Branching Paths is a documentary that looks into the current state of Japan’s independent scene. You can watch the teaser above. It’ll be out in 2016.
It acknowledges that Japan’s video game industry has shifted significantly in the past decade. Whereas it led the world before since the 1980s more recently there have been more people looking to pursue creative freedom by striking out on their own.
The documentary looks at the joys of this breaking away from development houses and also investigates the costs. And so through interviews with various indie game creators currently working in Japan the documentary looks for the answer to a number of important questions:
“But is the Japanese game industry really changing? What is the price of creative independence? Why is there no funding or support from the Japanese government? These are just some of the questions we examine, to understand not only this unique scene, but its roots in culture. The answers tell a story of a struggle, not only for creative expression, but for survival as well.”
You can find out more on the Branching Paths website.
