formerly Famicom Tsūshin, is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. Famitsu is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the form of special topical issues devoted to only one console, video game company, or other theme.  the original Famitsu publication, is considered the most widely read and respected video game news magazine in Japan. From October 28, 2011, the company began releasing the digital version of the magazine exclusively on BookWalker weekly.

The name Famitsu is a portmanteau abbreviation of  the word "Famicom" itself comes from a portmanteau abbreviation of "Family Computer" (the Japanese name for the Nintendo Entertainment System), the dominant video game console in Japan when the magazine was first published in the 1980s.

History
, a computer game magazine, started in 1982 as an extra issue of ASCII, and later it became a periodic magazine.  was a column in Login, focused on the Famicom platform, and ran from March 1985 to December 1986 issue. It received a good reception, so the publisher decided to found the magazine specialized for it.

The first issue of Famitsu was published on June 6, 1986, as Famicom Tsūshin. It sold less than 200,000 copies, despite 700,000 copies printed. The major competitor was Family Computer Magazine launched in July 1985 by Tokuma Shoten. Famitsus editor found many readers had multiple game consoles, and they thought it would be better if the magazine covered various platforms. Increasing contents and the page count gradually, the magazine was published three times per month instead of semimonthly publication. On July 19, 1991 (issue #136) the magazine was renamed to  and issues were published weekly thereafter. Alongside the weekly magazine, a monthly version called  was also published.

Hirokazu Hamamura, an editor-in-chief (1992-2002), felt the beginning of a new era when he saw a private demonstration of Final Fantasy VII in 1993. He thought the name Famicom Tsūshin should be refurbished. At the start of 1996 (with issue #369) the magazines underwent another name change, truncating their titles to  and  The name Famitsu had already been in common use.

The magazine was published by ASCII from its founding through March 2000 when it was sold to Enterbrain, which published it for 13 years until their parent company Kadokawa published it from 2013 to 2017. Since 2017, Kadokawa's subsidiary Gzbrain has been publishing the magazine, while in 2019 the company changed its name to Kadokawa Game Linkage.

Shūkan Famitsū and Gekkan Famitsū
Famicom Tsūshin initially focused on the Famicom platform, but later it featured multi-platform coverage. Famicom Tsūshin was renamed to Famitsu in 1995. Shūkan Famitsū is a weekly publication concentrating on video game news and reviews, and is published every Thursday with a circulation of 500,000 per issue. Gekkan Famitsū is published monthly.

Necky the Fox
Famitsu magazine covers alternately feature pop idols or actresses on even-numbered issues and the Famitsu mascot,  the Fox in odd-numbered issues. Year-end and special editions all feature Necky dressed as popular contemporary video game characters. Necky is the cartoon creation of artist Susumu Matsushita, and he takes the form of a costumed fox. The costumes worn by Necky reflect current popular video games. Necky's name was chosen according to a reader poll, and it derives from a complex Japanese pun: "Necky" is actually the reverse of the Japanese word for fox,  and his original connection to Famicom Tsūshin is intended to evoke the bark of the fox, the Japanese onomatopoeia of which is . Necky makes a cameo appearance in Super Mario Maker.

Special-topic Famitsu publications
Famitsu publishes other magazines dedicated to particular consoles. Currently in circulation are:

 (previously ) is written for an older audience and covers retrogaming. It has been published monthly since November 2010.
 reports on online gaming.
 reports on Nintendo platforms (currently the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch). The magazine was formerly known as Famitsū 64 and then Famitsū Cube (among other variations of those two names) based on whatever platforms Nintendo was producing games for at the time.
 reports on mobile gaming via GREE.
 reports on mobile gaming via Mobage.

Former special topics
Famitsu spin-offs that are no longer in circulation include:

 (previously Famicom Tsūshin Kōryaku Special) was written for younger audiences and concentrated on video game hints and strategy. It was published monthly and was discontinued in September 2002.
 (previously Famitsū Comic) was a comic and manga magazine published irregularly between 1992 and 1995.
 reported on Sega platforms news and covered the Dreamcast. Previous incarnations of this magazine included Sega Saturn Tsūshin which covered the Sega Saturn, with earlier issues covering earlier Sega platforms.
 covered bishōjo games.
 covered the Satellaview. It was published monthly and ran for only 12 issues from May 1995 to May 1996. Its inaugural issue was the May 1995 issue of Gekkan Famicom Tsūshin.
 covered the Virtual Boy. Only one issue was ever published in 1995.
 (previously PlayStation Tsūshin) began publication in May 1996, and reported on Sony platforms news. It was later known as Famitsū PS2 and Famitsū PSP+PS3 before being discontinued in March 2010.
 (previously GameWave DVD) covered events, film, and previews. Each magazine included a DVD disc (NTSC Region 2) that contained video game footage such as trailers and gameplay tips, as well interviews with developers and publishers. It was published monthly, first starting in September 2000 until its final issue of May 2011.
 reported on Xbox and Xbox 360 news. It was published monthly, first starting in January 2002 before being discontinued in 2013.

Scoring

Video games are graded in Famitsu via a "Cross Review" by having four critics each assign the game a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. The scores are then added together. , twenty-nine games have received perfect scores of 40 from Famitsu. The console with the highest number of perfect-scoring games is the PlayStation 3, with seven total. Four of the perfect-scoring games on PlayStation 3 were also released on the Xbox 360, which is tied with the Wii for the second-highest number of perfect scores at five total. Franchises with multiple perfect score winners include The Legend of Zelda with five titles, Metal Gear with three titles, and Final Fantasy with two titles. The most recent game to receive a perfect score is Street Fighter 6.

, all but three games with perfect scores are from Japanese companies, ten being published/developed by Nintendo, four by Square Enix, three by Sega, three by Konami and one by Capcom. , the only three completely foreign games to achieve a perfect score 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 foreign games that have achieved near-perfect scores are Grand Theft Auto IV,  Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Red Dead Redemption 2, all by Rockstar Games; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, all by Activision (but 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 game with a near-perfect score, was a joint effort between Japanese developer Square Enix and American developer Disney Interactive Studios.

Awards

Famitsu administers the Famitsu awards. Video games receive a number of different awards in categories like Innovation, Biggest Hit, Rookie Award, Highest Quality, etc. One or two "Game of the Year" awards are granted as the top prize. Top prize winners are determined by a combination of critical and fan review scores as well as sales figures.

Relationship with other magazines
UK trade magazine MCV and Famitsu have an exclusive partnership which sees news and content from each magazine appear in the other.

See also
Enterbrain
Famitsu Bunko
Famitsu scores
Sinclair User, another early magazine

Notes

References

External links
 
Famitsu scores archive (via The Internet Archive)

1986 establishments in Japan
Fictional foxes
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Magazines established in 1986
Magazines published in Tokyo
Monthly magazines published in Japan
Video game magazines published in Japan
Weekly magazines published in Japan
《패미통》(Famitsu, )은 카도카와 그룹 산하의 주식회사 카도카와 게임 링키지(KADOKAWA Game Linkage Inc.)에서 발행하는 일본 최대의 콘솔 게임 주간지이다. 이전에는 아스키(창간부터 2000년 3월까지), 엔터브레인(2000년 4월부터 2013년 9월까지), KADOKAWA(2013년 10월부터 2015년 3월까지), 카도카와(カドカワ, 2015년 4월부터 2017년 6월까지)에서 발행하고 있었다. 이전에는 《패미컴 통신》()이라고도 불렸다. 《주간 패미통》은 매주 목요일에, 그밖의 파생 잡지는 월간, 격월간, 계간, 부정기로 발매가 이루어진다. 2019년 시점의 공칭 발행부수는 20만부이다.

1986년 컴퓨터 잡지 《Login (로그인)》에서 파생된 텔레비전 게임 전문지 《패미컴 통신》으로 창간했다. 1995년부터는 창간 당시부터 사용되고 있었던 약칭 《패미통》을 정식 명칭으로 삼았다. 현재 일본에 출시되는 거의 모든 콘솔 플랫폼의 게임 소프트와 더불어 영화 및 DVD, TV 프로그램, 도서 등의 종합 정보지로, 일본의 거의 유일한 게임계 주간지이다.

메탈릭 가바스 
패미통 지상에서 사용할 수 있는 포인트 서비스. 통칭 " 가바스 ".

이것은 "패미통 반상회" 등 독자 페이지에 사연이 채택되면 그 가바스 티켓을 구할 수 일정한 가바스 티켓을 편집부에 송부하면 반드시 그 상품에 교환 할 수 있다.

상품은 게임기 본체 및 주변기기, 게임 소프트 중에서 선택할 수 있다.

대표 마스코트 
마스코트는 마쓰시타에 의해 디자인 된 여우의 캐릭터  '넷키' . "넷키"는 창간 당시 '선'이라는 말 자체가 새로웠다 수도 일러스트 담당 마쓰시타 등이 '패밀리'  '안녕'  '라면 여우의 캐릭터다 "라는 것을에서 여우의 마스코트 캐릭터가 되었다고 말하고 있다.

명칭은 독자에 의한 공모에 의해 결정되었다. 덧붙여서 "넷키"라는 여우를 거꾸로 읽은 것이고, "아스키" "미키"등 유사하며 어감이 좋았다는 점에서 채택되었다.

패미통 어워드 

2005년부터 개최되어 그 해에 발매된 소프트에서 뛰어난 소프트 게임 크리에이터 제작 회사 등을 독자의 투표 · 판매량 · 화제 성 등을 바탕으로 선택 주어지는 상이다. 대상인 게임 오브 더 이어 외에도 다양한 상품이 있지만, 크로스 리뷰 평가를 하지 않았던 소프트가 수상하는 등 독자 투표를 기반으로 한 평가가 이루어지고 있다.

또한 닌텐도, 마리오, 미야모토 시게루는 전년도 수상이라는 이유로 2008년도에 투표 대상에서 제외되어 있었지만, 2009년도부터는 전당으로 투표 대상에서 제외되기도 했다. 또한 전년도 수상의 투표 대상에서 제외는 2008년도 이후는 이루어지고 있지 않다.

역대 편집장 
 初代 小島文隆（小島ファミ隆） - アクセラ社長（2000年解散）。
 2代目 塩崎剛三（東府屋ファミ坊） - アクセラ取締役を経て、現アイスコメット社長。
 3代目 浜村弘一（浜村通信） - エンターブレイン社長、KADOKAWA常務取締役を経て、現カドカワ取締役。2009年2月まで誌上に浜村通信を掲載。
 4代目 加藤克明（バカタール加藤） - 誌上にバカタール加藤のアノ人に聞きたい!を掲載。
 5代目 長田英樹（カミカゼ長田、旧ペンネーム、うしろから長田）
 6代目 林克彦（フランソワ林） - 編集長代理から編集長になる。

광고비 
2009년 8월 시점에서 의지면 광고비는 다음과 같다
 단차 정체 (부착면 포함한 기사 9p) : \ 6,500,000
 섹시녀 정체 (기사 8P) : \ 5,400,000
 독점 특종 조각 관음 (기사 3P + 광고 3P) : \ 2,800,000
 독점 특종 특보 정체 (기사 2P) : \ 1,500,000
게임 소프트 중에서 선택할 수 있다.

불상사 
 "파이널 판타지 XI"는 담당 작가가 특정 작업 매도과 게임 중에서 편집자로 있는 동안  불공정한 행위를 했다 등의 이유로 일부 사용자가 게임 내에서 항의 활동을 일으킨다에 이르고 한. 후에 담당 작가가 다른 작가가 쓴 것으로 변명했다.
 2007년 공식 사이트에서 "마지 콘"이나 개조 도구에 대한 링크를 하고 있었다. 후 닌텐도 다른 52 개사가 마지 콘 제작사를 제소했을 때 "livedoor 뉴스"에서도 이 사건이 다루어 진.

기타 
 도쿄 게임 쇼 2013  SCE 부스에서 동일한 카도카와 계열의 게임 잡지 인 '전격 PlayStation "와 더블 편집 책자 무료 배포 등의 첫 협업 서비스가 실현 된다..
 크로스 리뷰 초기에 여성 관점에서 게임을 논평했다 모리시타 마리코 내용은 그 문체에서 오랜 "사실 존재하지 않는다" "남성 편집자 여성의 모습을 쓰고있다"고 소문 되어 있었지만, 잡지의 전 편집장이던 [하마 무라 통신]]는 "(소설 속의 인물이긴하지만)하지만 안의 사람은 잘 여성들이하고있었습니다. 어쩐지 아이돌 같은 걸 만들고 싶었거든요 (웃음)」라고 코멘트하고 있다.

각주 

엔터브레인
1986년 창간