LEO of BE:FIRST appears in the second part of the NHK BS drama 'Kono Aji mo Mata Itsuka Koishiku Naru,' which airs November 14 and November 21, 2026. BE:FIRST's six members, along with SKY-HI, became Recording Academy members in 2026 with voting rights for the 69th Grammy Awards.
LEO's year in Yomimono coverage is split between two separate threads. The first is BE:FIRST's move into the Recording Academy: the group's six members and SKY-HI were selected as members for 2026, which gives them voting rights for the 69th Grammy Awards in February 2027 and eligibility to attend. The selection is separate from any nomination, and it comes as BMSG, the label that manages both acts, pushes for global expansion.
The second thread is acting. NHK BS set broadcast dates for 'Kono Aji mo Mata Itsuka Koishiku Naru,' the drama adaptation of Moegara's essay starring Takashi Ikuei. Part one airs November 14 at 9:00 PM and part two on November 21 at 9:00 PM. LEO appears in the second part in an unannounced role. A key visual is out. The two-part slot gives the adaptation a fixed date and a full cast, and puts a BE:FIRST member in the second night alongside a roster of veteran actors.
The two stories are the only ones here that concern LEO directly. Other coverage under similar names, including the death of actor and narrator Leo Morimoto at 83 and the AI art apology by a streamer representative named LEON, involves different people and is not about this LEO.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/leo.
CC BY 4.0.
Pumancz has released version 1.0 of Duckoleon, the free-to-play multiplayer FPS and TPS that depicts Napoleonic-era battles from a duck's perspective. The game had been in early access since November 2025. The 1.0 update, Quack of the Nile, adds the Ottoman Empire as a new nation, five DLC-exclusive units, militia and armed citizen units for free players, a Pyramid map, two Austrian Empire cavalry regiments, and new nighttime visuals.
Game Spark's indie picks for the third week of September include Paleokin, an open-world survival crafting game set in a prehistoric era with mammoths and dinosaurs. Players explore a procedurally generated world, gather resources, farm, hunt, and manage hunger, thirst, sanity, illness, bleeding, and fatigue across changing seasons. Combat uses spears, bows, and slingshots with timed guards. Creatures can be tamed, bred, and ridden.
The Golden Joystick Awards has announced its 2026 nominees across 21 game categories, with public voting now open. The Japanese indie title 'Meccha Chameleon' appears in three: PC Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, and Best Indie Game - Self Published. Nominees include 'Big Walk' and '007 First Light' in multiple categories. The awards are in their 44th year.
The 44th Golden Joystick Awards opened public voting for 21 categories, closing October 23. Big Walk and 007 First Light each appear in five categories, tied for the most nominations for a title. Resident Evil Requiem has three, the most for a Japan-origin title. The Ultimate Game of the Year shortlist arrives October 26, and the ceremony is set for November 11.
At Tokyo Game Show 2026, the G TUNE/NEXTGEAR booth hosted a September 20 stage event titled "[Yoshimoto] Noda Crystal Corps in Meccha Chameleon." Seven Yoshimoto performers took part: Noda Crystal, Yui P, R Fujimoto, and Gally Record Channel members Phoenix, Takai Keisuke, Ama no Miya Masaaki, and Taro, with former Yoshimoto comedian Shinichiro as MC. Matches in the hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon were played, and the NEXTGEAR TGS2026 exhibition commemorative model was introduced.
NHK BS has set the broadcast dates for 'Kono Aji mo Mata Itsuka Koishiku Naru,' the drama adaptation of Moegara's essay starring Takashi Ikuei. Part one airs November 14 at 9:00 PM, part two on November 21 at 9:00 PM. LEO of BE:FIRST appears in the second part, in an unannounced role. A key visual is out.
Accept Permadeath has announced Paleokin, a survival game set in prehistoric times. Players gather food, build bases, farm, tame and breed dinosaurs, and fight mammoths and dinosaurs across a procedurally generated world. Solo and co-op play for up to four players are supported. Paleokin is scheduled for Steam Early Access in Q1 2027, with an Early Access period expected to last about six months.
Leo Morimoto, born Haruyuki Morimoto, died suddenly on September 4 from unknown causes, his agency said. He was 83. Born in Nagoya on February 13, 1943, he worked as a radio DJ before appearing in the 1974 NHK series Kiiroi Namida, and went on to roles across Long Vacation and Shomuni. He starred as Shitotsugh Lhadatt in Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and narrated Bartender and Dragon Goes House-Hunting.
The V-Cinext Cho Uchu Keiji Gavan Infinity VS Lya has announced three guest cast members: cosplayer Enako as the psychokinetic Nitocris, 7ORDER's Reo Nagatsuma as the fire-wielding Randy, and stage actor Ryojiro Tsuji as the electricity-wielding Carter. All three play members of Survivors, an anti-government group on Planet Arcam, and clash with Reiji Doki and Kentaro Yasui's Fuma Kumu. Character visuals, comments, and a teaser trailer are out. A limited theatrical run starts Friday, December 11.
Nintendo announced during its September 9, 2026 Nintendo Direct that the hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon, created by solo developer LEMORION, will be released for the Switch 2 immediately after the broadcast ends. The game launched on Steam on June 10, 2026, and several outlets report it sold over 20 million copies, with 4Gamer.net specifying sales of 15 million in less than a month. The Switch 2 version's surprise drop follows the game's rapid rise among streamers. Sources describe Meccha Chameleon as a drawing and hide-and-seek game with simple rules that is fun to play in large groups. The Nintendo Direct also revealed the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, scheduled for December 3, 2026, which adds the new hero Kaguya and the roguelike-style mode Heroes Record.
Streamer LEON representative, active in survival games like Rust, admitted on September 4 that he used illustrations gifted by manga artist Shiromanta in generative AI, apologized, and announced a hiatus from activities. The logo for his Rust event 'DEATH GAME,' held from August 29 to 31, was created by running Shiromanta's 2023 illustration through AI. When Shiromanta first asked about the image, LEON representative said he used it without recognizing it as AI-generated and cited confidentiality in refusing to name the contractor. After streamer Kenki, a DEATH GAME participant, independently confirmed the details with LEON representative, the response changed to acknowledge knowing the image was AI-made. Shiromanta received a written apology and asked that the matter be explained publicly. In a September 3 Twitch stream, Shiromanta said he has no opinion on AI's merits, but described being lied to by a friend as sad and unacceptable. LEON representative's apology acknowledged betraying Shiromanta's trust and said he would take time to reflect.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries displayed its four-legged mobility concept CORLEO at gamescom 2026 in Cologne, drawing daily crowds of game fans, families, and tech enthusiasts. The hydrogen-powered, rider-type robot features AI vision terrain recognition and intuitive weight-shift controls. Kawasaki plans licensing for racing and survival games, plus esports expansion, with commercial sales targeted for 2035.
Kana announced at Anime NYC on Friday that it licensed six manga titles for English release through 2027. The slate includes Children of the Afterlife, Happy at Home, Good Morning Leon, Why We Fall in Love, Pumpkin Night, and Soon the Fog Clears. Release dates span from May to November 2027.
Dengeki Hobby Web's latest Amazon hobby new arrival ranking places the Hot Wheels Car Culture Aero Styles Custom '70 Chevy Nova at number one. The list includes a revived Gundam Leopard model kit, a new Max Factory figma, and several other Hot Wheels premium cars.
Bandai's Premium Bandai online store is accepting lottery orders for the HG 1/144 Gundam Leopard from After War Gundam X. The kit costs 2,420 yen including tax and ships in September 2026. It reproduces the inner arm gatling's transformation and combination with the left arm, plus other gimmicks.
MASK released the point-and-click game Hentai Chameleon on Nintendo Switch on August 6, 2026. The game's logo closely resembles that of the hit game Meccha Chameleon, but the game itself is unrelated. It is a simple puzzle where players find a chameleon hidden in an illustration of a sexy beauty. The Switch store page has many similar simple games that appear to use AI-generated illustrations. Hentai Chameleon is priced at 420 yen, with a discount to 378 yen until August 30.
A project claiming to disprove the Collatz conjecture with AI assistance was accepted by the theorem prover Lean, but the proof exploited a bug in Lean's kernel. Lean developer Leonardo de Moura published a postmortem explaining the proof is invalid. The bug allowed the kernel to accept the proposition False, meaning any conclusion could be derived. The issue was reported on July 28 and involved nested inductive types and phantom type parameters.
Bandai Spirits releases the HG 1/144 Gundam Leopard from After War Gundam X on August 8, 2026. The kit reproduces the inner arm gatling's combination and storage gimmick with the left arm, plus opening and closing features for the breast gatling, shoulder missiles, and knee hornet missiles. It includes a separate missile pod, beam knife, and seal for 2,420 yen.
Twitch announced that the indie game Meccha Caméléon has surpassed 18 million hours watched on its platform, ranking 14th in viewership. The game's peak concurrent viewers exceeded 240,000. Twitch attributes the popularity to multiplayer excitement, unpredictable gameplay, and accessibility across language barriers.
Developers LEMORION and HAGANEIRO reported on July 26 that the official Discord server for Meccha Chameleon was hacked. The server admin account was hijacked and all admins were banned. Hackers claim the latest game version contains a remote access tool, but the game itself is unaffected. The incident traces to a mod-map malware investigation, during which a spare PC was infected and later fully reset. Version 3.1.0 patched the vulnerability.
A store page for a Meta Quest game called 'Meccha Chameleon VR' has appeared on the Meta Quest store, offering pre-orders at 600 yen. The game closely resembles the popular hide-and-seek title 'Meccha Chameleon', which has sold over 15 million copies as of July 5. The developer of the original game, Lemorion, has issued a warning on X, stating that they did not grant any permission for the creation of this VR version. Lemorion added that they are currently filing a takedown request and urged users not to purchase the game. The developer and publisher of the imitation game, Orbit Edge Studio, appears to be based in Pakistan according to its privacy policy. The title is identical to the original except for the addition of 'VR' at the end, and screenshots on the store page are nearly identical to those used on the original's Steam store page.
The official Discord server for the multiplayer hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon has been restored after a hijacking incident, developer LEMORION announced on July 27. All hackers who had gained administrator privileges on the server have been banned. The incident began when a system engineer's PC was infected with malware while verifying a mod map that had been reported to contain malicious code. The malware bypassed Discord's two-factor authentication and hijacked the server creator's account, expelling all official staff and making the server inoperable from the management side. LEMORION stated that the infected PC was not a development environment, so the game itself does not contain malware. The developer contacted Discord support, and Discord's official X account responded that it was investigating. On July 26, LEMORION reported that the hijacking issue was almost resolved and the server was expected to be restored within 48 hours. The restoration was completed the following morning. The server's highest authority account has been changed to a different account from the one that was hijacked. The game also received an update adding a new character, Fukuyoka. Meccha Chameleon was released on June 10 and has sold over 15 million units as of July 5.
The official Discord server for the indie game Meccha Cameleon was hijacked on July 26, just hours after developers released a security patch for malware found in user-created mod maps on Steam Workshop. Developer Lemorion reported that the server creator's account was taken over and all administrators were banned, leaving the team unable to manage the server. The incident began on July 25 when reports surfaced that some custom maps distributed via Steam Workshop contained malware capable of arbitrary code execution. The developers released version 3.1.0 that same day, which included a security patch that disabled malware execution in mod maps. However, during the verification process, one developer's backup PC became infected, leading to the Discord account compromise. The hackers then posted false claims that the game itself contained a Remote Access Tool, which Lemorion denied, stating the game is 100% virus-free. The infected PC was not a development machine, and no evidence of game file tampering was found. The server was restored by July 27, with all attacker accounts banned and a new invite link issued. Meccha Cameleon, a multiplayer hide-and-seek game where players camouflage into scenery, has sold over 15 million copies since its June 10 release.
The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, selected SKY-HI and the six members of BE:FIRST as new members for 2026. They now have voting rights for the 69th Grammy Awards in February 2027 and eligibility to attend the ceremony. The selection is separate from any nomination. The move comes as BMSG, the label that manages both, pushes for global expansion.
Developer LEMORION added two new maps to the hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon on July 11-12, 2026: a collaboration map with YouTuber Hikakin called HIKAKIN Museum, and a new map Egypt. The update also introduces a toggle for random map selection, alpha controller support, region tags, and random elements to the Penguin Hotel map.
On July 11, 2026, developers LEMORION and HAGANEIRO released update 2.6.0 for the drawing hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon, adding the official collaboration map "HIKAKIN Museum." The map is themed around YouTuber HIKAKIN and includes photos of HIKAKIN and his brother SEIKIN, as well as items such as misokin and ONICHA. Special collaboration-exclusive gimmicks are also included. The update also introduces a controller support alpha version, though UI operations are not supported. Region tags for Japan, South Korea, and East Asia were added, a bug fix for hit detection when the doppelganger was hidden, and an adjustment expanding the hunter's field of view from 100 to 105. Meccha Chameleon launched on Steam on June 10, 2026, and by July 5 had sold over 15 million copies. The game is available for 790 yen on PC (Steam) and supports the cloud gaming service GeForce NOW. The collaboration with HIKAKIN was previously teased under the label "collaboration with a famous Japanese person."
The developer of "Meccha Chameleon," known as Lemorion, has warned players about fake social media accounts impersonating the game's official presence. In a statement, Lemorion said that accounts other than his own and co-developer Haganeiro's are unrelated, and that the only official Discord server is the one listed on the Steam store page. The warning comes as the game continues to see explosive popularity, having sold over 10 million copies within two weeks of its June 10 release on PC via Steam. Separately, the game's latest update, version 2.2.0, introduces a system that adds randomness to maps, starting with the "Hide-and-Seek Mansion" stage. The update also adds 1.4x and 1.7x body size options for the character "Cube," and fixes several bugs including issues with paint mode, oversized characters getting stuck on stairs, and cloud save failures. The developer plans to apply random elements to all maps in future updates. "Meccha Chameleon" is a multiplayer hide-and-seek game where players paint their characters to blend into backgrounds and objects.
On June 27, the multiplayer hide-and-seek game Meccha Cameleon became compatible with GeForce NOW, allowing play on Mac and non-gaming PCs. The game, developed by solo creator Lemorion, surpassed 10 million sales on Steam in 16 days since its June 10 release, earning a Very Positive rating from 83% of 27,869 reviews.
A making-of video for the horror film GOOD BOY, which unfolds from a dog's perspective, has been released. It reveals techniques like using treats and bird calls to elicit performances from director Ben Leonberg's own dog Indy. The production prioritized Indy's comfort and earned a PETA award for ethical treatment. The film opens July 10 in Tokyo.
Developer LEMORION announced on June 22 that the hide-and-seek game Meccha Chameleon has sold over 7 million units. The studio also said an official Japan-themed map will be added to the game within a day or two. According to SteamDB, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 340,000 on Steam. The game has received over 17,000 user reviews on Steam, earning a 'Very Positive' rating. Players have praised its simple concept of painting one's body to blend into backgrounds. The game has seen frequent updates since release, including a new 'Sugar Land' map on June 18. LEMORION stated on X that they are not currently seeking a publisher and that streaming is permitted under Steam guidelines. They also warned that they have not created a GitHub account, cautioning users about fake accounts. The game is available on PC via Steam.
Developer LEMORION announced on June 20 that multiplayer hide-and-seek game Meccha Camouflage has sold over 5 million units since its release 10 days prior. On Steam, the game peaked at over 240,000 concurrent players and holds a Very Positive rating from over 10,000 reviews. New maps and options are planned.
Developer Tactical Boar says the Steam store page for its in-development Napoleonic RTS 'Veterans: Napoleonic Wars' was taken down on June 16 after a DMCA copyright claim from an unidentified party. The developer denies infringement, has filed a counter-notice, and says the game is original work. The demo was also removed during Steam Next Fest.
Capcom launched its Mid Year Sale across Steam, Xbox, Epic, and Nintendo eShop, with Resident Evil Requiem receiving its first discount at 20 percent off. The sale also includes deep cuts on Monster Hunter Double Cross for Switch, Street Fighter 6, and multiple Resident Evil titles, running through June 30 at various storefronts.
Gameleon Studio announced Ornelia, a god-game sandbox where players build a town for long-eared Kinous in a magical valley. The PC Steam release will begin in early access, with a Create Mode for free-form building and a planned Adventure Mode for version 1.0. The early access period is targeted at six months.
Pxrge Trxxxper, the 19-year-old winner of ABEMA's 'RAPSTAR 2025', released his first album 'REVERSAL' on May 15. The 10-track album features guest appearances from Jin Dogg, Benjazzy, DADA, Leon Fanourakis, Yvng Patra, Young Zetton, and ZERRY, with production by the OVER KILL team led by FUJI TRILL.
On the first day of their first-ever stadium live at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo, the six-member dance and vocal group BE:FIRST announced a world showcase tour covering four cities starting September 2026. The tour, titled 'BE:FIRST WORLD SHOWCASE 2026,' will visit Bangkok (Samyan Mitrtown Hall, September 25), Taipei (Legacy TERA, September 27), Manila (New Frontier Theater, October 3), and New York (Gramercy Theatre, October 23). The showcase is described as a new challenge aimed at global expansion, marking the group's fifth anniversary year. The stadium live itself, held May 16 and 17, sold out general release tickets in three minutes and is expected to draw about 100,000 attendees across both days, making it the largest-scale performance in the group's history. BE:FIRST also released their ninth single 'BE:FIRST ALL DAY' on May 6 and will release their tenth single 'Missing' on July 1. The group previously completed a four-dome domestic tour in 2025 with roughly 300,000 attendees and a 12-city overseas tour across the US, Asia, and Europe.