[17 Strategic Fields] 24.5 Trillion Yen for Games | The Era Where Individuals Can Aim for the World Has Arrived | Content Industry | Japan Growth Strategy Council | Government

"Only large corporations can make games."

Perhaps that era is beginning to change little by little.

In 2026, the Japanese government announced the "17 Strategic Fields." as a policy.

Alongside AI, semiconductors, space, and quantum technology, the "content industry" has been positioned as a key growth sector.

Among them, what particularly caught the eye was the projection that public-private investment in the game sector will reach 24.5 trillion yen by fiscal year 2033.

Looking at the breakdown of the content sector:

• Games: 24.5 trillion yen

• Anime: 3.3 trillion yen

• Manga: 1.6 trillion yen

• Music: 3.0 trillion yen

• Live-action: 1.3 trillion yen

This shows that the game sector stands out.

Of course, this 24.5 trillion yen is not just the national budget, but a projection of "public-private investment" that includes investments by private companies.

Even so, this figure indicates that the Japanese government expects games to be one of the key growth industries supporting the Japanese economy.

Will games become Japan's new export industry?

The government has set a goal for the content industry, centered on games, anime, and manga, of

20 trillion yen in overseas sales by 2033.

This is the goal.

In other words, the idea is to expand Japanese games and content to the world and cultivate them into an export industry like automobiles or semiconductors.

In government documents,

• improving the profitability of existing IP

• creating new IP

• game development utilizing advanced technologies such as AI and XR

• expansion into overseas markets

are cited as important initiatives.

A major strength of games is that they are not only sold as standalone products but can also be easily developed into a wide range of businesses, such as anime adaptations, film adaptations, and merchandise.

The era where individuals can create games has arrived

Not long ago, creating a full-scale game required the funding and manpower of a large corporation.

However, the situation has changed significantly now.

For example, by using high-performance game engines like Unreal Engine 5, you can relatively easily utilize beautiful graphics, realistic lighting, and physics simulations.

Furthermore, due to the evolution of AI,

• assistance with programming

• character design

• audio production

• translation

• brainstorming ideas

have also become more efficient, making it easier to take on the challenge of game development with fewer people than before.

Actually successful individual and small-team developers

Overseas, "Bright Memory," created by an individual developer in China, became a hit on Steam, and that success led to its development into "Bright Memory: Infinite".

Also,

• Stardew Valley

• Balatro

and others are prime examples of titles that grew from small-team development into global hits.

In Japan as well,

• Metcha Chameleon Individual 10 million units sold 790 yen

• Exit 8 Individual 2 million units sold 30% OFF during Summer Sale at 329 yen

and other works started by individuals or small groups have gained many fans.

Of course, such success stories are not easily replicated.

However, it is certain that the era where "individuals cannot compete globally" is over.

You can start in a way that suits you, whether alone or in a small group.

You can start with a small project by yourself, or you can form a small team with friends or colleagues to take on the challenge.

In fact, many indie games start with small teams.

Now, thanks to high-performance game engines and AI tools, it is an era where you can start game development without needing a large number of people or a large amount of capital as in the past.

There is no need to start a company or take on large debts from the beginning.

Start small, and grow your work while watching the market's reaction.

Such a development style has become fully realistic.

Are tailwinds coming for indie games from now on?

At this moment, the government has not decided on a large-scale support measure specifically for indie games.

However, by positioning the game industry itself as a priority growth sector, there is a possibility that human resource development, overseas expansion, and development support will be further enhanced in the future.

If the game market itself expands, the field for new creators and small studios to play an active role will likely widen.

Now might be the time when it is worth taking on the challenge.

Game development is by no means easy.

It requires planning ability, persistence, and the power to see things through to completion.

However, this is an era where you can sell your work to users all over the world.

By utilizing platforms like Steam, you can deliver games from Japan to the world.

Of course, success is not guaranteed.

Even so, compared to before, anenvironment where it is easier to take on challenges while keeping initial investment and risks low is being established.

If you are interested in game production, it is well worth trying in a way that suits you, whether alone or in a small group.

A few years from now, when the Japanese game industry has grown even larger, someone reading this article might be among the creators playing a central role.

For generating 3D models from images with AI

[Caution] From here on is for adult creators

Notes on Virt-a-Mate (commonly known as VaM)!

VaM (Virt-A-Mate) is 3DCG software capable of handling high-quality human models. It is used for creating various creative content, including the creation of realistic human models, posing, animation production, and MMD dance video creation. On the other hand, due to its high expressive power, it is also used for the production of adult content.

You can also export human models and use them in games, etc., but in the production process, there are scenes that handle states of nudity close to live-action. *

Masking has been applied to the relevant parts in the video, but the content ahead includes the production process of human models. If you are under 18 (a minor), or if you are uncomfortable with such expressions, please refrain from watching.

Let's try moving an FBX model in Unreal Engine 5

In the next video, we introduce how to use an FBX model with textures exported from VaM and move it in Unreal Engine 5.

In this explanation, I am using a VaM FBX model, but if you have a model in FBX or glTF / GLB format, you can use the same procedure for models created in 3DCG software like Blender or free assets distributed on the internet.

Note that in order to animate a character, you must perform rigging (bone setup) in advance.
Rigging can be set up relatively easily by using free services such as Adobe's Mixamo.

Please feel free to try this with your own FBX models.