Fontworks LETS game font licensing cessation might affect Japanese game developer companies in 2026
Update (9 December)
Fontworks and Monotype have published a new announcement stating that the applications for license extensions of their LETS service, which initially stopped on November 28, are getting extended until March 31 next year. This extension will apply to clients that have picked the Game Inclusion option, and the company will send an email to the eligible clients around next January.
Monotype still has a long-term goal of incorporating LETS into the company's global standards, but they did admit that they did not provide enough clarity and explanation for this transition, as many of their clients inquired them following the earlier termination. They are now planning to announce a new service plan tailored to the Japanese market around early 2026.
Original (1 December)
A major shakeup in how Japanese game companies can procure font designs for their releases might be happening in 2026. Game*Spark reported on how Fontworks is gradually terminating provisions of licenses for the LETS (Leading Edge Type Solution) service, which let companies in Japan apply quality typefaces for video games at a reasonable price.
For the record, the typefaces in LETS have been frequently used by major Japanese companies for projects that also include games. Some of the notable examples include Type-Moon's Fate/Grand Order, Cygames with Granblue Fantasy, Capcom for Monster Hunter Generations and Ultimate, Square Enix with Dragon Quest XI & Final Fantasy XV, and Atlus for Persona 5 and Etrian Odyssey V. However, the US-based company Monotype acquired Fontworks back in September 2023.
Japanese companies used to be able to pay around ¥60,000 (~$386) per year to get a LETS license that also includes an optional add-on to allow the typefaces' inclusion in video games. However, Fontworks has just ceased supporting further extensions for this on November 28. The now-subsidiary company shall then redirect all existing subscriptions to their parent's service, Monotype Fonts.
As of this writing, The Japanese webpage for Monotype Fonts has yet to list prices for the enterprise services in Japanese yen. The existing American webpage is what generates the current buzz, as it lists the Standard subscription pricing at $20,500 per year. Converting that amount to Japanese yen would result in around ¥3,200,000, which would be over 50 times more expensive. And while the Standard plan can apply to up to 5 applications, there is also a caveat stating that each app can only have "an aggregate of up to 25k registered users".
As a side note, Game*Spark also mentions mojimo game as a probable alternative, which is still currently available in Japan. For ¥5,280 (~$34) per year, indie developers in the country can get and use the 12 typefaces that have been used in the above major games. However, Mojimo is also being managed by Fontworks and its subscription is exclusively available to individuals, so corporations cannot apply for this.
Japanese niche game development companies will be affected the most by these events. Ongoing free-to-play titles like Fate/Grand Order might also have to undergo massive changes in UI (User Interface), should Type-Moon and Aniplex opt to choose another typeface service.