Via Famitsu, the game most appreciated by Japanese developers in 2020 was the original PS4 title Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch.
Several Japanese game developers shared their favorite games of 2020 via Famitsu, and Ghost of Tsushima finished in pole position. Yes. It’s that time of year again. The Famitsu magazine launching Thursday, December 24, officially titled Weekly Famitsu Magazine, January 7-14, 2021, will feature a traditional end-of-the-year article. With messages from more than a hundred personalities related to the Japanese gaming industry. Producers, Character Designers, Directors and Developers from SNK, Square Enix, Nippon Ichi Software, Sega, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Arc System Works, etc. But also personalities linked to the industry such as mangaka and seiyuu (Japanese announcers and actors). Through the messages, Japanese personalities shared their thoughts on 2020 and, most notably, their five favorite games.
At this time, Famitsu published the five most cited games on its official site. The magazine itself will be released on December 24 at midnight JST. And the leaks will come as usual on Wednesday: early morning for me and in the middle of the night for America. The next issue of Famitsu magazine will feature the same developers sharing their hopes for 2021 and possibly sparking new projects. And I will have to go through everything …
Anyway, a total of 132 personalities shared with Famitsu their impressions of 2020, which included their favorite games. Combining everything together, here are the results:
The five favorite games of Japanese developers:
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Famitsu “#Super fashion game award 2020“Ghost of Tsushima” ranked first! The most addictive work of 2020 selected by 132 game creators and celebrities who like games#Super popular game award
https://t.co/cllbr6m880 pic.twitter.com/kwZZt7YvPe— Famitsu.com (@famitsu) December 22, 2020
For the sake of comparison, the top three of 2019 were Death Stranding, Dragon Quest Walk, and Sekiro. The game most appreciated by Japanese developers in 2018 was Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Lastly, for those interested in my Unnecessary Opinion ™, I must say that I don’t care. Without going into stereotypical generalizations, Japanese developers tend to prefer Western games. So I was definitely expecting something like Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us Part II in the first place, rather than Japanese games like Final Fantasy VII Remake or Persona 5 Scramble. That said, I am pleasantly surprised to see Sakuna in fourth place. It’s amazing, a doujin game (a Japanese indie game) initially from Comiket, with a first demo released on C95 in December 2015, managed to reach such heights in both reputation and worldwide sales.
Source: Famitsu Weekly Magazine, January 7-14, 2021
