Japanese developers are confronting a challenge as a major font licensing provider has raised its annual plan price dramatically, from $380 to over $20,000

Video game companies in Japan are facing challenges in finding reasonably priced commercial fonts. This follows a significant price increase by one of Japan's major font licensing services, elevating the annual fee from approximately $380 to $20,500 USD.

According to reports from Gamemakers, GameSpark, and as translated by Automaton, Fontworks LETS ended its game licensing plan in late November.

The new plan, managed by Monotype, Fontworks' parent company, is expensive and lacks localized pricing for Japanese developers. Additionally, its 25,000 user limit may not suit larger Japanese game companies.

The difficulty in obtaining fonts that properly render Kanji and Katakana characters exacerbates the situation.

CEO of Indie-Us Games noted the severity of the issue on social media, highlighting its significance within certain communities.

UI/UX designer Yamanaka highlighted the specific impact on live service games, pointing out the need for studios to reassess and verify their live content even if they quickly adopt fonts from a different provider.

This situation might lead some Japanese game companies to completely overhaul their branding if their branded fonts become unaffordable.