G.O.P is winding down Alliance of Valiant Arms, which ends service on October 28, 2026, and preparing the successor AVA RE:BIRTH for a fall 2026 launch on Windows PC through Pmang and VFUN, with pre-registration and closed beta recruitment open as of September 24, 2026.
G.O.P's year is a transition between two versions of the same game. On August 6 the company announced a new PC FPS project using the Alliance of Valiant Arms IP, built to run on older PCs and aimed at players who find modern shooters too heavy. The official title was set for August 12. On August 26, G.O.P said Alliance of Valiant Arms would end service on October 28, 2026, after roughly 18 years that began with Japanese service in December 2008. The Pmang version ends; A.V.A Global remains on Steam. The company cited peak figures of 70,000 matches played daily and more than 2.8 million cumulative players.
By September 11 the successor had a name and a stated balance policy. AVA RE:BIRTH is a Windows PC online FPS launching in fall 2026 through Pmang and VFUN. G.O.P said weapon balance is being rebuilt so assault rifles, submachine guns, and sniper rifles keep distinct feels, and that damage is adjusted so recoil control and positioning decide fights instead of the first shot. The three classes return: Pointman, Rifleman, and Sniper. G.O.P also said it is making strict adjustments so paid items and earnable items do not create a large performance gap.
On September 24 at 19:00, pre-registration and closed beta recruitment opened. The closed beta runs from October 1 at 16:00 to October 7 at 12:00, with applications open until September 29 at 12:00. Only 2,000 players will be selected by lottery across regions, and results go up on the official website from September 30 at 12:00. The build adds an extraction-style mode called HUNTING FIELD, where AI soldiers and other players compete for supplies and try to escape with loot. Pre-registration milestones run from 50,000 registrations, which award the M67 Dark Hunter and in-game currency, to 300,000 registrations, which add the Arjuna Dark Hunter. A character name early acquisition campaign runs until October 26 at 12:00 because names cannot be duplicated in the game.
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At a Tokyo Game Show 2026 session, staff from Bandai Namco Entertainment, REZ&, Sony Group, and Sony PCL described how the January 24 and 25 Chihaya Kisaragi solo show at Nippon Budokan, "OathONE," was staged. The talk covered center-stage screens, Unreal Engine rendering, motion capture, and Sony's moving LED display groovots, including a large type used to walk the virtual character down a hanamichi.
Seventeen German game companies visited Japan around Tokyo Game Show 2026 as part of a Japan market development project backed by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. At a pitch and networking reception at Akihabara UDX, a representative from Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space described a system that subsidizes up to 50 percent of game development costs, capped at 8 million euros per project, with more than 700 projects supported since 2019. A Canadian studio received 3.2 million euros toward an office in Munich. From Japan's side, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Cultural Creation Industry Division said the content industry is one of 17 government strategic fields, targeting 20 trillion yen in overseas sales by 2033, with games accounting for roughly 60 percent of overseas content sales. The delegates span development, publishing, marketing, XR, and consulting, and include Kalypso Media Group and ROCKFISH Games.
Illustrator LAM has announced an original short anime project titled DemVAMPS. LAM is credited as original creator, screenwriter, director, storyboard artist, character designer, and chief animation director. The cast includes Saori Onishi as the vampire girl Lavinia and Makoto Koichi as Yo, a boy who serves her. A 90-second animated music video for the song VAMPY, performed by the virtual artist unit HIMEHINA, was released on October 4, 2026. The story follows vampires gathering in Tokyo to fight over succession to a vacant throne. Animation production is handled by HEVN STAGE. The design team Rairai Kosha, headed by LAM and Kato, is participating in art direction. A separate EP also titled VAMPY is set for release on November 27, 2026, through Studio LaRa and Brave group, and collects four tracks including the title song, two new songs, and a remix. Short anime episodes will be released on an irregular update schedule.
NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. began accepting applications on Monday, September 28 for the NX-Tech HUB Open Innovation Program 2026, the second round of its co-creation program with startups. The program is run with the AUBA open innovation platform, operated by eiicon Co., Ltd., as an initiative of the NX Global Innovation Investment Limited Partnership. Work from the first round is progressing toward full-scale operation.
TiMi Studio Group is developing the smartphone title Monster Hunter Outlanders under an official license from Capcom, with a worldwide release set for October 29, 2026 in regions outside mainland China. The game is free to play with item-based microtransactions and runs on iOS and Android. At Tokyo Game Show 2026, outlets played a hunt against the game's original Elder Dragon, Luga Earda, a monster whose design concept TiMi producer Don Huang described as a holy knight clad in golden armor, drawing on swordplay and shield imagery. Players sortie in a four-person party, and in the demo three NPCs joined. The demo offered two control schemes: Starting Mode, played with attack, special, and evade buttons that connect combos automatically, and Hunting Mode, which hands players multiple buttons for manual combos and skills. Capcom producer Akio Sekino said the core cycle of hunting, gathering materials, and crafting equipment is preserved, with adventurers added as an Outlanders-specific element.
G.O.P began pre-registration and closed beta test recruitment for the PC online FPS AVA RE:BIRTH on September 24, 2026, at 19:00. The game is the successor to Alliance of Valiant Arms, the online FPS known as AVA. The closed beta runs from October 1 at 16:00 to October 7 at 12:00, with applications open until September 29 at 12:00. Only 2,000 players will be selected by lottery across regions, and results will be posted on the official website from September 30 at 12:00. The game adds a new extraction-style mode called HUNTING FIELD, where AI soldiers and other players compete for supplies and try to escape with loot. Pre-registration milestones range from 50,000 registrations, which award the M67 Dark Hunter and in-game currency, up to 300,000 registrations, which add the Arjuna Dark Hunter. A character name early acquisition campaign runs until October 26 at 12:00, since character names cannot be duplicated in the game.
VEID Inc. began accepting entries on October 1 for the TikTok VTuber Group AUDITION, an open call for the founding members of a VTuber unit that will perform primarily on TikTok LIVE. Entries close at 23:59 on November 1. VEID is a joint venture between Kotobukiya Co., Ltd. and Mujuryoku Inc., both headquartered in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Kotobukiya is led by representative director and president Kazuyuki Shimizu, and VEID by representative director and president Kunio Ono. Mujuryoku handles technical and operational support for the audition and has prior work in VTuber production, live streaming operations, motion capture, and 3DCG production. No VTuber or streaming experience is required. VEID supplies 3D models and a dedicated studio for the group. There is no application fee and no screening fee. Selection moves from a profile and video entry to a first screening, then an interview and practical skills test, and finally a pass and contract.
Brave group Inc. changed the management structure of the company and its group companies on October 1, 2026, the same day it entered its 10th fiscal year since its founding in October 2017. The Tokyo-based company, led by Representative Director Keito Noguchi, appointed three new executive officers: Taku Kusakabe as CLO, Takashi Senoo as CHRO, and Akio Nishi as CIO. Kyuyeon Kim, Yutaka Takeda, and Yu Yamazaki moved up to senior executive officer, keeping their roles over IP Production, IP Platform and Solutions, and accounting respectively. Tetsuro Ogushi shifted from CRO to CGO, and Yuji Watanabe from CHRO to CGMO. At group companies, Yuki Oishi became a director of ENILIS and Kazunari Sugano a director of Neo-Porte. Brave group says the changes aim to speed up business expansion in Japan and overseas and deepen collaboration across the group.
Game & Co. opened pre-orders on Wednesday for Booster Pack Vol. 5 of its trading card game Xross Stars, titled Ignition Vortex. The set goes on sale Friday, October 30, 2026. One pack holds eight randomly enclosed cards and costs 475 yen, while a 12-pack box costs 5,700 yen and includes a box purchase bonus. The set adds 16 leader cards: eight new leaders and eight returning ones, with returning leaders drawn in new illustrations and card text. The new leader lineup includes names such as Akizuki Kohaku, Selly, dtto., LEO, Aoi Sakura, Kamito, Shibuya Haru, and tttcheekyttt. Three leaders return from earlier sets: Shinomiya Runa from Vol. 3, Raijin from Vol. 4, and Kozumi Sena from Vol. 1. Game & Co. is developing the game as a joint project with Samurai Koubou.
Studio LaRa will run a collaboration cafe called "HIMEHINA Bubblin' Memories POP DINER" on the 8th floor of the SHIBUYA109 Shibuya store from Thursday, October 1, 2026 to Monday, October 19, 2026, with hours of 10:00 to 21:00. The cafe is themed on the HIMEHINA WORLD Tour 2026 "LIFETIME is BUBBLIN," and the menu follows the tour's cities: San Jose Burger HIME and San Jose Burger HINA, Seoul-style Yakisoba, and Taipei Pineapple Pancake at 1,300 yen each, plus Fukuoka Amaou Soda and four other drinks at 1,000 yen each. Goods using newly drawn illustrations include Mini Character Acrylic Stands at 770 yen, Die-cut Aurora Stickers at 660 yen, and Clear Pouches at 2,200 yen, capped at two of each type per transaction. Digital numbered tickets are scheduled for distribution at the venue from October 1 to October 5, 2026.
RIOT MUSIC Inc. and Culture Entertainment Co., Ltd. will co-plan "ESPERA -AdHoc Live Festival 2026-" in VRChat across three days: Friday, November 20, Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, 2026. The first two days are free to attend; the final day requires a paid ticket. RIOT MUSIC handles production and operation, with XR creative studio MIGIRI Inc. handling live production. Performing artists, performance content, and ticket prices and sales methods are scheduled to be announced from October 2026, with updates posted on the official AdHoc X account. RIOT MUSIC launched its VRChat-focused efforts in February 2026 and has run music lives and talk events in the world "AdHoc." The company cites 50,000 cumulative visits to that world and more than 3,700 VRChat group participants as of September 2026. The festival's stated aim is to bring VOCALOID-centered internet music, VRChat-rooted music culture, and VTuber and virtual artist expression into one virtual space.
Studio LaRa announced on Friday that HIMEHINA Official Trading Card Vol.2 'The World of Parallels' will go on sale at the HIMEHINA WORLD Tour 2026 GRAND FINALE 2Days, held October 3 and October 4, 2026 at SGC HALL ARIAKE, and on the official EC site HIMEHINA MART. The set follows Vol.1 'Bubblin x Bubblin,' released in November 2025, and carries 80 card designs covering past, present, future, and parallel worlds. One pack costs 600 yen including tax and holds seven random cards, split across SSR (8 types), SR (12 types), R (19 types), UC (20 types), and C (21 types). Ultra-rare Genesis cards with foil stamping and handwritten signatures return from the first volume, and the No.1 'Kessen' card used as the main visual gets a Serial Numbered Card limited to 10 of each. Buyers at the tour venue who purchase 10 or more packs receive one Live Venue Limited Promo Card. Reservations on HIMEHINA MART are open, with cards scheduled to ship in late October.
A Tokyo Game Show session on September 18 brought together four people behind Chihaya Kisaragi's solo Nippon Budokan concert OathONE, held January 24 and 25. Yukiyoshi Yoshimoto of Bandai Namco Entertainment, Nobuaki Kazoe of REZ&, Akira Nakano of Sony Group and Takahiro Kozuki of Sony PCL explained the roles their companies played. The set used a 360-degree center stage, motion capture and Unreal Engine rendering.
The trading card game Xross Stars has ranked in the top 10 for share of Japan's domestic TCG market, according to a Media Create survey covering August 2025 to July 2026. The specific ranking and share percentages were not disclosed. Xross Stars launched on August 22, 2025 as a joint project between Game & Co., a subsidiary of Brave group, and Samurai Kobo, which operates the esports team Crazy Raccoon. The game turns VTubers, streamers, and esports players into cards across agency lines. The first set featured 24 people, mainly from VSPO!, Crazy Raccoon, and Neo-Porte, and the roster has since grown to 72 talents through the fourth booster pack Grand Resonance. Production is led by producer Atsutoshi Kubo of Game & Co. and chairman Daichi Takano of Crazy Raccoon, with Shota Yasooka as lead game designer and Sekappy as development partner. The fifth booster pack, Ignition Vortex, is scheduled for October 30 with 16 leaders, including Ryosuke Yamada of Hey! Say! JUMP under the streamer name LEO.
Yaya, a VTuber affiliated with the Avivi partner agency, took first place in the Rookie Top Challenge, an event that ran from August 1 to August 7, 2026. Avivi is a partner agency of Avvy, the avatar creation and streaming app operated by AnotherBall. In a posted comment, Yaya thanked viewers, commenters, and supporters, and asked for continued support.
OTAGROUP has opened applications for the Meta Grandma Silver Shield Project, a collaborator drive aimed at bringing the YouTube channel of late-stage elderly VTuber Meta Grandma to 100,000 subscribers. The channel has roughly 80,000 subscribers, and the project notes the timing could work as a Respect for the Aged Day plan. Hiroko, the 84-year-old original member from Mihara City, debuted in December 2022.
Brave group's next-generation content label BEverse has produced a new entertainment program called Yofuke no netgod, read as negoto. The show will run four episodes across three consecutive weeks starting Wednesday, September 16, 2026, on the official Yofuke no netgod YouTube channel. The first episode searches for unknown talent inside VRChat and sends them to the stage. MC Tontsukatan Morimoto and comedians and streamers including Omatcha form teams that travel through VRChat looking for participants with strong individuality, scouting people they want to see perform. Genres are open: singing, rap, dance, impressions, talk, and one-shot gags. Participants use their own avatars. Those who survive the competition win the title of first-generation netgod and a prize. Recording took place at Virtual Sanrio Puroland.
SKYGROUP has announced Japan Anime Festival Okinawa, a large-scale event running March 5 to March 7, 2027, centered on the Okinawa Suntory Arena. The company says the event will spread across Okinawa Prefecture over three days and present Japanese anime culture to audiences in Japan and overseas. Program details will be announced at a later date. SKYGROUP is based in Minato, Tokyo, with Kazuyuki Hasegawa as representative.
SuperGroupies opened pre-orders for three Bocchi the Rock! items: a sukajan modeled on SICK HACK bassist Kikuri Hiroi, an oversized rider jacket for Kessoku Band with the opening theme's title rendered as "Seisyun Complex," and 8-hole boots with a clear sole showing the Kessoku Band logo on the left and "Tsuchinoko Bocchi" on the right. Pre-orders close September 28, 2026.
G.O.P. announced on September 11 its game balance policy for AVA RE:BIRTH, a new PC online FPS using the Alliance of Valiant Arms IP. The game is scheduled to launch in fall 2026 on Windows PC through Pmang and VFUN. G.O.P. says the priority is an environment where players feel their skill and understanding deepen through repeated play, with results from strategic judgment and equipment upgrades mattering beyond aim strength. Weapon balance is being rebuilt so assault rifles, submachine guns, and sniper rifles keep distinct feels, after what G.O.P. describes as homogenized play feel from performance inflation. Damage is adjusted to extend engagement time, so recoil control and positioning decide fights rather than the first shot. The three classic classes return: Pointman, Rifleman, and Sniper. G.O.P. says it is making strict adjustments so paid items and earnable items do not create a large performance gap. A preliminary test is under consideration, with the next concrete development to be announced soon.
LEGO Japan announced on September 3, 2026 that general sales of the LEGO PlayStation begin October 4. The set recreates the first-generation PlayStation's gray body silhouette and controller using 1,911 LEGO pieces. When complete, it measures approximately 6 cm high by 26 cm wide by 19 cm deep, nearly the size of the actual console. The controller connects to the main unit, and the Open and Power buttons are functional and can be pressed. The central gimmick is a diorama revealed when the console opens. Two scenes are available: a miniature course from the 1997 racing game Gran Turismo and a scene from the 1999 game Ape Escape, complete with the red and blue monkey helmets. These dioramas store inside the console or can be removed for separate display. The set is priced at 27,980 yen including tax and is recommended for ages 18 and up. LEGO Insiders members can purchase early starting October 1. Retail locations include the official LEGO online store, LEGO stores nationwide, the Benelic LEGO Store Rakuten Market shop, and LEGOLAND Japan Resort locations.
TiMi Studio Group will add Japanese voice acting for all 17 Delta Force operators on September 8, the same day the 2nd anniversary season Reorientation begins. The cast includes Lynn, Yuma Uchida, Ryohei Kimura, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Akari Kito, Yuichiro Umehara, and Sumire Uesaka. The season adds support operator Rover, who fights alongside dog partner Clover, a new Warfare map, and a fishing activity. A login campaign on September 26 grants an anniversary voice.
Winning Entertainment Group announced on September 1, 2026, that it will produce 'Cybernetic Attack Final Mission,' a completely new title based on the 1990 Family Computer shooter 'Final Mission.' The platform, release date, and price are undecided. The original was a side-view scrolling shooter released during the Natsume era that supported two-player cooperative play and earned praise for its technical skill. The new game is the fifth entry in the 16-bit taste remake series from the company's special team TENGO PROJECT, which previously handled titles including 'Kiki Kaikai Kuro Mantou no Nazo' and 'Yami no Shigotonin KAGE Shadow of The Ninja.' It inherits elements from the original while adding new characters and features, rebuilt with 16-bit style pixel art. Four playable characters are revealed: Frederic, Siren, Titan, and Quinbee. The story is set in year 2XXX, where an alien attack scorches the earth and humanity forms the Cybernetic Attack Team for a final mission. A playable demo will be at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 to 21, at the TENGO PROJECT booth 09-C01. A first special trailer is live on the official site.
Weekly Young Magazine announced that its next issue will carry a special one-shot by Tohru Fujisawa serving as the finale of the Saejima Arc in GTO: Paradise Lost Kai. The story began as GTO: Paradise Lost in April 2014, went on hiatus, and returned under the Kai title in Magazine Pocket in April 2024.
Brave group announced on August 22, 2026 that the men's VTuber project YUMENOS will hold its offline event 'Shichisha Shichiyo - YUME NO FES 2026 -' on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at CITY HALL & GALLERY Gotanda in Tokyo. All seven YUMENOS members will appear, delivering stages built around singing, games, acting, and talk segments that highlight each member's individual personality. The event marks a departure from past YUMENOS fan meetings, which centered on fan interaction, such as the February 2026 'YUMENOS FAN MEETING vol.1' that featured talk segments and planned activities. Premium ticket holders for the November event gain access to an after-talk with all seven members and a send-off plan where members see guests off. Ticket tiers range from the 18,000 yen Premium Ticket S and 12,000 yen Premium Ticket A, both including an acrylic shikishi with a reproduced signature, a limited voice message, and three limited acrylic cards, to the 8,000 yen Regular Ticket and a 1,500 yen First-Time Ticket for newcomers referred by existing ticket purchasers. The lottery application period runs from August 22 to August 30, 2026.
Capcom unveiled a new trailer for Monster Hunter Outlanders during this year's gamescom Opening Night Live event, introducing a new Elder Dragon monster named Ruger Aidal. The game is an open-world survival title for iOS and Android devices, scheduled for release in 2026. Pre-registration has begun on the App Store and Google Play. Chinese developer TiMi Studio Group, a subsidiary of Tencent, is developing the game under license from Capcom. The trailer shows Ruger Aidal appearing with a mysterious aurora phenomenon, spreading its large wings, and transforming into a sun-like mass of flames that burns everything around it. The game features multiplayer support and a system to switch between characters. Franchise composer Tadayoshi Makino is handling the music. TiMi Studio Group announced in November 2022 that it was working on a new mobile Monster Hunter game. The studio is known for developing Call of Duty Mobile and Pokémon Unite. In the ongoing third closed beta test, events such as "Nergigante Invasion" and "Hunting Dash" are scheduled to run from August 28.
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.
The third Xross Stars Challengers Cup 2026#03 OSAKA was held August 8-9 at OMM Exhibition Hall, the first Osaka stop among official events. Over 2,000 people entered the Booster Pack 4 "Grand Resonance" environment tournament. "Zekemi" won the championship, receiving a CHAMPION-spec foil-stamped playmat and the limited PR card "All-Star Combo." The event also announced Booster Pack 5 "Ignition Vortex," scheduled for release on October 30, 2026.
Brave group will hold the first offline fan meeting for the VTuber unit Suzumia, made up of Suz Nanohana and Mia Akaishiki, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at a venue in Akihabara, Tokyo. The event runs in two parts and includes listener-participatory showdown plans and quizzes. Ticket lottery sales open today, August 20, at 20:00.
The new WEBTOON Hostage Wife Wants a Divorce, planned and produced by LOCKER ROOM Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of 1LDK Inc., has taken first place in three LINE Manga ranking categories: Overall, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, and New Arrivals. The rankings are as of August 18, 2026, the same day serialization began. The work is the third installment of TOON8, a WEBTOON label launched by Fuji TV. It is a romance fantasy about a married couple who cannot speak their true feelings, confronting each other after the wife declares a divorce and gradually nurturing their love. The diverse characters and artwork drew a response from the first day of distribution. On the day serialization began, a presentation event was held at Fuji TV headquarters in Odaiba and live-streamed on Fuji TV's official anime YouTube channel. A special collaboration video between Fuji TV announcer Minami Sakuma's new song Negai and the WEBTOON has also been released, conveying the image of a woman living strongly with conviction.
Dentsu Group, with GeekOut and Studio Koi Koi Inc., announced on August 3 that it will handle planning and production for the Roblox adventure RPG Egg Hunt 2026: The Grand Eggspress. The game inherits the spirit of the community event Egg Hunt, sending players aboard a train through six worlds to find over 100 eggs.
Pia Corporation released Mobile Police Patlabor: Shibashigeo Pia on August 5 to commemorate Mobile Police Patlabor EZY. The book focuses on Shibashigeo, with interviews with voice actor Shigeru Chiba and director Yutaka Izubuchi, plus a new cover by Akemi Takada. It includes bonuses like an A3 poster and postcards.
Viz Media and the Gotham Group have signed an agreement for the Gotham Group to develop film and television adaptations based on Viz Media's original properties, including titles from its Viz Originals graphic novels and the RWBY franchise. The RWBY animated series has a 10th volume greenlit. Viz Media acquired RWBY in July 2024 after Rooster Teeth shut down.
G.O.P Co., Ltd. announced on August 6, 2026 that a new PC FPS project using the IP of Alliance of Valiant Arms (AVA) has been launched. The project aims to rebuild the core appeal of AVA and return players to the original experience of FPS, targeting those who find modern shooters too heavy to play comfortably and veterans who once devoted themselves to the game. Service is scheduled to begin within 2026, with final adjustments currently underway for launch. The official title, logo, and teaser movie will be unveiled on August 12 via a teaser site. The project is described as inheriting AVA's high competitiveness and tactical gameplay, backed by 18 years of track record. It is designed to run smoothly even on older PCs without requiring a high-end environment. AVA began official service in Japan on December 1, 2008, and is set during a fictional European war with three classes: Pointman, Rifleman, and Sniper. The game once claimed 70,000 matches occurring daily and 2.8 million cumulative players, and was known as the most played FPS in Japanese internet cafes.
The Japan Trans Beauty Association announced Epi Group as title sponsor for Miss International Queen Japan 2026, to be held August 2 at Omotesando Hills. The event will feature a two-part format including a gathering of past Japan representatives and a talk show with actor Haruki Mochizuki and Ai Haruna, tied to the Netflix film 'This Is I.' The world pageant Miss International Queen celebrates its 20th anniversary.
TiMi Studio Group began a collaboration between Delta Force and Rainbow Six Siege on July 10, 2026. The crossover introduces operator skins based on Vigil, Montagne, and Doc, with two available for free. Free weapon skins include the Black Ice bundle and a Legend MP5 appearance. Players can also find collection items in containers and discover hidden elements. A streamer broadcast project and a special event called THE BAIKIN SHOWDOWN are scheduled. Campaigns offer prizes including over 6 million yen via TikTok and Amazon gift cards.
Pia Co., Ltd. will release "Mobile Police Patlabor Shiba Shigeo Pia" on August 5, 2026, a dedicated fan magazine for the character from the new theatrical anime "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY." The A4, 96-page all-color volume includes an exclusive cover illustration by Akemi Takada, bonus postcards, an A3 poster of famous scenes and quotes, and interviews with voice actor Shigeru Chiba and director Yutaka Izubuchi. To mark the release, the previously out-of-print "Izumi Noa Pia" and "Goto Kiichi Pia" will return as e-books.
OTAGROUP talent Hitone Iri released the original song Aromatic Arcana on June 24, 2026, through the label OTAGROUP Music. The track was composed and co-written by Koji Matsuzaka, who praised Iri's vocal range. Iri described the release as a major step toward her dream.
An off-shot of actress Anna Yamada in a high school girl outfit from the movie 'NEW GROUP' was posted on her official X account. The blazer look with no discomfort and the background exuding the film's eerie atmosphere are drawing attention. The film, which uses group gymnastics as a motif, depicts dystopian madness and absurdity where individual will is submerged, as a sci-fi psycho entertainment. Yamada plays the lead role of 'Ai', a shy ordinary high school student with family issues. The official X account posted a photo of Yamada in a high school girl uniform, likely taken by her manager, with the message 'Ai-chan on a certain day'. Yamada has long hair reaching her chest, a red ribbon, and a brown blazer. In the background, a creepy object with a giant hand protruding is visible, conveying the film's surreal world. On social media, comments such as 'Too crazy cute' and 'The uniform and long hair are the best' were posted. Also, envious voices like 'I wish I could spend time with such a cute high school girl' and surprised reactions to Yamada's unchanged transparency, such as 'It's too strong that she still looks natural as a high school student', were seen.
The film "NEW GROUP," starring Anna Yamada and Yuzu Aoki, is now showing nationwide. A clip of a hallway battle scene, where the characters counter a group gymnastics attack with their own group gymnastics, has been released on YouTube. The sci-fi psycho entertainment film is directed by Yuta Shimotsu.
The live-action film "Osomatsu-san: Jinrui Kuzu-ka Keikaku!!!!!?" will host limited audio commentary screenings from June 26 to July 31, featuring Aぇ! group and Nishimura Takuya. New live footage of Watanabe Miho and Noguchi Iori performing a duet has also been released on YouTube for a limited time until July 12.
The cast of "Osomatsu-san: Jinrui Kuzuka Keikaku!!!!!?" appeared at a first-day stage greeting on June 12 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya in Tokyo. The live-action film, based on the anime by Fujio Akatsuka, follows the sextuplet Matsuno brothers as they confront a world that has begun praising their lazy lifestyle. Members of Ae! group-Seimei Yoshinori, Masaki Sawa, Ken Kojima, and Masaya Sano-star alongside Takuya Nishimura, Miho Watanabe, Yusuke Onuki, Naenano, and Iori Noguchi. Director Taisuke Kawamura revealed that the choreographer said the sextuplet actors could handle the most difficult dance, so he requested maximum difficulty choreography, which the cast learned in two hours. The actors described the dance as more challenging than Ae! group's own songs and said it took a full day to film, like a music video. Koji Mukai of Snow Man, who played Osomatsu in the 2022 film, appears as "Old Osomatsu" and added ad-libs that raised the cast's morale. The film was postponed by about five months before its release.
A new clip from the sci-fi horror film "NEW GROUP" shows Pierre Taki's principal character cheerfully explaining group dynamics through rhythmic handclaps. The film, directed by Yuta Shimotsu, stars Anna Yamada and Yuzu Aoki as students caught in a collective supernatural phenomenon. It opens nationwide on June 12.
Anna Yamada received the Nippon Rising Star Award at the Nippon Connection Japanese film festival in Frankfurt for her role in the sci-fi psycho-entertainment film New Group. The film, directed by Yuta Shimotsu, has been invited to 22 festivals worldwide and opens in Japan on June 12. Yamada also received a surprise video message from Shogun director Soji Fukunaga.
The 2022 live-action film 'Osomatsu-san the Movie' starring Snow Man will air on TV Tokyo on June 6, 2026, from 11:40 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The broadcast promotes the upcoming sequel 'Osomatsu-san: Humanity's Trashification Plan!!!!!?' starring Aぇ! group, which opens nationwide on June 12.
A new promotional video for the live-action Osomatsu-san film uses the theme song "Dekoboko Life" by Aぇ! group and includes footage not previously shown online. The film, titled Osomatsu-san: Jinrui Kuzukeikaku!!!!!?, opens nationwide in Japan on June 12 with a first-day stage greeting and live broadcast.
Brave Group's content label BEverse announced the first project under its creative initiative Tokyo Kasou: a new VTuber group called GΔ59, pronounced "Jigoku." The group consists of four members: Yoiyami Mee, Chiaki Luna, Amagami Konkon, and Tsumetogi Rin. The name combines the mathematical delta symbol (Δ), meaning change, with the prime number 59, intended to represent the unknown beyond transformation. The group's story will unfold through puzzles and clues scattered across social media, websites, and Discord. Character designs, group promotional videos, individual teasers, and debut music information will be released gradually. A debut livestream on TikTok LIVE and YouTube is planned for early May, along with the first "alternate reality" stream, an interactive format unique to Tokyo Kasou. TikTok operations and growth strategy for GΔ59 will be handled by Global Growth (GGTK), a company with experience in TikTok live commerce and creator management. BEverse has previously produced immersive titles such as Roblox's "Ao Oni Nightmare" and Fortnite's "Horror Forest - Liar In The Dark."
Director Shimotsu Yuta discussed his sci-fi psycho-entertainment film New Group at a May 28 preview in Tokyo. He explained how reading about group behavior in society led to the idea of a human pyramid as an extreme form of conformity. Cast members Yamada Anna, Aoki Yu, and Pierre Taki were also discussed.
The film "Osomatsu-san: Human Scum-ification Plan!!!!!?" starring Aぇ! group, Keita Kusama Richard, and Takuya Nishimura will offer a special sticker as a first-week audience gift from June 12 to 14, followed by a full live video of the in-film unit F6 from June 19 to July 5. The film opens June 12, 2026.
GAME Watch's hands-on report from the second closed beta test of Monster Hunter Outlanders describes a mobile game that preserves core Monster Hunter combat and progression while adding gacha elements that feel within reasonable bounds. The game is developed by TiMi Studio Group under Tencent Games and supervised by Capcom.