News
Nihon Falcom is aiming for one flagship IP entry and one younger-staff-led game every year. CEO says the studio needs to cultivate its successors
7+ hour, 20+ min ago (242+ words) Toshihiro Kondo recently talked about Nihon Falcom's goal of releasing two new games annually. Rather, the release of Kyoto Xanadu was possible because an independent team, whose members don’t overlap with the core Trails and Ys development teams, had been…...
428: Shibuya Scramble creator Jiro Ishii announces emergency hospitalization, assures fans successor game remains on track
9+ hour, 20+ min ago (159+ words) Ishii apologized for causing fans concern during such an important time for the Shibuya Scramble Stories project. While Ishii won’t return to work until the end of July at the earliest, he humbly asks fans to continue supporting the game…...
90s JRPG series Aretha gets revival crowdfunding campaign in Japan, aiming for modern ports, an anime adaptation, and brand-new entry - AUTOMATON WEST
8+ hour, 20+ min ago (128+ words) Retro JRPG series Aretha is getting a revival crowdfunding campaign that aims for remastered ports, an OVA and even a brand-new entry. In terms of merchandise, a new manga booklet featuring original artwork by renowned manga artist Yoshitoo Asari will…...
The Ghost in the Shell Director says his eccentric pseudonym came from a desire to abandon his ego and become a “drawing machine”
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (124+ words) The Ghost in The Shell director Mokochan talks about his emphasis of "physicality" over ego in anime creation. Quite appropriately for his “drawing machine” ideal, Mokochan says he has “absolutely no intention” to flaunt his own sensibilities when working on…...
Generative AI use among Japanese online game companies at 100%, according to annual industry survey
1+ day, 7+ hour ago (129+ words) Meanwhile, gamers' most frequently cited AI-related concerns are "copyright infringement" and "games starting to look alike." Related: Capcom engineers say even the smartest AI “can’t match our creators when it comes to sensibility.” The technology is being adopted to reduce…...
Indie game developer uses pictures of wife's sleeping face, chicken leftovers to create grotesque enemy designs
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (128+ words) Billy the Hero developer JOJOJOJOSoft recently detailed his unconventional boss creation process of Reddit. Billy the Hero is currently in development for Windows (Steam). Related: Korean indie psychological horror that puts you in the role of a stalked K-POP idol…...
Hands-on preview: Palworld's official card game turns battles and Pal labor into a surprisingly faithful TCG
5+ day, 7+ hour ago (566+ words) An early look at Bushiroad and Pocketpair's upcoming "Palworld Official Card Game." Palworld Official Card Game is a trading card game based on Pocketpair’s hit title Palworld. The original game is a monster-collecting, open-world survival game set in a world…...
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls region lock removed in several countries following fan backlash
5+ day, 17+ hour ago (136+ words) The list of locked regions remains long, however. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is set to release on August 6 for Windows (Steam and Epic Games Store) and PlayStation 5. An open beta is set to take place from July 24-26 PT. Related: Marvel…...
Serial Experiments Lain to get an unofficial visual novel following success of the fan made OVA crowdfunding project
5+ day, 11+ hour ago (170+ words) Fan Project Lain: Protocol 7 reaches its first stretch goal promising a visual novel version of the unofficial OVA. Indie animation project Lain: Protocol 7 has announced that its crowdfunding campaign had surpassed the 5-million-yen threshold after having reached its initial goal…...
Square Enix shuts down its 15-year-old “Western game” publishing label, saying overseas titles no longer need exotic treatment in Japan
5+ day, 11+ hour ago (313+ words) SQUARE ENIX EXTREME edges brought multiple famous Western series to Japan, including Call of Duty, Tomb Raider and Life is Strange. Square Enix announced on July 9 that it would be shutting down SQUARE ENIX EXTREME EDGES, its overseas publishing label,…...