Japanese solo dev behind surprise Steam mega-hit weighs in on the term JRPG: "This is a term I heard for the first time since it's not used in Japan"

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Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiyais generally warmer on JRPG, and argued that Japanese developers should be proud of it.

“And then at some point I can’t remember exactly when people started referring to them as JRPGs.

And I’m not really sure what the intent behind that is.

It just always felt a bit off to me, and a bit weird.

I never really understood it or why it’s needed.

Kitase, meanwhile, doesn’t see it as problematic and veers closer to Kamiya’s reading.

There’s definitely a lot to unpack here, including the term’s documented, once-derogatory usage.

If it means a game made by Japanese people, then I think Astlibra fits that description.”