Saturday, 24 October 2026
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GungHo Online Entertainment

GungHo is preparing a playable demo of Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet for Tokyo Game Show 2026 ahead of a spring 2027 release, and it is set to gain Sony Music Entertainment Japan as its largest shareholder pending regulatory approval. Its most recent release, Minna de Chat Party, arrived on Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17, while Disney Pixel RPG ends service on September 30, 2026.

Synthesized from 9 Yomimono stories · updated 1d ago

GungHo's recent news cycle moves in three directions at once: a major publishing alliance, a wind-down of one live game, and a push into new titles across Switch 2 and PC. The most consequential item is the capital and business alliance with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. SME will acquire 12,006,500 GungHo shares from SON Financial LLC for about 28.6 billion yen, or roughly US$179 million, at 2,385 yen per share, with the transfer scheduled for December 30, 2026. Pending regulatory approval, SME holds 23.29% of voting rights and becomes GungHo's largest shareholder and an affiliated company. GungHo keeps its Tokyo Stock Exchange listing, and the two companies plan joint development on smartphone, console, and PC games plus projects using SME Group IP.

On the release side, GungHo published Minna de Chat Party for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17 at 990 yen tax included, a four-player co-op communication game built around guide and operator roles. It also announced B.L.U.E. NOVA for PC via Steam within 2027, a free-to-play third-person PvE bullet-hell shooter supporting up to 30 players in co-op, developed in-house. Ragnarok: Adventures, an auto-battle RPG for iOS and Android, opens service in Japan in 2026 with pre-registration already open, and it keeps the series' jobs and skills while switching to a vertical one-handed screen and an idle system.

Disney Pixel RPG is closing. GungHo announced the end of service for September 30, 2026, about two years after an October 2024 launch, with no reason given. Paid item sales stopped July 1, gacha draws end August 19, and unused Red Crystals are refunded. Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet, announced during a Nintendo Direct, is set for spring 2027 on Switch 2 and will have a playable demo at Tokyo Game Show 2026 in Hall 6 at Makuhari Messe, with a daily Switch 2 draw at the booth. Price and business model remain undecided.

Key facts

Largest shareholder
Sony Music Entertainment Japan will acquire 12,006,500 GungHo shares from SON Financial LLC for about 28.6 billion yen (roughly US$179 million), giving it 23.29% of voting rights and making it GungHo's largest shareholder, pending regulatory approval. ↗
Share transfer date and price
The transfer is scheduled for December 30, 2026 at 2,385 yen per share. ↗
Disney Pixel RPG end of service
Service ends September 30, 2026, about two years after its October 2024 launch; no reason was disclosed. ↗
Disney Pixel RPG shutdown details
Paid item sales stopped July 1, 2026; Red Crystal sales and gacha end August 19 at 11:00 JST; unused Red Crystals will be refunded; the official website and customer support close January 13, 2027. ↗
Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet release
The sequel is set for a spring 2027 release on Nintendo Switch 2 and introduces the series' first open world, with price and business model undecided. ↗
Tokyo Game Show 2026 demo
A playable demo of Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet is at GungHo's booth in Hall 6 at Makuhari Messe, with a Planet Exploration Course and a Photo Shooting Course and a daily Gum Gacha draw for a Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese-language, Japan-only model. ↗
Minna de Chat Party release
The co-op communication game released September 17 for Nintendo Switch 2 at 990 yen, tax included, supporting up to four players locally or online. ↗
B.L.U.E. NOVA announcement
The free-to-play co-op shooter is coming to PC via Steam within 2027, supporting up to 30 players, with Tower Raid as the main mode. ↗
Ragnarok: Adventures
The auto-battle RPG launches in Japan in 2026 on iOS and Android with a free-to-play model and optional paid items, using a vertical screen and idle system. ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced
technical test for B.L.U.E. NOVA on PC via Steam from October 30 to November 1, 2026 · 2026-10-23
Announced
playable demo of Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet (Tokyo Game Show 2026) · 2026-09-18
Announced
B.L.U.E. NOVA · 2026-09-14
Announced
capital and business alliance with Sony Music Entertainment Japan · 2026-09-01
Announced
capital and business alliance (August 28) · 2026-08-29
Announced
Ragnarok: Adventures will launch in Japan (August 13, 2026) · 2026-08-13
Noted
will explore joint development and operation of smartphone, console, and PC games, plus new projects using SME Group IP · 2026-09-01
Noted
keeps its Tokyo Stock Exchange listing · 2026-09-01
Noted
Sony Music becomes largest shareholder · 2026-08-29
Noted
pairs Puzzle & Dragons with Sony Music Group's broader entertainment IP for joint game development · 2026-08-29
Noted
plan to combine GungHo's game development with Sony Music Group's entertainment expertise · 2026-08-29

Connections

Produces
b l u e nova, ragnarok adventures, ninjala 2 unknown planet, minna de chat party, disney pixel rpg, ninjala 2 the uncharted planet

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/gungho-online-entertainment. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about GungHo Online Entertainment was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

  • Confirmed capital and business alliance with Sony Music Entertainment Japan Sep 16 · source

All coverage

1d ago

GungHo's B.L.U.E. NOVA Hands-On: A 30-Player Co-op Shooter Built Around the Ring System

GungHo Online Entertainment will run a technical test for B.L.U.E. NOVA on PC via Steam from October 30 to November 1, 2026, each day from 19:00 to 23:00, with applications open on the game's Steam store page until October 29 at 10:00. The free-to-play PvE shooter is planned for release in 2027 and puts up to 30 players on the planet Deebal, where the development AI EVE has turned its machine army, the Singular, against the human settlers. Players drop in as mercenaries called Heroes and push toward the Master Tower at the center of a randomly generated field, breaking layered barriers and clearing towers along the way. The core system is R.I.N.G.: when players come near each other, a ring forms automatically, and anyone inside fires without reloading. A party holds up to six, and the best performer in the ring can call in a rideable mech as a Ring Ultimate Skill. Two Heroes, the assault type Blaze and the support sniper Seraphie, are playable in the build.

3d ago

GungHo Sets Ragnarok: Adventures Japan Launch For November 4

GungHo Online Entertainment announced on October 21, 2026 that the smartphone app Ragnarok: Adventures will begin official service in Japan on November 4. The auto-battle RPG runs on iOS and Android and is set in the Ragnarok Online series. It uses a vertical screen for one-handed play and an idle system where characters grow while the game is not running. Guild content and town building in My Town are planned.

5d ago

GungHo Opens Signups for B.L.U.E. NOVA Asia Technical Test Starting October 30

GungHo Online Entertainment opened applications on October 19, 2026 for a technical test of its Steam co-op bullet hell shooter B.L.U.E. NOVA. The test runs October 30 to November 1, 2026, from 19:00 to 23:00 JST each day, and is limited to Asia, including Japan. Signups close October 29 at 10:00 JST through the Steam Playtest request button on the game's store page, with participants picked by lottery and access granted from 12:00 JST that day. GungHo says the test checks connection stability and whether large multiplayer sessions run smoothly ahead of a planned global closed beta test. Players who take part receive a limited in-game item usable after release, and may stream or post gameplay footage under the game's usage guidelines. B.L.U.E. NOVA is planned as a free-to-play release on Steam in 2027 with Japanese, English and Simplified Chinese support.

Sep 18

GungHo Brings Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet Demo to Tokyo Game Show 2026

GungHo Online Entertainment is showing a playable demo of Ninjala 2: Unknown Planet at its Tokyo Game Show 2026 booth in Hall 6 at Makuhari Messe. The demo is a special build running ahead of the game's spring 2027 release. Visitors can choose between two courses: a Planet Exploration Course set in the open world with the returning ninja gum action and a boss fight, and a Photo Shooting Course where the player photographs academy characters. Those who play the demo get a chance at a Gum Gacha draw. The S prize is a Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese-language, Japan-only model with a Wireless Hori Pad TURBO, awarded to one person each day. The A prize is a Gum-cchi T-shirt and the B prize is a stick balloon. Booth visitors also receive a Lucy Uchiwa fan while supplies last. Price and business model for the game are undecided.

Sep 18

GungHo Releases Minna de Chat Party for Nintendo Switch 2

GungHo Online Entertainment released the co-op communication game Minna de Chat Party on September 17 for Nintendo Switch 2 at 990 yen, tax included. Up to four players team up locally or online, splitting into guide and operator roles, and use the console's game chat to talk each other through three games: Suika Wari, Delivery Panic, and Ghost Hunt. A practice mode and an audience option are included.

Sep 14

GungHo Announces B.L.U.E. NOVA, A 30-Player Co-Op Shooter For Steam In 2027

GungHo Online Entertainment announced on September 14, 2026 that it will release the co-op shooter B.L.U.E. NOVA on PC via Steam within 2027. The game is free-to-play with in-game purchases and is a third-person PvE bullet-hell shooter that supports single-player and online co-op for up to 30 players. The setting is the planet Deval, which humanity is developing as a new home after a superflare threatens Earth in the year 2200. The development control AI EVE goes out of control, and machine weapons rebel. Players join the USF, or New World Union Special Forces, as mercenaries called Heroes and fight the machine army Singula. The main mode is Tower Raid, where up to 30 players destroy the Master Tower at the center of the battlefield. Entering a ring with allies forms a state called R.I.N.G., which lifts reload limits and activates special moves. Six-player Boss Raids and time-limited Challenges are also included.

Sep 1

Sony Music Japan to Become GungHo's Largest Shareholder in Business Alliance

GungHo Online Entertainment announced a capital and business alliance with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. SME will acquire 12,006,500 GungHo shares from SON Financial LLC for about 28.6 billion yen (roughly US$179 million) in an off-market transaction. Pending regulatory approval, SME becomes GungHo's largest shareholder and an affiliated company. The two will explore joint development and operation of smartphone, console, and PC games, plus new projects using SME Group IP. GungHo keeps its Tokyo Stock Exchange listing.

Aug 29

Sony Music to Become GungHo's Largest Shareholder

Sony Music Entertainment and GungHo Online Entertainment announced a capital and business alliance on August 28. SME will acquire all 12,006,500 common shares held by SON Financial LLC, GungHo's current largest shareholder, at 2,385 yen per share for about 28.6 billion yen. The transfer, scheduled for December 30, 2026, gives SME a 23.29% voting rights stake, making it GungHo's largest shareholder. The companies plan to combine GungHo's game development with Sony Music Group's entertainment expertise.

Aug 13

Ragnarok: Adventures Auto-Battle RPG Coming to Japan

GungHo Online Entertainment announced on August 13, 2026 that Ragnarok: Adventures, an auto-battle RPG in the Ragnarok Online series, will launch in Japan. The game is scheduled to begin service in 2026 on iOS and Android through the App Store and Google Play, with a free-to-play model and optional paid items. Pre-registration opened the same day via the App Store, Google Play, or by following the official X account. The title has already been released overseas under names such as Ragnarok Idle Adventure Plus. Unlike previous Ragnarok series MMORPGs, which used horizontal screens and real-time communication, Ragnarok: Adventures uses a vertical screen designed for one-handed play and an idle system where characters grow and collect items even when the game is not running. The game retains series elements including pop characters, a wide variety of jobs, skills, and stat-based character customization. It also includes strategic battles with NPC companions, guild content, town-building in a My Town area, and fishing. A campaign on the official X account runs from August 13 to August 25, 2026, offering 30 winners a 5,000 yen Amazon Gift Card for following and reposting.

Jul 6

Disney Pixel RPG to End Service in September 2026

GungHo Online Entertainment announced that the smartphone RPG Disney Pixel RPG will end service on September 30, 2026, roughly two years after its October 2024 launch. The reason was not disclosed. Paid item sales ended July 1, and gacha draws will end August 19. Unused paid currency will be refunded.

Jul 1

Disney Pixel RPG to End Service on September 30

GungHo Online Entertainment announced on July 1 that its smartphone RPG Disney Pixel RPG will end service on September 30, 2026, at 11:00 JST. The game launched on October 7, 2024, and will run for about two years. The announcement came via the game's official X account and a notice on the official website. Until the service ends, the developer plans to add more main story content and run various in-game events. Sales of paid items stopped on July 1. Sales of Red Crystal payment items, gacha using Red Crystals, and stamina recovery will end on August 19 at 11:00 JST. Blue Crystals will remain usable until the service termination. Unused Red Crystals will be refunded through a dedicated form after the service ends; players are advised to keep their in-game ID and inquiry code. The official website and customer support are scheduled to close on January 13, 2027. The game is a command battle RPG featuring Disney characters in pixel art, including Mickey Mouse, Pooh, Baymax, Stitch, and Maleficent in themed costumes.

Jun 10

GungHo Announces Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet for Switch 2

GungHo revealed Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet, a sequel to its 2020 free-to-play Switch game, during a Nintendo Direct livestream on Tuesday. The game is set for a spring 2027 release on Nintendo Switch 2 and introduces the series' first open world, along with new traversal abilities and co-op play.