Visual Arts and its Key brand are in a period of rebuilding output after a data breach and a serious health disclosure. In October 2026 Key confirmed Jun Maeda's pharyngeal cancer diagnosis and said his completed share of the Heaven Burns Red main story ends with Chapter 6.
Visual Arts entered the period with a security failure. On June 4 it said master data for the newly released anemoi had appeared on an overseas website on April 19, before the game's April 24 release. An investigation found that authentication credentials for cloud storage used in the internal portal system had been stolen, and the company said over 10,000 records of names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other data belonging to customers, business partners, job applicants and employees may have leaked. It submitted an initial report to Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission on May 11 and temporarily suspended new orders at its VA STORE.
Six weeks later, on July 17, the company announced a new brand, VISUAL ARTS Scripts, and its first title, Sayagatari -Yoto no Yakusoku-, a PC visual novel set for September 25. The download version is priced at 990 yen as a special launch price, with a first-run limited package at 4,950 yen. Tomori Kusunoki voices the lead heroine, and a Steam version is in development. The brand gives the company a line for smaller, cheaper visual novels alongside Key's larger releases.
Key's next release is Summer Pockets Sunnyside Stories on December 18. The omnibus of 16 episodes adapts the 2018 website project In the Summer's Dazzling Light and adds new material. Prices are 10,780 yen for the deluxe edition, 3,960 yen for the standard edition and 2,970 yen for the download edition. Konomi Suzuki sings the new opening theme, Luster piece.
On October 19 the company disclosed that Jun Maeda has pharyngeal cancer. The announcement said Maeda chose palliative care over aggressive treatment to conserve strength for creative work, and that his completed share of the Heaven Burns Red main story ends with Chapter 6.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
5d ago
Visual Arts and its brand Key announced on October 19, 2026 that Jun Maeda has been diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer. Maeda felt discomfort in his throat in early spring 2026 and swelling and pain in summer, then received a diagnosis after detailed examinations at a medical institution. The announcement states that, after weighing his condition and treatment prospects, Maeda chose not to undergo aggressive treatment and instead receive care centered on palliative care so he could conserve his strength and continue creative work. He is hospitalized. Key says Maeda has completed his share of the Heaven Burns Red main story through the conclusion of Chapter 6, including lyrics and music for the first half of Chapter 6, and that further scenario and song work may not be possible as the illness progresses. A planned long-term YouTube music project has been changed to finishing existing songs for release in sequence.
Oct 3
Visual Arts announced on September 28, 2026 that its Key brand will release Summer Pockets Sunnyside Stories on December 18. The visual novel adapts "Summer Pockets Short Stories: In the Summer's Dazzling Light," a project published on the Summer Pockets official website in 2018, and adds new material. It is an omnibus of 16 episodes set on Torishirojima, the island from Summer Pockets, and most episodes can be read in any order. The deluxe edition costs 10,780 yen, the standard edition 3,960 yen, and the download edition 2,970 yen, all tax included. Character design is credited to Na-Ga, Fumuyun, Izumi Tsubasu, and Yuunon Nagayama. Yuu Niijima, Kai, and Hasama, who worked on Summer Pockets, wrote the scenarios. Konomi Suzuki sings the new opening theme, "Luster piece," with lyrics by Niijima and composition and arrangement by Shuhei Ohashi.
Jul 17
Visual Arts announced a new brand, VISUAL ARTS Scripts, and its first title, Sayagatari -Yōtō no Yakusoku-, a visual novel where players fight monsters and receive kisses from a heroine who seals cursed swords. The game launches September 25 on PC, with a Steam version in development. Tomori Kusunoki voices the lead heroine. The download version is priced at 990 yen as a special launch price.
Jul 17
Visual Arts, owner of Key, announced the PC novel game 'Sayagatari - Yōtō no Yakusoku -' for September 25 release. The download version is priced at 990 yen, a special launch price, and the first-run limited package is 4,950 yen. The opening movie, cast, and a signing event with illustrator Riichu were also revealed.
Jun 4
Visual Arts, the parent company of visual novel brand Key, announced on June 4 that personal information may have been leaked due to unauthorized access by a third party. The breach was discovered when master data for the newly released title 'anemoi' was found uploaded without permission on an overseas website on April 19, before the game's April 24 release. An investigation revealed that authentication credentials for cloud storage used in the company's internal portal system were stolen, making it highly likely that internal data was taken. The scope of potentially leaked personal information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses of customers, business partners, job applicants, and employees, with over 10,000 records indicated. The exact number of affected individuals is still under investigation. As of the announcement, no secondary damage using the leaked information has been confirmed, and no other information beyond the 'anemoi' master data has been made public. Visual Arts submitted an initial report to Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission on May 11. The company has begun implementing preventive measures, including reviewing internal system access rights and strengthening authentication methods. The official online store VA STORE has temporarily suspended new orders until safety is confirmed.