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Nippon: Zaibatsu box art
2026 Ranked #502

Nippon: Zaibatsu

A demanding economic euro about turning one industrial conglomerate into the engine of modern Japan.

Strategy Games Economic Area Majority / Influence Contracts Solo / Solitaire Game

Players

1-4

Play time

60-120 min

Age

12+

Complexity

3.58/5

Rating

8.51

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.7/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.7/5

High replayability

Interaction 4.4/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.8/5

Deep strategy

Player control 4.5/5

More strategic control

Setup time About 15 min
Teach time About 35 min
Table footprint Large
Campaign commitment No campaign
Recommended edition Nippon: Zaibatsu – English Emperor's edition (2026)
See all 27 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

Lead a Meiji-era zaibatsu, hire workers, modernize factories, supply regional markets, and time consolidations to earn the Emperor’s favor.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

Choose a worker to take one of nine industrial actions, building factories, producing goods, fulfilling contracts, mining coal, advancing technology, and expanding rail and shipping infrastructure. Selling into Japan’s regions creates a tense area-majority contest, while each consolidation converts your position into income and lets you commit to a scoring path. This reimagined edition sharpens the economic decisions around building a modern industrial conglomerate.

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Videos (1)

How to play

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Photos (10)

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
Nippon: Zaibatsu – English Emperor's edition (2026) 2026 English CrowD Games / US
Nippon: Zaibatsu – English standard edition (2026) 2026 English CrowD Games
Nippon: Zaibatsu – German Emperor's edition (2026) 2026 German Boardgame Atelier
Nippon: Zaibatsu – Italian Emperor's Edition (2026) 2026 Italian Cranio Creations
니폰: 자이바츠 – Korean edition (2026) 2026 Korean HIT Games
Nippon: Zaibatsu – Polish Emperor's edition (2026) 2026 Polish CrowD Games, Czacha Games
Nippon: Zaibatsu – Portuguese edition (2026) 2026 Portuguese Grok Games
Ниппон: Дзайбацу – Russian Emperor's edition (2026) 2026 Russian CrowD Games

Game and edition data

All specifications (27)

Play and group

Players
1–4
Play time
60–120 min
Age
12+
Complexity
3.6/5
App
None app Source
Player elimination
No Source

Practicalities

Setup time
About 15 min Source
Teach time
About 35 min Source
Teardown time
About 15 min Source
Table footprint
Large Source

Campaign and continuity

Campaign commitment
No campaign Source
Group continuity
Flexible Source
Resettable
Fully Resettable Source
Save system
None; each industrial contest is self-contained. Source
Scenarios
1.0000 scenarios Source
Consumable components
No consumable gameplay components. Source

Edition and product

Optional extras
The Emperor’s Edition adds double-sided factories, common goals, upgraded resources, an organizer, and solo Automa content. Source
Recommended edition
Nippon: Zaibatsu – English Emperor's edition (2026) Source
Language
English
Region
US
Availability
Current
Edition type
Deluxe Source
Current edition
Yes Source
Box weight
3000 g Source
Box dimensions
30.0 × 30.0 × 10.0 cm Source
Consumable components
None. Source
Compatibility
The Emperor’s Edition Contains The Base Game Plus Kickstarter Upgrade Content; The Separate Metal Coin Add On Is Not Included In The Current Store Listing. Source
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

2
Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro Paulo Soledade

Artists

1
Maya Kurkhuli

Publishers

6
CrowD Games Boardgame Atelier Cranio Creations Czacha Games Grok Games HIT Games