Hello. This is <Realworld EXP.>. Realworld, a playable content platform, is moving faster than anyone to lead the experience industry. Therefore, we have to be sensitive to global trends, and recently, Realworld members visited Tokyo directly to explore Japan's murder mystery market.
Definition of Murder Mystery and the Scale of Japan's Murder Mystery Market
According to Wikipedia, a murder mystery game is 'a type of party game where players investigate and solve fictional murder cases.' However, this is just the most basic definition, and current murder mystery games focus more on players performing their respective roles and completing the narrative rather than finding the culprit. You can even create scenarios where no culprit exists.
Before diving in, let's briefly look at Japan's murder mystery market. According to presentation materials from the murder mystery conference 'Murder Meeting! (マダミーティング！)', the Japanese murder mystery game market is estimated to be worth 1 billion yen (approximately 9.2 billion won), with over 3,000 works and an active population of over 50,000. This is relatively small compared to the board game market at 5.8 billion yen and the escape room and puzzle game market at 6 billion yen.
However, considering that China's Jubensha market has developed into a massive market with an estimated scale of 20 billion yuan (approximately 37 trillion won) and 30,000 stores as of 2021, Japan certainly has sufficient growth potential.
Rabbithole: How Japan's Large-Scale Murder Mystery Operations Work
Realworld members met with Sakai Ryunosuke, the representative of 'Rabbithole,' Japan's largest murder mystery cafe, to discuss Japan's murder mystery game market. Sakai, the CEO of Rabbithole, is a former director at Universal Studios Japan who was running Japan's largest board game cafe franchise when he discovered the murder mystery genre and launched Rabbithole in 2019.
Rabbithole is currently one of Japan's leading murder mystery cafes, operating 7 locations. They have about 100 murder mystery scenarios, with 70% being their own original scenarios.
In murder mystery games, the GM's role is so crucial that it's said 'you don't book a scenario, you book a GM (Game Master).' Rabbithole has about 20 dedicated GMs. To put it in Korean context, it would be like prioritizing the GM over the game when booking a board game cafe.
What's interesting is that the ratio between 'private performances' enjoyed among acquaintances and 'public performances' enjoyed with strangers through communities is almost equal. We thought private performances would be much more common since it's a game requiring a lot of talking for 2-3 hours, but this was surprising.
UZU: What Makes Japan's Murder Mystery Market Different
Realworld members also had a meeting with Hiraishi Reitaro, CEO of the murder mystery app 'UZU.' Hiraishi had visited Realworld Seongsu first in June, showing his genuine passion for the murder mystery field, which led to this meeting in Japan.
UZU can be considered similar to Realworld's app, but its specialization in the murder mystery genre is its distinctive feature and advantage. UZU has over 600 scenarios and approximately 2,000 external creators. Regarding creator policy, Hiraishi said, 'UZU is a platform that supports creators. This market is built by creators.'
During the meeting with Hiraishi, we discovered differences in gaming culture. Murder mystery games are generally perceived as one-time playable games due to their unique stories and are sensitive to spoilers. However, it was somewhat unique how spoilers are perceived as a form of viral marketing. When famous streamers broadcast murder mystery games live, countless people watch regardless of spoilers.
Murder Mystery Established as a Legitimate Game Genre
Hiraishi also introduced murder mystery stores to Realworld members. However, the store we visited wasn't a bookstore or murder mystery specialty shop, but 'Yodobashi Camera,' a Japanese electronics retailer. While you might wonder if there would be murder mystery games in such a place, an entire floor was dedicated to selling analog games like TRPG and puzzles.
The murder mystery genre occupies enough space to claim a section of the store, showing its mainstream popularity in Japan. Seeing various works being sold, we could confirm that a system where creators can earn revenue is being established.
Insights and Realworld's Path Forward
The insight gained from this Japanese market exploration was that increasing the number of creators leads to quality content production and can attract new players. As UZU's Hiraishi said, this market is driven by creators. We need to reference and adapt their systematic approach to scenario creation, revenue settlement, and publishing to suit domestic circumstances. There's a lot of work ahead.
In Korea, a murder mystery market is forming with Realworld at the forefront. While murder mystery games still have a long way to go to establish themselves as a new leisure activity, Realworld will continue to lead these efforts. Thank you.