 before ending in March 2010.
• Famitsū Wave DVD (previously GameWave DVD) covered events, films, and previews. Each issue included a DVD disc (NTSC Region 2) with video game footage, such as trailers and gameplay tips, as well as interviews with developers and publishers. It was published monthly from September 2000 until May 2011.
• Famitsū Xbox reported on news about the Xbox and Xbox 360. It was published monthly from January 2002 until 2013.

Scoring

Video games are rated by Famitsu using a system where four reviewers each give a game a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The scores are then added together. In 2024, 30 games received a perfect score of 40 from Famitsu. The PlayStation 3 has the most perfect-scoring games, with seven total. Four of these games were also released on the Xbox 360, which shares the second-highest number of perfect scores with the Wii, each having five total. Game series with multiple perfect scores include The Legend of Zelda (five titles), Metal Gear (three titles), and Final Fantasy (two titles). The most recent game to receive a perfect score is Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

As of 2023, all but three games with perfect scores were made or published by Japanese companies. Ten were made or published by Nintendo, four by Square Enix, three by Sega, three by Konami, and one by Capcom. The only three perfect-scoring games not from Japanese companies are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Bethesda Softworks, Grand Theft Auto V by Rockstar Games, and Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions. Other games with near-perfect scores include Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 by Activision (published by Square Enix in Japan); Gears of War 3 by Epic Games; and The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End by Naughty Dog. Kingdom Hearts II, another near-perfect game, was created by Japanese developer Square Enix and American developer Disney Interactive Studios.

Awards

Famitsu gives out the Famitsu awards. Video games can win awards in different categories, such as Innovation, Biggest Hit, Rookie Award, and Highest Quality. One or two "Game of the Year" awards are given as the highest honor. The winners of the top prize are chosen based on scores from critics and fans, as well as sales numbers.

Relationship with other magazines

The UK trade magazine MCV and Famitsu have a special agreement. This allows news and articles from each magazine to be published in the other.