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2h ago
coly announced on September 11 that the planned service start for Disney Sparklink Stars, its smartphone game using Disney IP, has moved to November 2026. The developer said it extended the development period to deliver a higher-quality experience. The date may shift again depending on development progress. The training adventure game casts players as a Conductor training 15 Spark Riders, and is planned for iOS and Android as a free-to-play title with pre-registration open.
5h ago
ARK, a Hiratsuka-based company developing modular closed recirculating aquaculture systems, has appointed Yosuke Sasaki as an outside director. Sasaki is representative director of Soleil Partners and was a founding member of the SoftBank Vision Fund, where he served as managing partner of its London office. ARK says the appointment is meant to strengthen its global business strategy, capital strategy, and governance as it seeks to deploy its systems overseas.
1d ago
Union Creative opened reservations on Thursday, September 10, 2026 for two To Love-Ru -Trouble- Darkness figures: Yui Kotegawa and Haruna Sairenji, both in the company's new Les filles series. Each is a painted ATBC-PVC and ABS finished product, sculpted by Akabeko and colored by Nana Moriyama, priced at 19,800 yen with tax. Both are scheduled for release in May 2027.
1d ago
Bloober Team announced 'Onyx: The Dark Grip' on September 9, 2026, during the Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9 broadcast. The new horror adventure is set to release on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027 and is exclusive to the console's handheld mode. The game follows protagonist Holden, who is drawn by an eerie voice into a fog-shrouded land. Players control Holden but also interfere with the world through touch controls, unlocking doors and reading minds. This interference appears to Holden as supernatural phenomena, causing him to gradually lose his sanity. Players must manage his sanity while uncovering the truth behind 'something.' Sources note that tilting the Switch 2 console may also be required for some actions. Bloober Team is known for the remake of 'Silent Hill 2' and the 'Layers of Fear' series. The announcement was part of a broader Nintendo Direct showcase that included multiple titles.
1d ago
Yoshiki Takaya, creator of Bio-Booster Armor Guyver, said in a message included with a Blu-ray release that he suffered a cerebral infarction and has partial paralysis. He apologized to fans, saying he does not believe he will ever be able to draw manga again.
2d ago
Nestopi announced on September 9, 2026, the next entry in its work-focused adventure series, 'Chill with You: SHIOI's Sparkling Scenes,' and opened the Steam store page. The game follows the previous title 'Chill with You: Lo-Fi Story,' which has sold 450,000 copies, but tells a completely independent story. The new heroine, Shioi, is a bright, fashionable gyaru who is popular in class but tends to slack off when alone, often suggesting skipping study for cafe hopping. The player works alongside Shioi as she studies toward her dreams. This entry introduces real-time linkage: Shioi's location and time of day change in sync with the player's actual call time, shifting from a school classroom to an after-school library or her room at night, with the possibility of unexpected connection scenes. The game retains the previous title's tools, including a Pomodoro timer, to-do lists, and customizable lo-fi music and ambient sounds. The emotional distance between player and Shioi narrows as they accumulate work time together. The game is scheduled for release in 2026 on Steam for Windows and Mac, with the price undecided. A sale for the previous game runs from September 10, offering 25% off on Steam and 20% off on smartphone versions.
2d ago
Hair and makeup artist Hiro Odagiri's popup event THE TAG MARKET closed August 29 after eight days at TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY in Tokyo, drawing over 20,000 visitors. The event gathered 51 brands selected by Odagiri across nine content zones spanning music, books, fragrance, food, and words, with ten stage events including talks with ELLE, SHISEIDO, NewsPicks, and a CHANEL BEAUTY makeup show.
2d ago
Geoff Keighley, the host and producer of The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest, and Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS4 and PS5, have co-founded Nova Games Foundation, a nonprofit that funds young game creators. The foundation runs a fellowship program for university graduates who want to move directly into original game development after finishing school. It partners with 13 universities worldwide and targets games with artistic, literary, or social value.
Each year Nova selects 20 fellows and gives each $100,000, with up to $500,000 in additional support for especially promising projects. Fellows receive mentoring and promotion from industry leaders. Developers keep ownership of their work, choose their own publisher and platform, and Nova takes no equity and requires no repayment.
The foundation is independent of Keighley's events and of PlayStation. Per Game File, both men donated several million dollars at the founding and plan to keep funding it. Keighley said he has avoided commercial investment in games because of his industry position and seeks no financial return. Cerny, aware of his late career, said he wants to give back to the next generation. Applications open in December 2026, with details due mid-September.
2d ago
Anime News Network's review of Sparks of Tomorrow episode 10 gives the episode a community score of 3.1. The reviewer criticizes it for hammering its communication theme twice, for confirming a romance between Noriko and Seiroku that was never developed, and for spending the rest of its runtime reuniting Kengo and Noriko instead of letting the characters talk. The review argues the show keeps robbing itself of tension.
3d ago
Battlestate Games began maintenance for Escape from Tarkov patch 1.1.5.0 on September 8. The update reworks the Lighthouse map. The water treatment plant, formerly the Rogue base, has all mines and fixed turrets removed, and the Rogue base moves to a mountain villa. Underground passages shorten the route to the southern extraction point, cover was added along the open road, and a BTR now patrols the area. Marked key rooms moved, transit to Icebreaker was added, and Lightkeeper tasks were fully reworked.
4d ago
Dark Machine the Animation revealed three additional cast members and an October 13 debut on Fuji TV. Nao Tōyama, Nonoka Ōbuchi, and Rei Nakashima join as members of team Stellatus, an idol unit and rival to Kairi's Carbuncle team. The staff also showed mecha designs for three of Kairi's machines.
4d ago
NIS America announced that Yomawari: The Long Night Collection and Yomawari: Lost in the Dark will launch for PlayStation 5 in the west on November 5. The Long Night Collection bundles Yomawari: Night Alone and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows, which reached North America and Europe as a Switch release in October 2018. Lost in the Dark, which debuted in 2022, reached PS5 in Japan on May 14, 2026, and now follows that version west.
4d ago
Banpresto adds two figures to its To LOVE-Ru Darkness Nyaaruz Collection: Run Elsie Jewelria and Yui Kotegawa, both sculpted in cat cosplay sitting poses. They are crane game prizes scheduled to appear sequentially from September 15, 2026, as part of a 9-character run. Run measures about 14 cm with paw pad mittens; Yui stands about 13 cm with a shy expression.
6d ago
Aesir Interactive's train survival adventure EverRail entered Early Access for PC on July 20, priced at 1,900 yen, with a 20% discount to 1,520 yen until September 11. Lead game designer Tom described how the core mechanic reversed fuel consumption so running the train generates energy, making stopped trains a danger. The game supports Japanese.
Sep 4
The short anime of Shaoh's I'm Dating a Dark Summoner manga has a premiere date. The main promotional video and visual, unveiled Friday, confirm an October 4 television debut on Tokyo MX at 25:20, effectively October 5 at 1:20 a.m., with BS11 airing October 7. The video previews opening theme "Zettai Kansei♡Kisei Jijitsu" by Ringo Coisio and announces Mao Komiya performs ending theme "AKUMA♰No?☆Hime♡Goto." Akane Nishimura voices Haru, the party leader and swordswoman; Maya Ayahane voices Eury, an elf archer from the Lilylala forest. HIDIVE will stream the anime.
Sep 3
Battlestate Games announced the establishment of Battlestate Games Publishing on September 4 and began soliciting projects. The Escape from Tarkov developer says it built the hardcore FPS from ideas others rejected as too harsh or too eccentric, and now wants to support similar projects from other developers, with genre not limited to FPS.
Sep 3
Episode nine of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You spends its full runtime on miscommunication, as chief Maezawa presents solid evidence that Sasaki may be married. The story works to convince both Yamada and the audience that Sasaki might not be single, while the B-side has Tamaya and Sasaki discussing his Mie dialect and the past.
Sep 3
Pony Canyon announced on Friday that the second season of the Dark Gathering television anime will premiere in 2027. The announcement came with a new visual depicting the spirit of A Dam standing in a dimly lit inspection tunnel. Season 2 moves the story to Kyoto and begins adapting the manga from Chapter 34, 'Journey to the Capital,' which comes from Volume 9. The main cast returns, with Yū Sasahara as Yayoi Hōzuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Keitarō Gentōga, Kana Hanazawa as Eiko Hōzuki, and Rina Kawaguchi as Ai Kamiyo. OLM returns to animate, with Hiroshi Ikehata directing and Shigeru Murakoshi handling series composition. The first season aired from July to December 2023 over two consecutive cours, and HIDIVE streamed it as it aired. Kenichi Kondō launched the manga in Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine in March 2019, and Viz Media releases it in English. The manga has surpassed 3 million copies in circulation.
Sep 3
Developer Doom Turtle announced that the turn-based RPG Legends of Starkadia, released free on July 7 after two years of development with only one planet completed, will become paid at $1.99 on September 14 local time. Owners before the transition keep the game free. Revenue will recoup development costs and fund future work.
Sep 3
Toei Animation issued an official statement on August 31 denying media reports that a Dragon Ball theme park is planned for construction in France. The company said that neither Toei Animation nor the relevant rights holders have granted any licenses for such a project, and that the company is not aware of any facts supporting the reports. Toei Animation also addressed concept images and footage circulated alongside the claims, stating that all of the material originated from the Dragon Ball theme park project announced with Qiddiya Investment Company on March 22, 2024. Those visuals are for the planned Dragon Ball theme park at Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia and have no connection to the reports concerning France. The reports began circulating after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on August 24 that three manga-related theme parks were planned for Cergy-Pontoise, France, involving EUR 6 billion in investment and the creation of 22,000 jobs. Macron did not name Dragon Ball or any other specific franchise in his announcement. Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris regional council, later posted a video claiming the property was coming to the area.
Sep 2
Acer's IFA 2026 press conference in Berlin introduced the Predator Atlas 7 portable gaming handheld, the 799g Swift Blade 14 laptop, the Swift Air 16, and two concept models: the Project DualPlay Mini 2-in-1 and the SFF RTX Spark desktop. The Atlas 7 pairs Intel Arc G3 processors with up to 24GB of LPDDR5x memory and a 120Hz display. The RTX Spark concept targets local AI workloads with up to 1 PFLOPS of performance.
Sep 2
Takarajimasha is releasing new vacuum-insulated tumblers and cup sleeve charms in a collaboration between BAYFLOW and Sanrio Characters on September 16. Three tumbler designs feature suntanned Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, Hangyodon, and Bad Badtz-Maru. Two cup sleeve charms are also launching. The third Arknights collaboration merchandise became available on September 1.
Sep 2
Trailmark Games set the release date for Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest, developed by Bamtang Games, for October 24. The action-adventure game, inspired by the Warriors novel series, lets players create their own warrior cat and explore the Lake Territory, hunting prey, fighting rival clans, and unraveling prophecies. It launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC. The game does not currently support Japanese.
Sep 2
Bandai's Vender Division launches Karkeshi GP, a new gashapon series reviving the classic Karkeshi toy. Two products, NISSAN Selection 01 and MAZDA Selection 01, release in the first week of September 2026. Each is a 24-type capsule lineup at 400 yen per play. The NISSAN set covers eight models from the R32 Skyline GT-R to the S30 Fairlady Z; the MAZDA set runs from the 787B to the SAVANNA RX-7.
Sep 2
Hamster announced on September 2 that Arkanoid Revenge of DOH, the 1987 Taito sequel to the block-breaker Arkanoid, will be released through the Arcade Archives line on September 3. The game arrives on five platforms at once. Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 get the standard Arcade Archives release, while Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S get the Arcade Archives 2 version. Prices are 838 yen on Switch, 837 yen on PS4, and 1,100 yen each for the Arcade Archives 2 editions. Anyone who already owns the Switch or PS4 version can buy the Switch 2 or PS5 version for 330 yen each. The 1987 original kept the core rule of bouncing an energy ball to destroy the Space Wall, and added branching L and R side stages plus a larger item pool. Arcade Archives 2 adds a Time Attack mode that ranks players by clear time and supports VRR for behavior closer to the original arcade board. The official Arcade Archiver program airs September 3 at 19:00 with original developer Tsukano and Taito staff.
Sep 2
Hypergryph, the studio behind Arknights and Arknights: Endfield, will move its headquarters to Building T1 of Phase 3 of Xuhui Vanke Center in Shanghai starting next year. The 37-story building offers about 3,000 square meters per floor. The current office has a gym, sleep capsules, a physiotherapy room, and a dedicated cat room, and the new lease includes pet management clauses.
Sep 2
Saber Interactive showed a playable demo of Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival at gamescom 2026. The first-person survival horror follows Aidan, who uses the Genesis Configuration puzzle box to enter the Labyrinth and rescue his lover Sunny. The game leans on classic survival horror mechanics: scarce ammunition, melee combat, and spatial puzzles. It releases October 8, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Sep 1
The ANN review of episode 9 of Sparks of Tomorrow criticizes the episode for confirming that Yosuke, a schoolmate of the late inventor Seiroku, was romantically in love with him, while also casting Yosuke as a man trying to marry a child. The reviewer calls the combination homophobic, and argues the episode's conflict could be resolved by a single conversation. The review also notes the episode lacks prior animation flair.
Sep 1
At Anime NYC, musician Ginger Root and producer Mao Takayama showed a preview of episode eight of Sparks of Tomorrow and explained the series' artistic choices. Episode six uses gekiga-style animation for a training montage, Kyoto backgrounds are muted and brown while Shiga introduces blue, furniture placement tracks the seasons through machiya customs, and the oil-painting backgrounds were built digitally for consistency.
Aug 31
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple has built and tested an internal prototype Apple Pencil designed for the foldable iPhone, unofficially called the iPhone Ultra. The prototype is shorter than the regular Apple Pencil to match the device size. Gurman notes the accessory could scratch the delicate screen, and that releasing one would contradict Steve Jobs' well-known dislike of styluses.
Aug 31
Snail Games USA released the expansion DLC 'Terracrypt' for the Steam version of 'PixARK' on August 27. It adds a main story set in an underground world with three layers, 13 biomes, 65 creatures, and 11 bosses. The Steam version saw a peak concurrent player count of 2,745, the highest since June 2020.
Aug 31
BANDAI SPIRITS announced that Stark, the kind-hearted warrior from the TV anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, will join the S.H.Figuarts action figure line. The Stark figure includes his signature battle axe, which can be worn on his back using joint parts, and soft materials in parts of the costume to allow for dynamic poses. Interchangeable expression parts include a comical crying face and combat expressions. The set also includes his favorite drink, the Jumbo Berry Special, and a bonus magic tome that connects with the separately sold S.H.Figuarts Frieren figure. Pre-orders for Stark, along with re-releases of Frieren and Fern, begin Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at general retailers. All three figures are scheduled for release in March 2027. Frieren is priced at 8,800 yen, Fern at 9,350 yen, and Stark at 9,900 yen, all tax included. Frieren and Fern re-releases also include their respective magic effect parts.
Aug 31
ONE PARK FESTIVAL 2026 will be held September 5 and 6 at Fukui City Central Park, a short walk from JR Fukui Station. The urban outdoor festival features music, local food, sake, and crafts. Artists include Ulfuls and Remioromen. A wristband allows free re-entry during the event.
Aug 31
Hololive members Laplus Darknesss and Botan Shishigami have been appointed Red Bull Virtual Ambassadors. A collaboration campaign runs from September 1 to September 30 at Don Quijote, Apita, PiaGo, You Store, and Robin Hood stores nationwide. Buyers of a 250ml 6-can pack receive a pouch; purchases of 12 or more cans enter a lottery for an original jacket via the majica app. A commemorative stream by the two airs August 31.
Aug 29
Universal Studios Japan will release collaboration goods this fall pairing ONE PIECE with Jurassic Park, Detective Conan with Back to the Future, and a Junji Ito Tomie design with Halloween Horror Night's Street Zombies. Eiichiro Oda and Gosho Aoyama shared anniversary comments. Woody Woodpecker and Winnie Woodpecker debut as LINE stamps.
Aug 29
Capcom will release Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on October 9, 2026. Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, Naoto Oyama, and director Kento Kinoshita discussed the DLC in an interview. The expansion leans into hack-and-slash gameplay, with players collecting relics called Iseisenhin to strengthen their Arisen and Pawns rather than raising levels. The design responds to fan demand to keep fighting in the Dogma world.
Aug 29
Antediluvian Interactive announced the demo for the medieval PvE action game Expedition: Into Darkness has surpassed 100,000 players in less than a month. The cooperative third-person title for up to 5 players sends teams into ruins to collect valuable items and escape, with death meaning the loss of your character and all held items. The demo, released August 6, 2026, features two maps.
Aug 29
NVIDIA announced new RTX Spark support at Gamescom 2026. Electronic Arts, Embark Studios, and Ubisoft will provide titles including EA SPORTS F1 25, Apex Legends, Anno 117: Pax Romana, ARC Raiders, and THE FINALS. EA Javelin Anticheat is being built with native support for the Arm-based SoC. NVIDIA also released DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction.
Aug 29
Reuters reports that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg planned a 2026 initiative codenamed Project OT to lay off and reassign large numbers of employees and replace them with AI. The plan considered reducing some internal teams by up to 60%. Internal backlash and executive unpreparedness followed the leak of the plan, leading to its failure.
Aug 29
Warner Games released a September 18 trailer for the Mayhem Collection DLC for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, distributed to Deluxe Edition owners. Joker and Harley Quinn join as playable characters. The DLC includes a new story mission, a Mayhem Mode, and a Sinister Pack with comic-inspired costumes.
Aug 29
OpenRouter published Image benchmarks, a page that runs the same prompt through numerous image generation AIs and displays the results side by side. Users can compare fidelity to prompts, text rendering, and image editing, then sort by cost or generation time. The benchmark currently shows results for prompts like a filled wine glass and closed umbrellas, with the option to click through for detailed information and API keys.
Aug 29
Shogakukan will release The Mandalorian & Grogu Sparkle Sticker Book on September 30, 2026. The A6-size book includes 16 sticker sheets with 217 hologram-processed stickers featuring live-action art and pop illustrations. Pre-orders open at noon on August 26 on Amazon and Rakuten Books.
Aug 29
Dengeki Hobby Web's latest Amazon Hobby New Arrivals Ranking for the Figures & Collector Dolls category places Max Factory's GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE figma Anis: Sparkling Summer at No. 1. The top 10 also includes a One Piece box set, a Ghost in the Shell Motoko Kusanagi figure, and several other pre-order items.
Aug 29
Medicom Toy's BE@RBRICK CHASE lineup now includes The Dark Knight trilogy as blind box items. Six types are available: Batman (The Dark Knight), Batman (Batman Begins), Bane, Two-Face, Catwoman (Selina Kyle), and The Joker. Each figure stands about 7 cm tall and costs 1,000 yen. Release is scheduled for September 2026.
Aug 29
Banpresto adds Mea Kurosaki and Momo Belia Deviluke to its To LOVE-ru Darkness Nyaruz Collection prize figures. Both figures are scheduled to appear sequentially from August 27, 2026. Mea is the first in the series to get a sitting pose, while Momo uses a light, dynamic pose.
Aug 29
Moss Inc. confirmed on August 27 that the gothic bullet-hell STG Caladrius2/Dark Element will launch December 10. The new series entry releases on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, priced at 5,478 yen for the download version. The announcement also detailed the returning Shame Break system and new gameplay modes.
Aug 28
Digitalis Publishing and 15 Industry started a sale on August 24 for Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a reading-style fantasy adventure on Steam. The game is 20% off at 1,584 yen until September 7, its lowest post-release price. The sale commemorates the release of the Witch of the Dark Castle Original Soundtrack, with music by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
Aug 28
4Gamer's weekly last-minute sale roundup highlights Steam deals for Dave the Diver at 1,200 yen (50% off, ends August 31) and Darkest Dungeon at 435 yen (85% off, ends September 2). The column also lists 12 additional PC and Switch titles with sale prices and end dates across Steam and My Nintendo stores.
Aug 28
Anime News Network rates episode 8 of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You with a community score of 4.0. The episode follows Tayama/Yamada losing a portable ashtray gift from Sasaki, leading to a search that becomes the show's most comical stretch. A typhoon scene turns into an earnest conversation about admiration and becoming better people.
Aug 28
Dark Horse unveiled new PVC figures of David, Lucy, Rebecca, and Adam Smasher from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Thursday. The figures are slated for release between March and May 2027. Pre-orders are available on the Dark Horse Direct website. Adam Smasher will retail for US$79.99 while the other three figures will cost US$69.99 each.