Hashire Hebereke EX, a modern remake of the 1994 Super Famicom racing game, has a playable demo on Steam Next Fest and is set to launch on September 3, 2026.
Sunsoft is updating its 1994 cult racing game Hashire Hebereke for modern platforms. The remake, titled Hashire Hebereke EX, has joined Steam Next Fest with a playable demo. The demo includes the first two story stages and the Engacho chase mode, giving players an early look at the game's online multiplayer and multiple game modes.
Pre-orders for both Standard and Limited Editions are open. The full game is scheduled to launch on September 3, 2026. The release date and demo availability are the only concrete details established about the project so far. No platform list beyond Steam has been confirmed, and no staff or studio credits have been disclosed in the coverage.
The game represents Sunsoft's effort to revive a 30-year-old title from its back catalog for a contemporary audience, with the demo serving as the primary vehicle for player feedback ahead of the September launch.
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Hayakawa Publishing released "There Is No Antimemetics Division" on July 15 under its Hayakawa Bunko SF label. The horror sci-fi novel, written by qntm and translated by Masato Naruniwa, originates from the SCP Foundation. It depicts a secret organization confronting antimemes, entities that erase themselves from memory. Author Li called it "overwhelmingly, crushingly interesting."
Medicom Toy's MAFEX series is releasing a Superman figure based on the 'Superman: For Tomorrow' comic story arc. The figure includes four interchangeable head parts, a cloth cape with wire, heat vision effect parts, a vanishing device part, and a large gargoyle base. It stands 16 cm tall and is scheduled for release in April 2027 at a price of 14,080 yen.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has delayed the release of its official PlayStation 5 and PC arcade controller, the FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick. Originally planned to launch alongside the fighting game MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls on August 7, the controller is postponed for final adjustments to ensure the best experience. A new release date has not been announced. The price remains 34,980 yen.
HoYoverse's closed beta test for Honkai: Nexus Anima, a new Honkai series game, features creature collection, exploration in Iatown, and auto-chess style battles. Players bond with Nexus Anima creatures, use their skills for traversal, and deploy them in strategic auto-battles. The branching main quest changes based on choices. Honkai series characters appear as Mirror Heart supports. The Evolution Test runs July 9-27.
Otakon announced it will host background art director Kazuki Higashiji at its 2026 event. Higashiji has worked on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Maquia, Angel Beats!, Hanasaku Iroha, and Charlotte. The convention also announced a policy change banning fan art sales in the dealers room, directing dealers to the artist alley instead.
Anime Feminist reviews the first episode of Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life, where former Demon King Ryusei and Hero Meteor are reincarnated as a teacher and high school student. The review praises the show for handling the age-gap romance with self-awareness, avoiding ickiness by having the characters view each other as former enemies rather than teacher-student. The reviewer found it charming and hilarious, already preordering the manga.
THQ Nordic and developer Campfire Cabal announced that the historical RPG Expeditions: Samurai will begin early access on Steam on August 7, 2026. The game is set in Japan around 1600, at the end of the Sengoku period, and features a fictional Western protagonist who travels from England to survive the turmoil. A companion trailer released alongside the announcement introduces eight characters, including a thief, a sword master, a female warrior, and a cleric. The full version is planned for release in the first quarter of 2027, with additional features such as village management, crafting, and expanded character customization. The early access version includes combat, exploration, stealth, and a portion of the story. The price is expected to increase for the full release. The game supports two-player co-op, where a second player joins as the protagonist's twin sibling. This is the first Expeditions game developed by Campfire Cabal, a studio founded by former Logic Artists co-founder Jonas Waever after the original developer shifted focus toward blockchain. The series' previous entry, Expeditions: Rome, received an 86% positive rating on Steam. The early access build does not currently support Japanese display.
Bandai announced the third volume of the Mobile Suit Gundam CAPSULE INDEX gashapon series, releasing in the fourth week of July 2026. The lineup includes four mobile suits: Xi Gundam and Gustav Karl Type 00 from Hathaway's Flash, Destiny Gundam Spec II from SEED FREEDOM ZERO, and White Gundam from GQuuuuuuX. Each capsule costs 400 yen.
Crunchyroll announced an English dub for the first season of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten anime. All 12 episodes will launch with the dub on July 15, 2026. The cast includes Ryan Negrón as Amane and Jill Harris as Mahiru, with Jonathan Rigg directing. The second season premiered in April 2026.
The official website announced a new short anime titled "Milky☆Byway Spring Special: Terror on Chelovin's Day" on July 3. More details are coming later. The re-edited film opened in February, earned 151 million yen in three days, and hit Netflix in June. A version with added scenes started screening June 12. Creator Yōhei Kameyama handled most production duties himself.
Colopl is running a collaboration between the smartphone game Alice Gear Aegis and the TV anime Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance from July 13 to August 3, 2026. The event includes an original episode supervised by series creator Masaki Tsuzuki, free playable characters Shiina Kuse and Nanoha Takamachi, free costumes, and various scouts. A Twitter campaign offers autographed shikishi boards.
At GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2026, KLab and Next Ninja shared practical strategies for overseas expansion and AI utilization. KLab's Toshi Fujiyoshi detailed how Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team achieved high sales in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through simultaneous global release, Discord community management, and offline world tournaments. Next Ninja's Seiko Yamagishi emphasized direct fan engagement. The panel also revealed that AI has automated 86% of customer support work, cutting response time from five days to five minutes.
The collaboration between Apex Legends and Cyberpunk 2077/Edgerunners goes live July 15, transforming the E-District map into Night City with neon, fog, and Arasaka's Citadel. A new Wild Card mode introduces Cyberware abilities: Blackwall Breach and Sandevistan. The first Mythic weapon skin, for the Alternator, features the AI pistol Skippy, which floats and talks during reload. Legend skins include Lucy for Alter, David for Sparrow, Rebecca for Rampart, and V for Crypto.
EXNOA opened pre-registration for Touken Ranbu Pazugiri on July 12, 2026, across the App Store, Google Play, and the official website. The game is a puzzle RPG set in the Touken Ranbu ONLINE universe, where players take the role of an Emakimori and team up with sword warriors (Touken Danshi) to protect the world of stories from the Time Retrograde Army. The puzzle mechanics involve connecting oni of the same color and cutting them. The game is free-to-play with in-app purchases and is scheduled for release within 2026 on PC (DMM GAMES PLAYER), iOS, and Android. Pre-registration milestone rewards include summon tickets and a guaranteed sword warrior summon ticket at 300,000 registrations. A campaign on X offers 5,000 winners a chance at up to 8,260 yen worth of Erableru Pay. A repost campaign for the official PV gives 100 winners Erableru Pay and 100 winners hologram stickers of Mikazuki Munechika. A collaborative campaign with Touken Ranbu ONLINE is set to begin on July 22, 2026.
Nexon announced on July 13 that the remastered FPS Sudden Attack: Zero Point will begin early access on Steam on July 30, 2026. The game is a free-to-play remaster of the original Sudden Attack, which debuted in South Korea in 2005 and later in Japan. It retains the original's high-speed combat and classic bomb defusal and team deathmatch modes while overhauling visuals with a new engine. At launch, early access will include 13 main weapons, 4 sub-weapons, over 200 main weapon-specific parts, 36 shared parts, character skins, and 10 characters. Two maps for close-quarters battle, four maps for bomb defusal mode, and bot team deathmatch are available. A Black Market allows players to trade items. Nexon also released a 2026 roadmap: content will roll out through a pre-season followed by Seasons 1 to 3, adding clan systems, new weapons, and maps. The Vampire mode, a fan favorite from the original, is planned for Season 2. A final closed beta test ran from July 9 to 13.
Bandai Namco announced a summer 2026 update for Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Versus 2 Infinite Boost, including the new unit ∫ (Integral) Extreme Gundam, a 15th anniversary campaign for Gundam EXA, balance changes for 12 units, and the series' first shuffle online tournament.
Anime! Anime!'s annual reader survey asked which female character looks best in a yukata. Ran Mouri from Detective Conan took first place with about 20% support, followed by Hinata Hyuga from Naruto at about 13% and Mahiru Shiina from The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten at about 4%. The poll ran from June 9 to June 17 and received 434 responses.
The synopsis and advance cuts for Episode 2 of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance have been released. The episode, titled "United Nations Investigation Organization EXCEEDS / Demon Hunter," shows Shina Kuse being scouted by Nanoha Takamachi and hearing from EXCEEDS Governor-General Hayate Yagami about "the way to save the world." Meanwhile, a dangerous group called "Demon Hunter" is active in the underworld. The episode airs July 11 on TOKYO MX and BS11.
On July 12, 2026, at the Esports World Cup in Paris, France, Japanese esports team UNLIMIT won the Apex Legends Global Series Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs. The roster of players Yurariman, Xtsuvi, and Peace defeated fellow Japanese team ZETA DIVISION in the final match of the Match Point Finals, securing the championship in the 10th match. This is the first time a team composed entirely of Japanese players has won an international Apex Legends tournament. Peace was named tournament MVP. UNLIMIT advanced directly from the group stage to the finals, struggled early in the finals, then won three consecutive matches starting with Match 7, where they eliminated Sentinels, who had match point. The tournament gathered 40 teams from regional pro leagues across Americas, EMEA, APAC North, and APAC South. Nine Japanese teams participated, including ZETA DIVISION, REJECT, and ENTER FORCE.36. With this win, UNLIMIT made progress toward qualifying for the ALGS Year 6 Championship in Sapporo in January 2027.
Digital Extremes announced the 'Iceblade of Narin' major update for Warframe at TennoCon 2026, arriving in autumn 2026. It introduces the first ice-themed female Warframe since Frost, along with Citrine Prime, Qorvex, Banshee Deluxe Skins, and a Banshee rework. A new star system TAU and a detective-like Warframe Brysko were also revealed. The update includes a story episode about Lotus moving Lua into the Void.
Astrolabe Games is showing OMEGA PHENEX at Bilibili World 2026. The mech action game, developed by Surume Game Workshop, puts players in the pilot seat of the Icarus mecha. The game takes inspiration from Armored Core: For Answer but features more forgiving controls, with a boost gauge that depletes slowly and no turn speed limit. Players can customize parts and tune performance. The demo includes a tutorial and a boss fight against a massive missile-launching weapon.
Digital Extremes announced at TennoCon 2026 that the fantasy RPG Soulframe will add a mount system in fall 2026. The mounts, which include giant wolves and horses, can be used in four-player squads and feature a bonding system where players can pet, feed, and play fetch with their animals. A new boss, Mendicant Rainbreaker, is available to fight as of the event. She rides a horse and wields a giant sword, driven by hatred for humanity's mistreatment of horses. The studio also revealed a new story quest, War Song, arriving in fall 2026, which explores darker themes through a new vow called Vatagar. This vow allows players to draw on corrupting powers like Wrath, Death, and Doom. The quest introduces the Empress of Eldbell, voiced by Jennifer English, and the enemy Tempest Vayol, voiced by Ben Starr. A fishing mini-game was also shown. The closed alpha test Preludes was opened to all registrants during the TennoCon weekend, granting permanent access.
The Amazon Kindle manga bestseller ranking for July 10, 2026, shows Hunter x Hunter volume 39 holding the top spot for a second consecutive week. New volumes of Yomi no Tsugai, Mahōi Rex no Hentai Karute, and The Fable: The Third Secret chart alongside other popular series. Pre-order and sale titles are also noted.
The Apex Legends Cyberpunk collaboration event launches July 15, 2026, transforming the E-District map into a Night City version. Players can use Sandevistan or Blackwall Breach cyberware, but overuse triggers a cyberpsycho state that disables abilities while boosting melee speed. A Mythic Skippy weapon skin for the Alternator is also available.
Crunchyroll announced the English dub cast and staff for the television anime of Hekiru Hikawa's Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life. The same-day dub will premiere on July 11, with Kelly Greenshield and Mauricio Ortiz-Segura among the cast. The anime debuts on Japanese TV and streams on Crunchyroll in multiple regions. LIDEN FILMS handles animation production.
Bandai announced a Gashapon collection for the Mobile Suit Gundam EXVS. series, featuring 14 types including miniature arcade cabinets that play BGM and game sounds, swing cases, and acrylic stands with key visuals. Each capsule costs 400 yen and releases in the third week of July 2026.
The horror experience exhibition '1999 Exhibition: Memories of That Nonexistent Day' will be held in Osaka from July 11 to September 27. It is a touring version of the 2025 Tokyo exhibition that attracted 100,000 visitors. The exhibition is the first project from creative unit Bermuda 3, which includes SIREN scenario writer Naoko Sato, novelist Sujikin, and film director Masaki Nishiyama. Last Wonder is co-organizing.
HoYoverse released character details and a promotional video for Nanafi, a girl from the town of Iatown who dreams of traveling between dimensions, voiced by Saho Shirasuna. The closed beta test, the Evolution Test, began on July 9, 2026.
Nexon has started the final closed beta test for SUDDEN ATTACK ZERO POINT, a remaster of the 2005 online FPS Sudden Attack, on Steam. The test runs from July 9 to July 13 and includes 13 primary weapons, over 200 dedicated parts, and 10 unique characters. Players can apply via the Steam store page until July 11.
Nexon announced its booth lineup for Tokyo Game Show 2026, featuring Project RX, a new subculture game from Blue Archive developer IO DIVISION, and Mabinogi Mobile, the cross-play mobile remake of the classic MMORPG. A teaser site is live, with more details to come.
Sunborn Japan held the 1.5th anniversary offline event "Summer Front" for Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium on July 4, 2026, livestreaming from Bellesalle Akihabara. The event unveiled the new SSR doll Lorelei, voiced by Yuka Saito, and announced collaborations with Ultraman and SSSS.GRIDMAN. A voting event called "Starry Wish" is also underway.
Anime News Network published a five-part roundup of Tanabata greetings from across the anime, manga, and video game industries on July 7, 2026. The collection includes wishes and illustrations from official accounts for series such as Bungo Stray Dogs, Detective Conan, My Hero Academia, Sakamoto Days, Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan, Hell's Paradise, and Dragon Quest. Video game franchises like Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, and Like a Dragon also participated, alongside creators including Hideo Kojima, Yuki Kaji, and Shoko Nakagawa. Several series tied their posts to new releases: the second season of Yoroi Shin Den Samurai Troopers premiered on July 7, My Happy Marriage released a special Tanabata illustration and announced a three-episode special for 2026, and My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked began airing on July 8. The roundup also features greetings from manga titles like Chiikawa, MARRIAGETOXIN, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, as well as from studios Tatsunoko Production and Square Enix.
Gravity Game Arise announced on July 8, 2026, that it will release JALECO ARCADE COLLECTION Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. The two volumes together contain 32 arcade titles originally published by Jaleco during the 1980s and 1990s. Twenty of those titles have been revealed so far, with the remaining 12 to be announced later. Vol. 1 includes City Connection, Formation Z, Takeda Shingen, The Lord of King, Butasan, Tenseiryū, Cybattler, Field Combat, P-47: The Freedom Fighter, and Naughty Boy. Vol. 2 includes Exerion, E.D.F. Earth Defense Force, Makai Densetsu, Iga Ninpō Den, Plus Alpha, Pop Flamer, Rod Land, Soldam, Argus, and Phantasm. Physical editions are planned for Switch and PS5. The collection includes optional features such as overseas versions of some titles, DIP switch reproduction for difficulty and lives, a CRT filter, selectable rapid fire from 10 to 30 shots per second, a rewind function, and quick save and load. Release dates and prices have not been announced.
Astrolabe Games will globally publish Omega Phenex Commenced Project Six, a high-speed mecha shooter from Japanese circle Surume Game Koubou. The game, developed over eight years by a CG designer, reached its 3 million yen crowdfunding goal in one day. An open beta runs until July 25, with a 2027 release planned.
On July 8, 2026, publisher Astrolabe Games announced it will handle global publishing for the high-speed mecha shooting game OMEGA PHENEX (Commenced Project Six), developed by the Japanese individual game development circle Surume Game Koubou. The game has been in development for eight years by solo developer Surume Manjuu, who works as a CG designer. Built with Unreal Engine 5, OMEGA PHENEX is influenced by Armored Core: For Answer and features fast-paced 3D mecha combat. Players pilot the highly mobile mecha Icarus across large maps, engaging in over 30 missions including annihilation battles, boss fights, and escort missions. An arena mode for one-on-one battles is also included. The mecha can be customized with parts and color schemes, and a Tune function allows players to adjust durability, mobility, and weapon performance within a cost limit. An open beta test on Steam that began April 25, 2026, attracted over 70,000 participants, and the game has accumulated over 130,000 Steam wishlist registrations. Astrolabe Games will provide global promotion, translation, console version feasibility study, and distribution support. The game is targeting a release on PC via Steam within 2027. A playtest is currently available until July 25, and a crowdfunding campaign on CAMPFIRE has raised approximately 6.5 million yen, more than double its initial target.
Independent developer Actor has opened the Steam store page for "Spanking Exorcist," a horror comedy action game where players exorcise spirits of housing complex wives by spanking them. The game uses Unreal Engine 5, features full voice acting, 69 types of spanking actions, and an endless mode with online score competition. It launches July 24, 2026 on PC.
Colopl's mobile game Alice Gear Aegis will hold a collaboration event with the new television anime Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance from July 13, 2026. The anime began airing on July 4 on TOKYO MX and BS11. Pre-campaign login bonuses are already underway, and returning players can receive bonus Scout Points. Details on the collaboration will be shared on the official X account.
Anime Feminist's review of The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System episode 1 describes the premiere as visually overwhelming, with excessive camera movement, jiggle physics, and a high frame rate that triggered a migraine in the reviewer. The plot is called generic, with a villain named Malice and a familiar isekai setup.
Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment announced a collaboration between Apex Legends and the Cyberpunk series, including the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The event runs from July 15, 2026, at 2:00 JST. The map E-District is transformed into a Night City version with neon signs, holograms, and the Arasaka Citadel, plus a giant moon from the anime. A limited-time Wild Card mode introduces two cyberware abilities: Sandevistan, which allows rapid dashes, and Blackwall Breach, which grants invisibility and a shield-destroying blast. Using cyberware builds a gauge that can lead to a Cyberpsycho state, disabling weapons and shields but boosting melee damage. Eight Legend skins are available, pairing characters such as Wraith with Lucy, Octane with David Martinez, and Rampart with Rebecca. Each skin comes with a matching weapon skin. A Mythic weapon skin for the Alternator, based on the Skippy smart pistol from Cyberpunk 2077, is also included. Respawn initiated the collaboration, and CD Projekt Red provided guidelines. The event coincides with the scheduled fall 2026 release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 on Netflix.
Meta Chief AI Scientist Alexandre Wang revealed that the company's Muse Spark model will be updated under the internal codename Watermelon, which has achieved benchmark scores comparable to OpenAI's GPT-5.5. The update focuses on coding and agent capabilities, with internal tests showing a deliberation mode can improve scores by 8%.
Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas will screen all 13 episodes of the TV anime Serial Experiments Lain from September 2 to September 9. The screening is a linked project with the SEVESKIG collaboration event let's all love lain, which includes a pop-up exhibition at Laforet Harajuku from September 2 to September 8.
The new TV anime 'Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell' begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on July 7. To mark the launch, poster ads will run at Shibuya Station from July 6 to July 12, and an Amazon special store page has opened with official merchandise, including limited items and a pre-order illustration panel set.
Anime Feminist reviewed the first episode of Please Excuse My Younger Brothers, a romantic comedy about high school sophomore Ito adjusting to life with four younger stepbrothers. The review notes the show looks good, the voice acting feels natural, and the comedy beats land, while also making clear the series is upfront about its romantic direction.
Devolver Digital and System Era Softworks have released STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions, a spin-off of the survival sandbox ASTRONEER. Unlike the original, this is an online co-op escape action game where teams of up to four players must survey planets, mine resources, and return to their rocket within a 30-minute oxygen limit. The game is currently in early access.
Pre-orders for the LEGO Ideas E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial set start July 3, 2026, with general sales on August 1. The 1,226-piece set, aimed at adult collectors, recreates the iconic scene of E.T. pointing to the sky and saying 'E.T. phone home,' plus a glowing heart feature. It is based on a fan design and priced at 21,980 yen.
Bandai's SUPER BEST series will reissue the DX Brace Buckle from Kamen Rider Blade, the DX K-Taros from Kamen Rider Den-O, and two sets of DX Gashats and accessories from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. All four items launch on July 25, 2026, priced between 4,400 and 9,900 yen.
THQ Nordic released a developer video diary for Expeditions: Samurai, a tactical RPG set in the Sengoku period. The video focuses on the game's art, which uses pastel colors and stylized expressions influenced by Japanese art. It also shows a new dialogue system with 3D models for real-time character emotion.
Nexon released the CROWN update for MapleStory on July 2, adding Hyper Burning BEYOND for accelerated leveling, the Challengers World Season 3, and remasters for the Kinesis and Wild Hunter jobs. Further content is scheduled through August.
Details have been released for the limited merchandise and exhibition areas at the Tokyo venue of "Sanrio Characters Exhibition Hotel Floria Tokyo," an interactive event that was a hit in South Korea. The exhibition, planned by South Korean creative company d'strict, features nine Sanrio characters in a hotel-themed space with room tours, a check-in lobby, a garden party, a ballroom, and a beach area. Limited merchandise includes plushies, keychains, luggage tags, magnets, fans, air fresheners, key rings, and badges, priced from 550 yen to 5,940 yen. The event runs from July 15, 2026, to May 31, 2027, at Tokyu Kabukicho Tower in Tokyo.
Aniplex reported record net sales of ¥212 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2026, a 45 percent increase, driven by Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Kokuho. However, subsidiary studios CloverWorks and Boundary posted net losses, while A-1 Pictures returned to profit after a loss the prior year. Egg Firm's net profit fell by more than 50 percent.