G-SMASH's Made in Japan XR Project recruited its first cohort of student and young creators in July 2026 and selected up to eight finalist teams after an August 2026 hackathon. Completed XR games are scheduled for global release via Meta Horizon Store and PICO Store around January to February 2027.
G-SMASH announced the Made in Japan XR Project on July 27, 2026, with the goal of creating global intellectual property from Japanese XR content. The first initiative is a free development program for student and young creators, and team recruitment opened the same day. A hackathon in August 2026 will select up to eight finalist teams, each receiving development support worth roughly 500,000 yen in equipment, mentoring, and boot camp fees.
The program supports teams from planning through store submission and global release, and it does not stop at prototyping or a Demo Day. Completed works are set to release globally around January to February 2027 through Meta Horizon Store and PICO Store. The program works with the creator hub 404 Not Found at Shibuya Sakura Stage, which provides a production and presentation base, and an application briefing and networking event was scheduled for August 6, 2026 at that venue. G-SMASH was founded in September 2025 and is led by representative director Shun Harashima.
At Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 18, G-SMASH held a session on the project. Project lead Shun Harashima was among five speakers, and the session covered targeting North American teens and cited titles including Gorilla Tag, Animal Company, UG, and Shark Go along with store release numbers behind their case. The two accounts describe one program: recruitment and structure in July, then a public session on its market case in September, with the games still aimed at a 2027 store release.
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At Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 18, G-SMASH held a session on its Made in Japan XR Project, in which students and young creators build XR games in a short intensive period with support through store release. Five speakers, including project lead Shun Harashima, discussed targeting North American teens, citing titles such as Gorilla Tag, Animal Company, UG, and Shark Go, and the store release numbers behind their case.
G-SMASH announced the Made in Japan XR Project on July 27, 2026, aiming to create global intellectual property from Japanese XR content. The first initiative is a free XR game development program for student and young creators, with team recruitment opening the same day. Up to eight finalist teams will be selected after a hackathon in August 2026, each receiving development support worth approximately 500,000 yen, including equipment, mentoring, and boot camp fees. The program provides continuous support from planning through store submission and global release, not ending at prototyping or Demo Day. Completed works are scheduled for global release via Meta Horizon Store and PICO Store around January to February 2027. The program collaborates with the creator hub 404 Not Found in Shibuya Sakura Stage, offering a production and presentation base. An application briefing and networking event is set for August 6, 2026, at the same venue. G-SMASH, founded in September 2025 and led by representative director Shun Harashima, brings its experience in event management, community building, and global marketing to the project.