DeepSeek's V4 Flash model, popular for its low cost and high benchmark scores, is facing criticism after third-party tests showed it struggling on real-world agent tasks. Composio ran 30 difficult multi-step workflows across four harnesses, with only 6 fully succeeding. The company also raised API prices on August 6, 2026, citing unprecedented demand.
Narrowdeep showed Judge Shepherd, a mystery horror visual novel, at Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026. Players investigate a heresy case as inquisitor Shepherd in the religious nation Vukrium. The demo featured point-and-click investigation, a scent-based mechanic using Sin Powder, and a locked-room puzzle.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has released its latest AI model, DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813, without a formal announcement. The release was first noticed on social media and message boards, where users and tech commentators highlighted the model's performance and cost efficiency. According to the open-source AI coding agent Cline, the model scores 15.8 percent higher on Terminal Bench, a benchmark that evaluates how accurately AI can execute real system operations and development tasks on a Linux terminal, compared to the April preview model. Cline also noted that DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 runs at roughly one fifty-seventh the cost of Claude Fable 5 while delivering comparable performance. The model has 1.6 trillion parameters, 49 billion active parameters, and a 1 million token context window. Tech writer @ChrisGPT reported benchmark improvements across Terminal Bench 2.1, CyberGym, and DeepSWE, with scores rising from 72.1 to 87.9 percent, 52.7 to 83.3 percent, and 12.8 to 62.7 percent respectively. Pricing is set at 0.435 dollars per million input tokens and 0.87 dollars per million output tokens, with a discounted cache-hit input rate of 0.003625 dollars.
DeepGrove announced Maple-Preview, a small AI model that runs on iPhone. It is a mixture-of-experts model with 20.2 billion total parameters and 1.49 billion active parameters. DeepGrove says it processes 13 times faster than Bonsai 27B on iPhone. The model is open and available under the MIT License.
RockGame and AstroGlitchStudio announced SurviRail: Deep Space, a sci-fi survival game where players manage a space train while exploring derelict space stations for resources. A playtest is now open for registration on the game's Steam store page, letting players try the core mechanics early. The game is planned for PC via Steam and supports Japanese.
DeepSeek has released DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731 as an open model under a commercial-use license. The MoE model has 284 billion total parameters and 13 billion active parameters. Third-party tests by Artificial Analysis rate its intelligence on par with Google's Gemini 3.6 Flash, and it outperforms GLM-5.2 in coding and GPT-5.6 Luna in agent performance.
Game Spark interviewed Applesinmypants, developer of the sci-fi decoding adventure The Message from Deep Space, released for PC and Mac on June 30. The game has players translate alien messages from a meteor using math and science, with inspiration from the Golden Record. The game does not support Japanese and costs 1,200 yen.
Google DeepMind announced Gemini Robotics 2 on July 30, 2026, a suite of Vision-Language-Action models that control robots from walking to fine two-handed tasks. The models handle posture, object manipulation, and multi-robot collaboration, adapting to different robot bodies. A higher-level model, Gemini Robotics ER 2, manages long task sequences and outperformed its predecessor in evaluations.
Google DeepMind has effectively disbanded the team behind AlphaFold, its protein structure prediction AI. Many researchers moved to Gemini projects or left for Anthropic, while some joined Isomorphic Labs. AlphaFold services continue, and the company says the shift reflects a strategy toward general-purpose systems for scientific research.
PINIX Games, the Taiwanese studio behind Alina of the Arena, discussed its upcoming 2D roguelike action game Die Deep. The interview covers the game's two distinct defensive mechanics: Parry, a forgiving shield timing action for the character Gal, and Clash, a difficult weapon deflection designed as a lucky accident rather than a taught technique.
Developer Think and Feel announced on July 30 that MINERALS: Deep Core Mining will launch on Steam for PC on August 12, priced at 980 yen. The roguelite action game features procedurally generated underground spaces, upgrade choices on leveling, and a preparation phase with skill trees. A demo ran during Steam Next Fest in June.
A Denfaminicogamer writer plays The Message from Deep Space, a game about translating signals from an alien meteor that landed on Earth in 1973. The early game is a crash course in octal arithmetic, and the writer fails 4+4 because the answer is 10 in base 8. Teammates offer hints.
DeepSeek has released the official version of its AI model DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731, replacing the earlier preview version. The weights are available under the MIT license, allowing free commercial use. The model is a Mixture-of-Experts type with 284 billion total parameters, activating only 13 billion during inference, and supports a context length of 1 million tokens. According to benchmark scores, it surpasses the preview version of the higher-tier DeepSeek-V4-Pro, which is more than five times larger, across all nine agent-based benchmark items. Among open models, it also outperformed GLM-5.2 from China in all eight items where scores were published, though it does not reach Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.8 in any item. Community quantized versions are available, including GGUF-format versions from Unsloth in 13 steps ranging from 1-bit at 82.5GB to 8-bit at 162GB. For paid cloud usage, DeepSeek's documentation lists the price at $0.14 per million tokens for input, $0.0028 per million tokens for cached input, and $0.28 per million tokens for output, with prices doubling during peak times.
Sūji Hanabusa announced on July 5 that the Drawn Deep manga concluded with its 13th chapter, released the same day. The series launched in Kodansha's Honey Milk magazine in May 2025. Kodansha USA publishes the English edition. Hanabusa shared a commemorative illustration.
Fryu has announced a limited-time collaboration between its purikura machine Bloomit and INFOLD's mobile game Love and Deepspace, celebrating the game's 2.5th anniversary. The event runs from July 20 to August 31, 2026, at approximately 500 Bloomit machines nationwide. Players can take two-shot style photos with five male leads: Seiya, Rei, Homura, Shin, and Mahiru. Each character has a dedicated photo frame, sticker design, and newly recorded guide voice. The photo session includes in-game music: "Pop Candy" plays during shooting and "Spring to Flowers" during the doodle phase. Printed stickers mimic the characters' own SNS feeds, complete with a personal message. A limited run of 65 machines will feature special character wrapping in five designs. Downloading photo data requires a Pictlink premium membership (550 yen per month). The collaboration mode may not be available at all stores. Love and Deepspace has surpassed 80 million users worldwide since its 2024 Japanese release.
The official website for the television anime of Kyouko Hikawa's From Far Away shōjo manga revealed the teaser video, visual, main cast and staff, and an October 4 premiere date. Tomoyo Kurosawa leads the cast as Noriko Tachiki, with Kentarō Kumagai, Yūichirō Umehara, and Eiji Takeuchi. Noriyuki Abe directs at Studio DEEN, with Rika Takasugi on series scripts, Eiji Abiko on character design, and Takeshi Hama on music. The anime debuts on Tokyo MX on October 4 at 24:00 JST.
Attu Games announced that the hand-embroidered 2D action game Scarlet Deer Inn has exceeded 100,000 Steam wishlist registrations. The story follows a mother of two, Elise, through a dark adventure inspired by Slavic folklore. All character graphics are made with actual embroidery, and the developers performed the music on traditional instruments. The game launches July 21, with a demo available now.
Asmodee Digital has implemented the 7 Wonders Leaders expansion for the board game 7 Wonders on Board Game Arena. The expansion adds two new civilizations, Rome and Abu Simbel, and introduces a new card type: Leaders. Players can play a Leader at the start of each era for a cost, or use them for wonder construction or coins. Rules adjustments include increased starting funds. The version on BGA is the second edition compatible with the expansion.
Independent developer Everdeep Studios announced that Liminal Shroud, a walking simulator with horror elements set in a liminal space, will launch on PC via Steam on September 3 (September 4 in Japan). The game has had a demo since October 2025 with five playable chapters, which has accumulated 52 user reviews and a 90% positive rating on Steam. Players explore eerie rooms, sit on chairs, and solve simple gimmicks without enemies or time limits.
Rapper 7 (Nana) released EP '7Star' on July 7, 2026, a five-track project including a new version of 'Mine Fujiko' with Deech. A native of Kainan, Wakayama, she is part of the Wakayama crew gaining national attention. Her 2024 track 'Boss Bitch (Remix)' surpassed 4.4 million YouTube views.
The 160th edition of Weekly Steam Square highlights eight new titles on Steam, including puzzle adventure The Message from Deep Space, supermarket organization sim Supermarket Chaos, and the first official Ganbare Goemon collection. The roundup also covers incremental RPG Master Healer Kale with useless party, horror game Feed The Pit, Sokoban-style Cat Squeeze, and narrative horror Beso's Shawarma.
Sentinel has opened pre-orders for the fourth volume of its Sushi Monster Sushi-L.A. figure collection, featuring 10 toppings with Happy Smile and Deep Sadness expressions. The set includes a glow-in-the-dark secret figure for the first time, and a lottery campaign for a soft vinyl Sushi-L.A. figure.
REDEE Inc. launched the REDEE Online School, a series of self-study video lessons for learning game development in Roblox using Lua. Each 30-minute video costs 500 yen with no monthly subscription. The first lesson is available now, with two more scheduled. A PC with Roblox Studio is required.
Infinite began free streaming the entire TV anime 'Higurashi: When They Cry' series on YouTube from June 23 at 18:00, starting with all 26 episodes of the original season. The free run will sequentially include 'Kai', 'Rei', 'Kira', 'Gou', and 'Sotsu' through August 12. A new TV anime was also announced during the June 21 'Watanagashi Day' program, with Studio DEEN returning for animation production and the original voice cast reprising their roles.
Eiga Natalie's Heisei Drama Committee column, written by Terebi no Sukima, revisits the 2006 late-night drama Akihabara@Deep. The piece calls it a symbolic work of the era and a turning point for Gen Hoshino, who met his best friend Toma Ikuta and ally Bananaman through the production. The drama featured Shunsuke Kazama, Toma Ikuta, Gen Hoshino, and Yuki Himura before their major breakthroughs.
Kadokawa announced during a live-streamed 20th anniversary special for the Higurashi: When They Cry television anime on Sunday that a new TV anime project is in production. Studio DEEN, which handled the original 2006 adaptation and its 2007 sequel, will return to animate the series. The announcement included a teaser promotional video and a visual with the tagline "Welcome back, everyone." The returning cast includes Soichiro Hoshi as Keiichi Maebara, Mai Nakahara as Rena Ryugu, Satsuki Yukino as Mion and Shion Sonozaki, Mika Kanai as Satoko Hojo, and Yukari Tamura as Rika Furude. The project is based on Ryukishi07 and 07th Expansion's original visual novel, which began in 2002. The franchise previously received a 2020-2021 anime revival series, but the new project marks a return to the original studio and cast.
Project Sekai: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku began a collaboration with the Deemo and Cytus series on June 21, 2026. The event includes a login campaign, a premium gacha, a stamp mission, and the addition of the song "SAIRAI" by Shinichi Kobayashi. The collaboration runs through July 3.
At Nexon's NDC26 conference, Google DeepMind Inception Director Alexandre Moufarek detailed how video games have been central to the company's AI research, from Atari and StarCraft to AlphaGo and the Gemini project. He emphasized that games provide safe, complex testbeds for training AI agents and that many DeepMind founders, including CEO Demis Hassabis, are former game developers whose iterative design experience informs current research.
Akimine Kamijyo, creator of Samurai Deeper Kyo and Code:Breaker, will launch a new series titled KILLER+SITTER in Kodansha's Shonen Magazine on June 24. The magazine describes it as a "new era family drama" involving the strongest ex-soldier.
Think & Feel released a demo for the mining roguelite MINERALS: Deep Core Mining on Steam during Next Fest. The demo features procedurally generated terrain, upgrade combinations like the Drone Build and Giant Build, and a skill tree. The full version plans 100 types of Fine Minerals that grant permanent upgrades.
Taiwanese indie developer PINIX will release the roguelike action game Die Deep in the fourth quarter of 2026. The game strips away exploration, puzzles, and dialogue to focus entirely on combat. A demo is available on Steam. Players control characters like Gahl the One-Eyed Warrior and Saita the Dual-Wielding Thief, fighting through randomly generated dungeons. Combat is deliberately slowed down, making evasion, positioning, and parrying critical.
Attu Games announced that Scarlet Deer Inn will launch on PC via Steam on July 22, 2026. The game's characters are all created through actual embroidery, with frame-by-frame animation scanned and adjusted digitally. A demo is available now, and console versions for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch are planned.
Kyosuke Motomi's shojo manga "Dengeki Daisy" is getting a television anime adaptation, with Studio Deen handling production and Aniplex behind the project. The announcement came via a teaser website that opened on Tuesday, following a countdown teased by Aniplex on Monday. The anime is set to premiere in 2027. Sota Ueno, who directed "Days With My Stepsister" and "SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table," is directing the series. Sawako Hirabayashi, known for "Wolf Girl & Black Prince" and "Delicious Party♡Precure," is writing the series scripts. Ayaka Murakami, also from "Days With My Stepsister," is designing the characters, and Masaru Yokoyama is composing the music. The manga originally ran in Shogakukan's Monthly Betsucomi magazine from 2007 to 2013, spanning 16 volumes. Viz Media published the series in English under its Shojo Beat imprint. The story follows orphan Teru Kurebayashi, who exchanges messages with a mysterious figure named DAISY through a cell phone left by her deceased brother, while the enigmatic Tasuku Kurosaki keeps appearing to help her. Motomi celebrated the announcement with an illustration.
Ghost Ship Games developer Alex discusses the six-year run of Deep Rock Galactic, which has drawn over 12 million players since its 2020 release. The interview covers the game's cooperative focus, community culture, volunteer translations including Japanese, and the active Chinese-speaking player base. The studio recently released Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core on May 21, 2026.
Samar Studio began early access for 'Deep Crafter', a deep sea exploration and factory automation survival craft game, on Steam on June 5, 2026. Players control scientist Mia to explore an ocean planet, collect materials, and build automated facilities. The ultimate goal is to design interstellar portals and save humanity's future. The game is priced at 2,250 yen, with a discount until June 19.
Developer Think & Feel announced MINERALS: Deep Core Mining, a mining roguelite for PC via Steam with Japanese text support, planned for release in 2026. Players explore procedurally generated underground spaces, earning upgrades from pickaxes to giant drills or autonomous drones. A demo will be available during Steam Next Fest starting June 16.
The Anime Feminist podcast Chatty AF released its winter 2026 season wrap-up. Hosts Vrai, Dee, and Peter discussed the season, noting that while they dropped many titles, the shows they finished more than made up for it. The episode covers series from the Neutral Zone through Feminist Potential and sequels, including You and I Are Polar Opposites, The Darwin Incident, and Frieren S2.