Big changes could be coming to how Japanese game developers get fonts for their games around 2026. Game*Spark reported that Fontworks is slowly ending parts of its LETS (Leading Edge Type Solution) license. LETS has been a popular service, allowing Japanese companies to use high-quality fonts in their video games without spending a fortune.
The fonts used in LETS are popular with major Japanese game companies. You can find them in titles like Fate/Grand Order (Type-Moon), Granblue Fantasy (Cygames), Monster Hunter Generations and Ultimate (Capcom), Dragon Quest XI & Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix), and Persona 5 & Etrian Odyssey V (Atlus). However, in September 2023, Monotype, a US company, purchased Fontworks, the creators of these fonts.
Previously, Japanese companies could obtain a LETS license for about ¥60,000 (around $386) annually, which also included the option to use the fonts in video games. However, Fontworks stopped offering extensions for this license on November 28th. Now, as a subsidiary, Fontworks will transfer all current subscriptions to Monotype Fonts, its parent company’s service.
Currently, the Japanese website for Monotype Fonts doesn’t show prices for its business services in yen. All the attention is on the U.S. website, which lists the Standard subscription at $20,500 per year. That converts to roughly ¥3,200,000 – over 50 times more expensive! While the Standard plan works with up to 5 applications, each app is limited to a total of 25,000 registered users.
Game*Spark also points out mojimo game as another option, which is currently available in Japan. For around $34 a year, Japanese indie developers can access and use 12 fonts featured in popular games. However, like Fontworks, mojimo is only available to individual subscribers and not corporations.
These changes will likely impact smaller Japanese game developers the most. Popular free-to-play games, such as Fate/Grand Order, may also need significant user interface updates if Type-Moon and Aniplex decide to switch to a different font provider.
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2025-12-01 22:26