Akashic Production to End Operations on June 30, 2026
The closure of a small but distinct VTuber production leaves only one of its five talents active, marking another contraction in the indie VTuber space.
MoguLive
MapleStory Gets Permanent Theme Park Zone at Lotte World Adventure
The permanent installation, rather than a limited-time event, signals the strength of MapleStory's ongoing popularity in Korea, where it became the fifth most-played game in PC bangs in 2025.
Game Spark
Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Casts Saori Hayami, Yuki Ono, Mika Kikuchi
The casting of Mika Kikuchi, who began her voice acting career as Mokona in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, marks a rare instance of a voice actor returning to the same character role across different CLAMP adaptations two decades later.
Anime News Network, Anime Anime, Anime Corner
Gintama Pop-Up Shop Launches at Daimaru and Matsuzakaya on June 17
The shop extends Gintama's seasonal merchandise line with fresh character art and a multi-venue tour, giving fans a summer event tied to the franchise's ongoing retail presence.
Nijimen
Omori Lead Programmer Cachi Córdova Launches Moonlight Pale Kickstarter
The project brings a veteran of OMORI's development into the survival horror space with a hand-drawn aesthetic and a Silent Hill-inspired dual-state mechanic.
4Gamer.net
Baton Makes Puzzle Planning Firm Bouken Works a Wholly Owned Subsidiary
The acquisition consolidates two puzzle-event specialists under one roof, giving baton direct control over Bouken Works' local-government and client relationships while adding its own NazoLock team's expertise.
KAI-YOU
Detective Conan Returns for Second Year of 24-Hour Television Charity T-Shirt
The repeat collaboration and expanded color options show the charity merchandise has become a reliable annual event for Conan fans, while the broader cast and color discussion reveal how a simple T-shirt can cross over into other fan communities.
Anime Anime
Kojima Productions and Parco Open the Strand Store Pop-Up in Shibuya
The Strand Store is a physical extension of Kojima Productions' "connection" theme, bringing together fashion, music, and lifestyle brands under one roof for a three-month run.
GAME Watch (Impress)
Sony Crackdown on PS Store Shovelware Forces Two Developers to Remove Over 100 Titles
The removals show Sony is enforcing its anti-shovelware rules more aggressively, with small-scale developers who entered the store recently now being swept up in the cleanup.
Automaton
Takanori Higuchi Joins Jun Kaname's Agency PLAN-D
Higuchi's move to PLAN-D reunites him professionally with Kaname, his former co-star and now agency head, following their collaboration in the Kamen Rider Agito anniversary film.
Cinema Today
Uma Musume Cheval Grand Figure Gets Re-Release in December 2026
The re-release gives collectors a second chance at a detailed figure of a popular Uma Musume character, with multiple display options and a premium price point.
Dengeki Hobby Web
Rust June 2026 Update 'Built Different' Overhauls Player Models and Adds M16A2
The update represents the biggest player model overhaul in recent Rust history, with a modernized art pipeline and a new animation subsystem that should reduce bugs and speed up future work.
Game Spark
Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative Soundtracks Hit Steam With Sale
The soundtrack release and simultaneous series sale give Steam users a single window to buy both the music and discounted game titles from the visual novel franchise.
Inside
Live-Action Summer of You Series Adds Five Cast Members
The casting announcement fills out the supporting ensemble for a live-action BL series that has drawn attention for its leads from the Kamen Rider franchise.
Anime News Network
ChaO Exhibition Opens in Ikebukuro With Pamphlet Bonus
The exhibition gives fans a rare look at the production materials of a Japanese film that won the Annecy Jury Prize, the first such win in eight years.
Comic Natalie
Nijisanji's Roco Kaburaki Releases Self-Made Novel Game
A Nijisanji liver independently developed and released a free game from scratch, demonstrating how VTubers can leverage their skills to create original content outside of streaming.
Denfaminicogamer
Kikuo's Asort Collection Debuts in Gashapon With Hoshikun Figure
The capsule toy line marks kikuo's first foray into gashapon merchandise, bringing his character Hoshikun into a physical collectible format through Bandai.
Dengeki Hobby Web
Uber Caps Employee AI Token Spending at $1,500 Per Month After Budget Exhaustion
The cap reveals that even a company deeply integrating AI into daily operations must impose hard limits once the costs outpace the budget, suggesting the productivity gains have not yet made unlimited spending sustainable.
GIGAZINE
Jennifer Lopez Rom-Com 'Office Romance' Streams on Netflix
The film pairs two high-profile actors in a workplace rom-com directed by Ol Parker, arriving directly on Netflix without a theatrical window.
Eiga Natalie
Bestnet Launches Dedicated Server Hosting for Satisfactory
The service targets a gap in the market for Japanese-language support and simplified setup for Satisfactory multiplayer, a game where server load scales with factory complexity rather than player count.
ASCII.jp
Space Quarters Demonstrates Orbital Assembly Robot System DAIQ
The demonstration validates DAIQ's approach to building large space structures by having multiple small robots cooperate in orbit, bypassing the size limits imposed by rocket fairings.
ASCII.jp
DubGuild Inc. Closes Seed Round, Selected for National AI Project GENIAC
DubGuild's selection for GENIAC and its seed round signal government and venture backing for a Japanese approach to end-to-end voice AI, a field where global competition is intensifying.
ASCII.jp
NieR:Automata Formism Figures of 2B, 9S, and A2 Get Re-Release
The re-release brings back a set of affordable, stylized figures from a flagship Square Enix title, timed for fans who missed the original run.
Inside (trust 78)
Drifting Dragons Anime Gets Full Free YouTube Release
The free full-season release on YouTube, timed to the manga's 10th anniversary and a new volume, is a direct promotional push by Kodansha to expand the series' audience through its own channel.
Denfaminicogamer