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- Announced
- first solo live 'smilE' for February 6, 2027 · 2026-08-21
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7h ago
G.O.P announced on August 26 that the online FPS Alliance of Valiant Arms (AVA) will end its service on October 28, 2026. The game began official service in Japan in December 2008, marking approximately 18 years of operation. The final update is scheduled for September 9, which will include updates to the operation system, AVAcoin shop, and capsule store items, along with the end of in-game JEWEL sales and capsule store item sales. Events such as the RT Kyoransai and a special login campaign updated every two weeks will run until the service ends. The baton passes to AVA RE:BIRTH, a new PC online FPS sharing the same worldview, scheduled for release in fall 2026. The new title was officially named on August 12, with a teaser site and movie released. The service ending applies to the Pmang version; the global version A.V.A Global remains available on Steam. G.O.P noted that at its peak, AVA saw 70,000 matches played daily, with over 2.8 million cumulative players.
8h ago
Morefun Studios, a Tencent Games subsidiary, announced the global expansion of Roco Kingdom on August 26, 2026, during gamescom's Opening Night Live. The open-world monster-collecting RPG will be free-to-play and is planned for Windows PC, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Android, with the official launch date to be announced later. The first global closed beta test is scheduled to begin on October 27, and applications are now open on the official website. A special trial event for Japanese media and players is set for September 21 in Tokyo. Roco Kingdom began as a browser game in China in 2010 and has recorded over 350 million cumulative registered players over 16 years. The series ranks first in both average daily active users and revenue among new games released in mainland China through the second quarter of 2026. Players take on the role of a Roco and explore the continent of Calosia, home to over 400 species of creatures called Jini, which vary in height, build, and weight even within the same species. The game supports cross-platform multiplayer and includes PvP battles that emphasize type matchups and team composition rather than pay-to-win mechanics.
8h ago
Clear River Games announced a remaster of the 1995 Super Famicom action RPG Terranigma during the Pixel Arcadia showcase on August 25, 2026. The game, developed by Quintet and originally published by Enix, will launch in early 2027 for PC (Steam and GOG.com), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. PLAION will handle publishing for the domestic packaged version. The remaster is licensed by Square Enix, with key members of the original development team participating. Character designer Kamui Fujiwara returns as an advisor, providing new key visuals and in-game designs, while composers Miyoko Kobayashi and Masanori Hikichi contribute new arrangements of some tracks. The game will also include convenience features suited to modern playstyles. Terranigma follows a boy named Ark as he restores life to a desolate surface world, tracing Earth's history from the birth of life to modern civilization. The original game never received an official North American release, and fans have long called it a hidden gem. A 2021 Change.org petition sought archival distribution, with Fujiwara and Kobayashi among its supporters. The remaster will be exhibited at gamescom 2026, which starts August 26 in Cologne, Germany.
8h ago
HoYoverse announced its new title Nodus Fall during the gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 broadcast on August 26. The reveal marks a departure for the company, known for anime-style RPGs such as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero, as the new game uses photorealistic graphics and a serious fantasy tone. The trailer showed a dark fantasy world where divine authority has collapsed and order has crumbled, with players taking on the role of Weavers to defeat powerful mythological beings. Footage included combat against a giant dragon and dodging enemy attacks with weapons. Multiple outlets described the gameplay as resembling a hunting action game, with one source noting a Monster Hunter-like atmosphere combined with flashy effects. The game appears to be a cooperative multiplayer title. Specific details such as the release date and supported platforms were not revealed in the footage.
8h ago
NetEase Games and developer Naked Rain announced during the gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 stream on August 26 that the urban open-world RPG Infinite ANANTA will launch globally on January 15, 2027. The title, previously known as Project Mugen when first announced in August 2023, is set across the two cities of Xinqi and Chongxiao-Lingyun. Players take on the role of an investigator working with an organization called Chaos to handle supernatural-related problems, blending humor, adventure, and mystery. The game will be free-to-play with in-game item purchases and is planned for PC, PS5, iOS, and Android. The latest trailer shown during the broadcast included movie scenes from the game and glimpses of in-game activities, including missions and daily life in the cities. According to the official website, global pre-registrations have exceeded 18 million. A PS Store listing has also revealed support for up to 24 online players, a notable change from the up-to-4-player online multiplayer described when the game was announced in 2023.
8h ago
ONE PIECE DAY '26, the fifth edition of the annual franchise event, concluded on August 23 at Makuhari Messe in Japan after a two-day run. The event brought together manga, anime, games, live-action, merchandise, and music, and marked the manga surpassing 600 million copies in cumulative worldwide circulation. The second WORLD TOP 100 character popularity poll drew 13,086,239 points across 1,567 eligible characters, with Monkey D. Luffy taking first place, followed by Roronoa Zoro and Sanji. Eiichiro Oda will draw new "Special Outfit" illustrations for the top 30 characters, with Luffy's design previewed at the event. The Elbaph Arc voice cast stage featured a surprise appearance by Shanks voice actor Shuichi Ikeda alongside Shamrock Figarland voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, performing an upcoming scene. Netflix's live-action Season 3 added four cast members: Emilio Sakraya as Koza, Omid Abtahi as Toto, Jamie Ward as Pell, and Nabeel Khan as Chaka. The event closed with the confirmation of two theatrical films: ONE PIECE FILM GOD VALLEY in Summer 2027 and ONE PIECE FILM BAAD in 2029.
8h ago
D3 Publisher announced on August 25 that Earth Defense Force 6.2 INVADERS FROM ANOTHER WORLD, a powered-up version of Earth Defense Force 6, will launch for PlayStation 5 in 2027. The price is undecided. The game is a major renewal of the 2022 title, modified to take advantage of PS5 specifications with visual evolution and new elements. The number of enemies has been increased to approximately double that of the original at maximum, which sources describe as the largest swarm in series history. More than half of the existing missions have been renewed, and enemies that previously appeared only in Earth Defense Force 6's additional DLC will now appear in the main game. A weapon customization system has been added, allowing players to obtain enhancement devices from item boxes dropped by defeated enemies, such as custom bullets that add a burning effect to assault rifles or rocket rounds with a freezing effect. A new species of giant mushroom-shaped enemies has also been revealed, with mushroom towns serving as stages. The game will be playable at the D3 Publisher booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held from September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe, where part of the weapon customization experience will be available.
8h ago
Toei Animation announced two new One Piece theatrical films on August 23, during the second day of the One Piece Day '26 event at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. One Piece Film God Valley will open in Japanese theaters in summer 2027, and One Piece Film BAAD is scheduled for a 2029 release. The titles, along with a teaser video, were revealed immediately after the event's main stage concluded.
1d ago
Arc System Works producer Takeshi Yamaguchi and director and lead battle designer Kazutoshi Sekine gave interviews about MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls, the Marvel fighting game published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and released in August 2026 on PS5 and PC. The game uses a 4v4 tag battle system, and Sekine said the format was chosen to express the Marvel team-up world and to deepen team tactics through many character combinations. The game supports both traditional command inputs and simple one-button controls such as Quick Skills and Link Attacks, so players can start with a single character. The team confirmed Phoenix Cyclops as the first Year 1 DLC character, currently in development. The interview also covered Deadpool's parody easter eggs, which Sekine said are not all discovered yet, and PC performance. Yamaguchi said two emergency patches were released on August 10 and August 21 to reduce CPU load and frame drops, and the team considers the CPU load now comparable to or lighter than other Arc System Works fighting games.
3d ago
Gaku Hamada, the actor playing white-hat hacker Tojo Tojo in the TBS Sunday drama "VIVANT" Season 2, attended a one-day event on August 23 and said he was shocked by fan theories about his character. Speaking at the "Sunday Theater VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY" at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium, Hamada said viewers had speculated that because he is the actor, his character would not commit a large betrayal. He said he learned his own product value through that speculation. He added that as an actor he wants to betray the audience, and that the comment suggesting he would not do anything big was a shock. The event also featured cast members including Masato Sakai, Kazuya Ninomiya, Hiroshi Abe, and Ryusei Ryu. Episode 15 aired the same day, showing Tojo being interrogated by Nogi's alternate personality F, who slapped Tojo's cheeks with a fly swatter and warned him he would not be killed if he answered honestly. Tojo wet himself during the scene. Producer Kazutaka Iida called it the funniest episode of Season 2 so far.
3d ago
MANGA MIRAI, the digital manga distribution service that launched in the United States in March 2025, will discontinue service on December 15. Users must transfer their account information and purchased titles to NTT Solmare's MangaPlaza by September 30. Refunds may be available for users whose titles MangaPlaza does not license, users under MangaPlaza's age limit of 18, or users who opt out of the transfer.
3d ago
Game Spark's weekly indie roundup for the third week of August features three Steam titles: Ignite the Depths, a co-op hack-and-slash dungeon crawler for up to four players; Golden Retriever Days, a pet sim built on real footage of a golden retriever; and High Roller Penny, a pachinko-themed gambling roguelike. All three support Japanese and target PC via Steam.
3d ago
Game Spark has published a list of 20 novel and adventure games worth buying on PS3, PS Vita, and PS game archives before the PlayStation Store for those platforms closes in July 2027. The selection excludes titles already ported to current consoles or Steam. The article also notes the store's search function has been broken since late July and offers a Vita browser workaround.
3d ago
Bandai's SO-DO CHRONICLE candy figure line adds Kamen Rider Agito and Kamen Rider Hibiki. The release covers six characters: Agito, G3, Gills, Hibiki, Ibuki, and Todoroki, each split across two boxes that combine into one complete figure, for 12 total types. The set is scheduled for August 24, 2026 at 715 yen per box, sold through the candy sections of general retail stores.
3d ago
Yen Press announced nine new licenses at its main industry panel at Anime NYC on Saturday, split between two light novel series and seven manga series. The company did not give a release window. The light novels are The Witch's Conviction, The Beast's Redemption and 'Cause I'm Freedom! The manga slate includes Seal My Lips With a Kiss, Übel Blatt II: Knights of the Fallen King, and The Gray Exorcist.
3d ago
HarperCollins' KAZÉ US manga imprint announced at Anime NYC that it will launch in fall 2027 with 3-5 titles, then release 5-8 titles in 2027, 20-25 in 2028, and 25-30 in 2029. The imprint also plans to expand to Brazil and Spain in 2027, and will publish HarperCollins Japan originals, manhwa, manhua, and original English manga.
3d ago
Banpresto is releasing two TinyTAN monitor top figures of SUGA and j-hope in DNA outfits. Both are crane game prizes sized at roughly 16 cm, with a logo base included and a 2-way spec that allows display on a monitor or desk. The figures are scheduled for sequential release from Thursday, August 27, 2026, under the BANDAI SPIRITS Banpresto brand.
3d ago
The Haikyu!! staff revealed a teaser for the Bakemono-tachi no Iku Tokoro short special, plus key visuals for the special and the second sequel film, Gekijōban Haikyū!! VS Chiisana Kyojin. The special depicts the must-win game between Fukurōdani Academy and Mujinazaka High School and will play with the film when it opens next year. Susumu Mitsunaka returns to write and direct at Production I.G.
3d ago
Game Spark's hands-on look at Farming Simulator 26, out now for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, covers the latest entry in GIANTS Software's farming series. The feature details career mode, which starts with $100,000 and three fields, AI helpers that automate field work for a wage, livestock including rideable horses, forestry, and production chains. The article also highlights the inclusion of Japanese machinery brands Kubota and Iseki in the vehicle lineup.
3d ago
REMOW announced at its Anime NYC panel that the television anime of Kuzushiro's The Moon on a Rainy Night manga is coming in 2027. Tomoe Makino directs at CompTown, Shogo Yasukawa writes and oversees the series scripts, and Ayumi Nishibata designs the characters. The story follows Saki, who meets a hard-of-hearing classmate named Kanon after a rainy-night encounter. Kodansha USA licensed the manga, which debuted on Kodansha's Comic Days site in June 2021.
3d ago
Bandai is releasing a gashapon line of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts magical creatures as flocked charms. The set includes Dobby, Hedwig, Pygmy Puff, Niffler, and Demiguise, five types total. Dobby's outfit is reproduced in flocked specification. Each play costs 400 yen including tax. Release is scheduled for the fifth week of August 2026, with timing varying by region and store.
3d ago
Automaton's series on overlooked domestic Steam titles spotlights ghostpia Season One by the creative unit Chosuido. The visual novel, a polished version of the browser and smartphone game, released on Nintendo Switch in March 2023 and on Steam in August 2023. It is set in a snowbound town of 1024 immortal ghosts and follows Sayoko, an outsider, and the newcomer Yoru. Chosuido calls it a "Denshi Graphic Novel," mixing picture-book art with glitches and noise. The unkillable ghosts turn slapstick violence into a meditation on loneliness.
3d ago
Digital Extremes community director Megan Everett discussed Japanese voice casting, vocal music, and storytelling in an interview marking Warframe's 13th anniversary. She named four Japanese voice actors as dream casting, said Japanese voice audio remains possible, and explained why the team keeps adding vocal tracks, embracing the community's joke that the studio is a music label that also makes games.
3d ago
Game*Spark's weekly ranking of its most-read articles for August 14-20, 2026 is led by the announcement of Death Game Report, a game in which players identify the death cause, weapon, and perpetrator of death game participants. The rest of the list covers free distributions, including Steelrising for Amazon Prime members and Caravan SandWitch on Epic Games Store, plus new Gundam Rogue Orbit details.
3d ago
ASCII.jp's second look at the Sycom G-Master Spear 2 Z890i benchmarks the BTO PC with a Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and RTX 5070 Ti. The CPU carries 6 P-cores and 12 E-cores, four more E-cores than the Core Ultra 5 245K and two fewer P-cores than the Core Ultra 7 265K. CINEBENCH 2026 scored 7263 pts multi-thread and 566 pts single-thread. The standard configuration sells for 453,130 yen, or 404,150 yen during the Sycom Summer Campaign 2026 through August 31.
3d ago
GALLERIA is releasing a collaboration PC with VTuber and streamer Tenki Pururu, a member of esports team REJECT. Six models split between AMD and Intel builds. The pillarless case carries illustrations by Konomiya Rate and angel, demon, and ribbon motifs. Buyers get two original wallpapers and a recorded system voice they must set up themselves. A life-size panel runs at the Akihabara GALLERIA Lounge from August 19.
3d ago
A GitHub user released kaboom.claude, a program that runs the free FPS Freedoom Phase 1 inside Anthropic's Claude Code. While waiting for AI responses, the game takes focus automatically, and it pauses when a response arrives. The tool installs the game temporarily via npx and removes it after use.
3d ago
BLDB, operated by Shuei Network Trading, has added three 3D metal models to its official online store. The DIY Steampunk Jellyfish is a USB desk lamp with two-step dimming and over 800 pieces. The Mechanical Bionic Horse assembles from over 1,500 stainless steel parts in 10 to 15 hours. The Mechanical Battle Wolf is a 384-piece model with movable head, tail, legs, and jaw. All are adult assembly kits handling small metal parts.
3d ago
Ver.1.3 of the free-to-play NTE: Neverness to Everness adds the Hoshigure Protected Area, a mountainous region with a lake, paved roads, beaches, and a port district. The new map is nearly the same size as all previous maps combined. Its scenery mixes tourist spots across seasons, and it adds jet skis and a convenience store with an unusually wide parking lot.
3d ago
Bandai's sixth @CTION RIDE Kamen Rider gashapon set arrives in the fourth week of August 2026. Each capsule pairs a rider on a bike with a base whose ball joint allows wheelie, drift, and jump poses. The mask compound eyes use clear molding. The lineup holds four types: Blade, Fourze, Build, and Stronger, at 500 yen each.
3d ago
The physics-based fishing simulator How to Fish, developed and published by Dazed Games, sold over 1 million copies within two days of its August 20 release on Steam. The developer announced the milestone on August 23. The game casts players as a fisherman who drifts onto a small island and must master fishing to earn money and return home. It supports online co-op for up to 8 players after a patch, and its core loop involves catching fish, killing them with guns, knives, or bare hands, and selling them to buy better equipment. Trick shots, such as shooting a fish thrown into the air with a sniper rifle, earn bonus rewards, and players can gamble with roulette for a chance at a big payout. Boss fights unlock access to more dangerous islands. According to SteamDB, the game peaked at 268,101 concurrent players over the weekend. Steam reviews sit at Very Positive, with 94 percent of about 10,000 reviews positive. A 38 percent discount sale to 545 yen runs until August 28.
3d ago
The Indie Stone released the Build 42.20 stable update for Project Zomboid on July 29. The update, two years in the making, roughly doubles the map area compared to Build 41. Some facilities get major renovations, and livestock and construction systems are improved. The game remains in early access on PC via Steam and GOG.com.
3d ago
At BIC Festival 2026 in Busan, former SIE head Shuhei Yoshida walked the floor with a list of about 30 titles, having played 15 demos before arriving. He named Reverie and World War V as favorites, and made two requests to Korean developers: add controller support and English versions, since publishers cannot evaluate games without them.
3d ago
J-Novel Club announced licenses for 10 light novel series and one manga at its Anime NYC panel on Saturday. The first two parts of the first volume of each new light novel series and the first chapter of the new manga are available now. The company also revealed five print releases, including the J-Novel Club Original Light Novel Contest winner Quadrilian's Beautiful Daydream and a Collector's Edition of Chivalry of a Failed Knight.
3d ago
Kalodata, the TikTok Shop data analysis service, now lets Japanese customers buy all of its overseas market plans in Japanese yen, effective August 21, 2026. The company also began bulk purchases of AI points, which power its Kalopilot chat analysis and Kaloclip video tools. The service covers 15 countries and regions across the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
3d ago
The US Department of Justice announced on August 21, 2026 that TikTok, ByteDance, and related companies agreed to pay $400 million to resolve a lawsuit over alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The DOJ filed the suit in August 2024, accusing the companies of illegally collecting data on millions of children. TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and $100 million more once a prior consent judgment against Musical.ly is vacated.
3d ago
Florida pastor Scott Winters is suing OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman after ChatGPT advised him not to seek medical care while he was ill. Winters collapsed on July 13, 2025 with blood clots in both lungs. He says the AI misdiagnosed his symptoms, called them not especially dangerous, and invoked his faith in its replies. The suit seeks damages and a mechanism to end conversations when urgent medical help is needed.
3d ago
Anime News Network reviews episode 6 of The Elusive Samurai Season 2, "The Boy Who Became a God." The episode introduces Yoritsugu, the grandson of Yorishige, as a chaotic child who brings comedy after weeks of war strategizing. The review praises CloverWorks' animation and notes the episode is lighter on drama. The episode holds a community score of 3.8 and streams on Crunchyroll.
3d ago
Take-Two Interactive filed DMCA subpoenas with a New York federal court on August 20, demanding Microsoft and Discord hand over account records tied to recent GTA6 gameplay leaks. The subpoenas, due by September 4, seek identification data for accounts linked to handles including Cyberleek, CinematicRockstar, and Surfer24k, along with Microsoft's internal records on the cyberleek persona. The leaker's identity remains unknown, and Rockstar Games has not commented.
3d ago
The Peanuts x Sauna Ikitai collaboration's second installment, 'Snoopy's Bath,' is running at Kairyu-yu, a long-established sento in Shibuya, until August 31. The bathhouse is decorated throughout with Peanuts visuals, including an original Snoopy-themed bathtub. Sample collaboration goods, T-shirts and sauna hats, are on display but sold only through the Sauna Ikitai STORE. PEANUTS Cafe SUNNY SIDE KITCHEN in Harajuku is serving two Snoopy-themed ginger sodas.
3d ago
Bandai Namco Entertainment America announced the 'Mask of Idris' DLC for Code Vein II will debut on September 9, and began streaming a teaser trailer the same day. The sequel launched on January 30 (January 29 in Japan) for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The game follows a Revenant Hunter guided by Lou, who can travel into the past to rewrite fate.
3d ago
Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise began selling blind-box acrylic stands for the Matsuken Mamire Mamire Island summer campaign with actor Ken Matsudaira on August 22. Five designs are available at 770 yen each at the Frendia and Jinbe SHOP. The event, originally ending August 31, now runs to September 7, with an emergency Matsuken visit set for September 8.
3d ago
Re-Ment will release the Kirby Adventure on Desk figure set on August 24 at toy and general goods stores and character shops. The six desk figures are themed around adventure, with characters and stages rendered in 3D to work as pen holders and small item holders. The lineup includes Kirby, Waddle Dee, Sleep, Meta Knight, Kirby's Gourmet Fest, and Warp Star. Each figure sells for 1,320 yen including tax.
3d ago
New merchandise from PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE puts Akane Tsunemori, Shinya Kogami, Nobuchika Gino, and Tohei Sugo in a newly drawn harness style. The lineup at AMNIBUS includes trading cards, can badges, bromide prints, illustration cards, desk mats, acrylic stands, keychains, and scene-based goods. Pre-orders run until September 9, 2026, with items shipping from mid-November.
3d ago
Re:AcT's virtual artist Yumekawa Kanau released the digital EP 'CUTE × AGGRESSION' on August 23. The six-track set carries the theme 'cute face, but poisonous' and includes original songs, self-covers, and 2026 remasters. It is the first of four weekly releases leading to the Re:AcT LIVE 'BRIGHT NOTES' event on September 20 at GRIT Shibuya, where Kanau performs in the first show.
3d ago
BS12 TwellV broadcasts Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (HD Remastered) today at 19:00 in the Sunday Anime Theater slot. The film is the final chapter of the theatrical trilogy, re-edited from the latter half of episode 31 of the TV series through its finale, with a structure and direction distinct from the broadcast version. The story follows the final Federation-Zeon battle in space, Amuro's encounter with the Newtype Lalah, and the last clash between Amuro and Char.
3d ago
Episode 7 of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You shifts to a lighter tone after last week's health scare. Tayama/Yamada takes a corporate mandated exam for a raise and passes with Sasaki's encouragement. The back half follows a ghost rumor at the supermarket that turns out to be a dog Goto is looking after. Anime News Network rates the episode 4/5.
3d ago
Episode 8 of Chainsmoker Cat introduces Kaoru's brother Shunran, a beatboxing catboy who steals his sister's underwear and announces he is her boyfriend. The Landlord gets trapped in a mochi-pounding time loop that kills the girls in a series of stupid deaths. The episode also runs slice-of-life skits, and the reviewer predicts Aru, whose alcohol addiction he calls genuinely concerning, will die on screen before the season ends. The show streams on Netflix and OceanVeil.
3d ago
Episode 7 of Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games spends most of its runtime on characters who have appeared before but are only now getting substantial interactions. Arisa, the argumentative girl, proves more self-aware than she lets on, and Hana, Tamaki's dorm monitor older sister, is revealed as the FGC player Tamaki wants to catch up to. The episode also shows Mio's friends seeing her use martial arts for the first time. Community score: 4.0.
3d ago
Universal Studios Japan's Halloween Horror Night returns for its 15th year on September 11, 2026, with a first-time collaboration between Junji Ito's Tomie and the event's Street Zombies. Ito drew new art of Tomie in a high school zombie uniform holding a Hamikuma plush. Merch goes on sale September 9 at Studio Style.