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1h ago
Fine released the Early Access version of Satori Chunibyo Consultation Room -Translator of the Second Reality- on Steam for PC on October 9, 2026. Developed by Shadow Glove, the psychological mystery adventure costs 1980 yen, with a 1280 yen price through November 12. Players act as director of the Satori Second Reality Consultation Room, reading visitors' inner worlds through Dialogue, Mind Reading, and Translation. Early Access covers the prologue through Chapter 4, roughly 7 to 9 hours.
4d ago
Double Fine Productions is leaving Microsoft and going independent again, reviving its internal game jam Amnesia Fortnight as the first step. The studio, led by Tim Schafer, made Psychonauts 2 under Microsoft after an acquisition announced in 2019. The re-independence follows restructuring and downsizing, and the new effort is funded through crowdfunding rather than a publisher.
5d ago
Buma Games released the PC game "Just Finish and Release It" on Steam on September 23, 2026. The game costs 1,100 yen including tax, with a 10 percent discount to 990 yen available until October 8. It is an idle incremental game about an indie developer who wakes up to find the release date has been moved to the next day, with no code written and the studio near bankruptcy. The developer's companion is a talking dog CEO named Joe, who makes unreasonable demands and delivers black humor about the game industry. Resources include code generated by clicking, compute from secondhand servers, power from a squirrel, and debugging handled by a sea monster. Players unlock more than 300 upgrades, recruit over 10 companions, and automate a development line. Sleeping and dreaming unlock skills and new systems. The game supports Japanese display.
Oct 2
Takara Tomy has opened pre-orders on Takara Tomy Mall for three ZOIDS items under its T-SPARK brand. Metamorverse MV-02 Fine & Zeke Zoid is a 1/10-scale articulated model with a Buddy Armor that reconfigures into two Favor Armor forms, priced at 38,500 yen. Zoids AZ-18 Godos is a 1/72-scale walking kit at 7,700 yen, and Realize RMZ-027 Dibison Thomas Spec Zoid is a 1/100-scale action model. Pre-orders close November 11.
Oct 2
Bellfine displayed first painted samples of several plastic models at the 2026 64th All Japan Model & Hobby Show, held at Tokyo Big Sight from Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4, 2026, with a trade invitation day on Friday, October 2. The 1/12 scale plastic model of Karamaru from Kyatto Ninden Teyandee was shown as a painted sample for the first time. The booth also showed the IKEBUS, a bus designed by Eiji Mitooka, as a reference exhibit. Kabiko unveiled the UV light-reactive Mecha Girl Buster Maiden Ver. UV Clear, along with Kidou Douki MoMo Orca, Kidou Douki MoMo Dread Red, Doranetsu Jabawock Type, and Doranetsu Jabawock Type Lemon Soda. Dengeki Hobby Web published breaking photo reports from both booths.
Sep 14
Bellfine is re-releasing the Gunbuster Mechanic Selection plastic model kit, with pre-orders opening Monday, September 14 and a release scheduled for December 2026. The set collects five machines from the 1988 OVA Gunbuster: Buster Machine No. 1, Buster Machine No. 2, Luxion, Excelion, and Eltreum. Sizes run from roughly 140mm for Buster Machine No. 1 to about 350mm for Eltreum. The kit costs 9,790 yen including tax.
Sep 14
Belfine is releasing a plastic model kit of TYPE 33 HEIKEGANI, a six-legged tank from Emerson Tung's original work TANKHEAD. Preorders open Monday, September 14, 2026, at 11:00, with release set for April 2027. The 1/48 scale kit stands about 103mm tall and 270mm long, priced at 6,820 yen tax included, designed by MDT with box art by Tung.
Sep 9
Ask has begun selling Fractal Design's Define One and Summit mid-tower cases and Radius all-in-one liquid CPU coolers in Japan. Define One keeps the closed-front quiet design with three Momentum 14 fans, in steel and tempered glass versions. Summit uses FSC-certified bent wood and solid wood legs across six models. Radius coolers come in RGB and non-RGB versions. Cases start around 28,680 yen, coolers around 17,080 yen.
Sep 5
Double Fine Productions announced Thank You Bus Driver on September 5. The PC driving game casts the player as a bus driver who enforces daily changing passenger rules, from no phone calls to no farting. Violators are slapped or thrown out. The studio's new label Double Fine Action Labs releases it as its first work.
Sep 4
Kadokawa streamed the first main promotional video and key visual for the second season of The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in a Different World as an Aristocrat on Friday, confirming a January premiere. The video introduces two new cast members: Sumire Uesaka as Epona Rhiannon and Yūsuke Tonozaki as Neusche Gephis. Masafumi Tamura returns to direct at SILVER LINK, with the rest of the core staff back.
Sep 3
Lacking Finesse Games has released Papabile, a PC simulation game, for free on Steam. Set in 1492 Rome, the game casts the player as a cardinal in a papal conclave following the Pope's death, aiming to win the papacy through bribery, flattery, and threats among procedurally generated cardinals.
Sep 3
Double Fine Productions cut the price of its online pottery battle game Kiln from about 2,800 yen to about 1,100 yen on September 3. The studio said the reduction reflects an 'indie price' now that it is independent and revenue goes directly to it. A new 'Bisque Update' also launched.
Sep 3
Ask Corporation announced the Refine 2 series of gaming chairs from Fractal Design. The lineup includes six models across three types: Mesh, Fabric, and Hybrid. The chairs feature glass fiber reinforced PP/PA frames, cold-cure foam cushions, recline up to 130 degrees, 4D armrests, and hubless casters. They support a maximum load capacity of 135 kg.
Aug 29
Double Fine Productions announced on August 27 that the itch.io version of Brütal Legend is free for a limited time of 666 minutes, a tribute to Tim Curry, who died on August 25. Curry voiced Emperor Doviculus, the game's antagonist. The free window runs until around 7:00 p.m. Japan time the same day.
Aug 28
At its Anime NYC panel on Saturday, BL-focused publisher Publang announced five new titles: three manhwa and two web novels. The lineup includes the manhwa Define the Relationship, The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low, and PASSION, plus the web novels Healer and The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low. Additional details are still to be announced.
Aug 21
At the 15th 30 MINUTES LABEL New Product Presentation streamed on August 21, 2026, BANDAI SPIRITS announced new 30 MINUTES MISSIONS plastic model kits. Reveals included Spinatia (Beast Spec), Altrefine, Iglite (High Mobility Type), Option Parts Set 25, Tech Proto Elite (Base Defense Spec), and an ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON Dual Nature kit plus Weapon Set 09, with releases spanning January to March 2027.
Aug 4
Double Fine Productions announced on July 29 that it has laid off 23 staff members, roughly one-quarter of its workforce. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier said the studio had about 90 employees before the cuts. The San Francisco-based studio, founded by Tim Schafer in 2000, described the decision as difficult and said it was necessary to ensure the studio's survival after regaining its independence from Microsoft. Double Fine became part of Xbox in 2019, but on July 6, 2026, it announced its independence amid a large-scale restructuring of the Xbox division. The studio regained ownership of its works and retained funding for its next title, according to Kotaku's confirmation with an Xbox spokesperson. The layoffs came about three weeks after that independence announcement. The studio said it was not a light decision for a small, tightly-knit team, but independence also entails becoming a sustainable size. It expressed support for affected staff, calling them important people who influenced the studio's games and culture. Double Fine is known for the Psychonauts series and recently released the multiplayer pottery game Kiln in April 2026.
Jul 10
Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma announced a "reset" of the business, with 3,200 layoffs planned through the 2027 fiscal year, starting with 1,600 immediate cuts. Four studios-Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs-will leave the Xbox umbrella. Compulsion and Double Fine will become independent with their IPs; Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will go to new owners. Arkane France is in consultation. The company aims to reduce management layers and appoint a COO.
Jul 6
On July 6, 2026, Microsoft laid off approximately 1,600 employees in its Xbox division, the largest workforce reduction in the division's history. The company plans to cut a total of 3,200 Xbox positions by the end of the current fiscal year. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma sent an internal memo describing the move as an "Xbox Reset," citing the division's profit margin being one-third to one-tenth of industry peers and slowed growth relative to rising costs. Four studios acquired by Microsoft in recent years will regain independence: Double Fine and Compulsion Games under their founders' leadership, and Ninja Theory and Undead Labs through sales. The memo stated that previously announced first-party games will not be canceled, and Microsoft agreed to provide development funding for Ninja Theory's "Senua" and Undead Labs' "State of Decay 3." Arkane Studios has begun labor-management consultations about its future. Employees across Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, and Obsidian Entertainment also reported layoffs, with some saying they received no prior warning. The reductions follow earlier Microsoft gaming layoffs of 1,900 in 2024 and over 6,000 in May 2025. The layoffs on July 6 represent half of the 3,200 planned; the remaining cuts are expected within the fiscal year.
Jul 3
Yen Press announced six manga and two novel licenses during its Anime Expo panel on Friday, including Planarian Humans, Takane-san and Arashi-chan, Zeta Gundam Define, The Chef of the Adventurers' Tavern, A Flower in Black Crude Clothes, and The 11th Cat Is Nene!.
Jun 2
At BitSummit PUNCH, held May 22-24, 2026 at Miyako Messe in Kyoto, Double Fine Productions gave a rare interview in Japan. Project lead Derek Brand discussed the studio's upcoming multiplayer title 'Kiln', which departs from their usual story-driven single-player games. Brand explained that 'Kiln' began from the concept of letting players create their own characters and fight with them, with pottery and ceramics chosen as the medium after the team found a photo of pots and drew faces on them. The team took pottery lessons for several months during pre-production. Creative lead Lee Petty spoke about 'Keeper', a wordless single-player adventure released last year about a lighthouse that grows legs and walks. Petty said the idea came from a walk during the pandemic, thinking about what becomes meaningless after humanity disappears. Both developers noted that since joining Xbox in 2019, the studio has gained resources without restrictions on their creative freedom. They expressed gratitude to Japanese fans and said development on 'Kiln' continues.
May 19
Jōyō Nishi's I'm Fine With Being the Second Girlfriend light novel series concluded with its ninth and final volume on Saturday. Dengeki Bunko released a special voiced promotional video to mark the end. The series, which began in 2021, also has a manga adaptation published by Seven Seas in English.