Square Enix and Tencent announced on July 17 that the Chinese version of Final Fantasy XIV Mobile will end service on September 30, about a year after its launch. The license agreement between the two companies is being terminated, and the planned global expansion is now uncertain.
Abylight Studios announced S.O.N.A.R. - Submarine Crew, Underprepared!, a cooperative submarine simulation for 1-4 players. The game emphasizes chaotic teamwork where a single mistake can sink the sub. Players manage 9 stations across missions like combat and treasure recovery. Playtest sign-ups are open on Steam. The full release is planned for Q1 2027.
Good Smile Company will release a blind box series of Snow Miku figures from even-numbered years (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) as part of the Snow Miku All Stars collection. The figures are based on new illustrations by Eku Uekura and are scheduled for February 2027. Each figure is 100mm tall, priced at 2,200 yen, sold in blind packages. A box purchase guarantees all types.
Evil Trout Inc. released Garry Mansion Incident on July 14 for PC via Steam, a remaster of the 2025 free game Type Help. The puzzle mystery features new illustrations, full English voice acting, a 3D interface, and additional puzzles. As of writing, 627 user reviews on Steam rate it 97% positive, earning an Overwhelmingly Positive status. The original creator William Rous cited Evil Trout's The Roottrees are Dead as an inspiration. A 10% launch discount runs until July 22.
The hip-hop crew SUSHIBOYS will hold a nationwide one-man tour titled "SUSHIBOYS ONE-MAN TOUR 2026," starting September 11 in Fukuoka and visiting Aichi, Osaka, and Tokyo before a final show in their hometown of Saitama Prefecture. The tour adds a new Aichi date compared to 2025, following a May live performance at a laundromat in Ogose-machi and the release of the EP "Coin Laundry."
F-toys will release a 1/12 scale drum set for its ROCKMONO miniature instrument candy toy line on September 7, 2026. The drum set consists of two separate sets, A and B, each in five colors, with a total of 10 blind-box types. Complete sets combine A and B parts including a bass drum, snare, cymbals, and stool. A 10-pack box guarantees all variants. Each single item costs 825 yen.
Bandai Spirits updated the Ichiban Kuji Club page for the Toy Story ~Playtime pals forever~ lottery. The A Prize is a Woody figure, and the Last One Prize is a Buzz figure. The remaining prizes from B to Q are not yet listed. The lottery launches September 30, 2026, at 880 yen per play.
CAMELOT, a new figure manufacturer, has announced its first adult figure: a 1/6 scale, 27cm tall figure of 'NIKUO,' an original character modeled after illustrator NIKUO himself. The figure features magnet-attached removable clothing, a cowbell, and a milk bottle. Preorders begin July 17, 2026, with shipping in February 2027 at a price of 13,200 yen.
Inversenet's FRONTIER brand began selling a recommended gaming PC for Sega's Sonic Racing CrossWorlds on July 16. The top configuration pairs an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with a Radeon RX 9070 XT in the new FREX∀R Z-series chassis. The system passed game verification for stable frame rates from Full HD to higher resolutions. The game itself features cross-world travel, machine customization, and online play.
Publisher LiTMUS and developer Game Studio announced a double pack for Switch and Steam containing a port of the mobile sequel Ao Oni 2 and a brand-new scenario, Ao Oni Rinkai Gakkou. The new title features non-linear stage progression, new enemy designs including a skeleton model ghost, and a 17x speed mode. The bundle releases August 6 at 1200 yen with no restrictions on streaming or video uploads.
NHK Enterprises announced the Ojarumaru 30th Anniversary Project on July 17, two years ahead of the series' 30th broadcast anniversary in October 2027. The first phase is the Ojarumaru Relaxed Mysterious Masterpiece Selection, a streaming collection of 50 episodes from 2016-2025 that were notable for their oddity. The episodes begin streaming on services including d Anime Store and Hulu. Commemorative T-shirts, plush toys, and re-released merchandise also launch.
Infold Games released the Ver 2.8 'Golden Dust' update for Infinity Nikki on July 17, 2026. The update opens the new area Granroa Castle, featuring mechanical puzzles and the Primordial Order skill outfit. It also adds two new ★5 costume sets, White Night Rondo and The Light of the Breaking Dawn, each with unique skills and evolution rewards. Players can receive up to 80 free resonances and 7 free costume sets during the event.
ASUS Japan announced the TUF Gaming Gold EVO series of 80 PLUS Gold certified power supplies on July 16, with sales starting July 17. The lineup includes 1200W and 1000W full-modular models, supporting ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1. Features include military-grade capacitors, dual ball bearing fans, conformal coating, and an 8-year warranty, targeting high-reliability gaming builds.
Publisher SayGames and developer Playstrom will release 'Shipping Store Simulator 2037' on PC via Steam on October 14. The management sim tasks players with running a logistics center in 2037, using robots to automate tasks like unloading and customer service. However, robots can catch fire if overloaded or slip on dirty floors, requiring constant maintenance. A demo is available now.
Manga Plus added Tabireco's Baby Road Trippers manga on Thursday, with the first 20 chapters available immediately. The series follows high school girl Fuji Yonagi, who finds school stifling and takes up car camping, then meets extroverted classmate Asahi Ichinose. The manga launched in Shueisha's Ultra Jump in August 2024, with its third volume released March 18 and the fourth due August 19. Tabireco previously created The Hungry Succubus Wants to Consume Him.
Individual developer shar dev released the Steam page for TOUHOU GAIDEN on July 17, a fan-made 2D action game based on Touhou Project. Set in 1999 Gensokyo, it is a side-scrolling bullet hell with pixel art inspired by the PC-98 era. Players control Reimu or Youmu across four difficulty levels. The game is a prequel between Touhou Kaikidan and Touhou Koumakyou, with influences from Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania. It was first shown at the V3Expo showcase on June 8.
Publisher NC announced a closed beta test for the fantasy RPG Astrae Oratio, set in a fictional Tokyo in 1989 where players navigate magical bureaucracy. Applications for the test begin in August, offering the first chance to play the game ahead of its 2026 launch. The game is developed by Dynamis One, led by former Blue Archive producer Park Byung-rim and writer isakusan.
The Steam store page for Bryan Livingston's new game 'Don't Sort by Color' is now live. It's a first-person Zen organizing sim where players pick up toy blocks scattered across a room and sort them into storage boxes. The catch: you must sort by shape, not by color. The game includes gadgets like the Sorter's Eye and Locator to assist. Release is set for November 11, 2026.
The short anime adaptation of Shaoh's manga "I'm Dating a Dark Summoner" revealed more staff in a teaser trailer, including sound director Fumihiko Ōtera and art director Yōichirō Yamamoto. The anime premieres in October with HIDIVE streaming. Seiya Miyajima is directing and writing scripts. AtoriE is the animation studio.
Kei Sanbe, creator of ERASED, launched a new manga titled Aria's Adventures in Miracleland on Friday. The story follows a girl who trusts only her father. After she is tasked as a lookout during a crime that turns into robbery and murder, she is taken away and wakes up on an uninhabited island. The first chapter is available on the KadoComi website.
Publisher Mythwright and solo developer Pixel Pea Games announced on July 17 that the PC sandbox game Cozy Marbles: Marble Rolling Great Adventure will launch on Steam on August 21, 2026. The game is priced at 1,200 yen with a 10% launch discount. It is a marble run simulator where players build courses using a variety of parts including slopes, spirals, cannons, portals, laser tunnels, and anti-gravity fields. Players can also add xylophone blocks that play melodies, boosters for speed, and customize marbles with colors, expressions, and hats. The game includes a workbench with limited starting parts; completing challenges unlocks more parts and environments such as a fairy tale world and a space station. A demo is available now. Created courses can be shared via Steam Workshop, and the game supports Twitch integration, allowing viewers to drop marbles into courses during streams. The developer, Tim, is a solo developer based in Berlin and a co-founder of Kolibri Games, known for Idle Miner Tycoon. This is Pixel Pea Games' debut title.
SAMANSA's original short film 'THE KEEPER' has been selected for the BlackStar Film Festival and the Telluride Horror Show. The 23-minute horror film, co-directed by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, is an adaptation of their graphic novel. BlackStar is an Academy Award-qualifying festival, making the film eligible for Oscar nomination if it wins the short film award. The Telluride Horror Show is a leading North American genre festival. The film stars Jonelle Allen and Jolyne Kanama.
Sega will open SEGA STORE BEIJING on July 18 at Beijing Chaoyang Joy City mall. It is the company's third permanent official store worldwide, following SEGA STORE SHANGHAI (May 2025) and SEGA STORE TOKYO (July 2025). The store will offer the same product lineup as Shanghai plus Beijing-exclusive items, original goods with Sega/Atlus IP, and a game experience corner.
MSI Japan will release the Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG-026JP mini PC on July 24, 2026, priced around 241,000 yen. The Copilot+ PC runs Windows 11 Pro and features an Intel Core Ultra 5 322 processor, support for up to four displays via Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1, dual 2.5G LAN, fingerprint authentication, and TPM 2.0. It is designed for business use with AI assistant functions and security features.
NCsoft is preparing to launch AION2, the sequel to Tower of Aion, for PC worldwide in September 2026. The game will be available through Steam and NCsoft's own PURPLE platform, with no mobile version for global players. AION2 uses a no-gacha monetization model centered on a membership system (around $15 per month) that provides convenience features, alongside cosmetic items such as costumes, wings, and pets. These items do not affect character power. The game has already proven its business model in Korea and Taiwan, where it launched in November 2025 and generated over 100 billion won (approximately 108 billion yen) in under two months. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the MMORPG emphasizes free flight with wings, action-oriented combat with a crosshair aim mode, and large-scale aerial battles. The development team consists of about 350 people. The game supports three factions: Elyos, Asmodians, and Balaur. In an interview with 4Gamer and Game Watch, business room head So In-seop and development producer Kim Nam-joon discussed the decision to restart development from scratch in 2021, the challenges of launching without gacha, and plans for the global release.
Inversenet's FRONTIER brand began selling gaming PCs verified by Cygames for 'Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok' on July 17. The systems feature an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU and Radeon RX 9000 series GPU, with two case options: the compact FREXAR X series or the full-tower GHL series. The PCs have passed Cygames' verification standards for comfortable play of the expansion.
On July 17, two Japanese PC brands released desktop gaming computers equipped with AMD's new Ryzen 7 7700X3D processor. MouseComputer's G-Tune brand introduced the DG-A7A7A and DG-A7A7A White models, priced at 539,800 yen each. Both come with a Radeon RX 9070 GRE GPU, 32 GB of DDR5 memory, and a 2 TB NVMe Gen4 SSD. ThirdWave's GALLERIA brand launched four models under the XDR7A series, priced between 374,980 yen and 429,980 yen. Those use GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs (RTX 5060, 5060 Ti 8GB, 5060 Ti 16GB, or RTX 5070), 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB storage. The Ryzen 7 7700X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread CPU with AMD's 3D V-Cache technology, offering 96 MB of L3 cache. Both brands highlighted the CPU's performance improvements over the previous generation: up to 13% higher IPC, 29% higher single-core, and 45% higher multi-core performance. The motherboards in the G-Tune models use the AMD A620A chipset and support DDR5. Sales began at 11:00 a.m. on July 17. The CPU itself launched domestically in Japan on the same day with an estimated street price of around 63,980 yen.
Kulture has launched a new live series called KrosSphere, pairing Japanese and international artists. The first event on October 2, 2026 at Shindaita FEVER in Tokyo features Thai indie pop duo Dept, making their Japan debut, and Kyoto band Homecomings. Tickets are available through the new LIVENODE TICKET service.
Kulture announced the LIVENODE platform for the music and entertainment industry, along with the LIVENODE TICKET sales service. The platform aims to connect fragmented fan touchpoints across tickets, e-commerce, and communication, using purchase and attendance data to support ongoing artist-fan relationships.
Sushiro, the conveyor belt sushi chain, announced its first collaboration with Sanrio's Hello Kitty on July 17. The promotion will run in two phases: the first from July 29 and the second from August 19 at Sushiro locations nationwide. The theme is "KAWAUMA HELLO KITTY," with the concept "Cute Hello Kitty meets Sushiro's 'Delicious!'" Phase 1 includes sushi with collaboration picks (8 types) such as mala-style longfin tuna with fried onion, squid with plum and shiso, and shrimp with negitoro wrap. A dessert with collaboration stickers, apple mille crêpe Melba, is also available. Phase 2 offers sushi with clear picks (8 types) including large shrimp and squid with negitoro wrap, plus a dessert with seals, warabimochi and university sweet potato. Additional goods include a Tsukuro Set with a zipper pouch or mini charm, collaboration sheets, and soft drinks with mascots. Special collaboration stores will open in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka. An SNS campaign will award 20 winners digital meal vouchers.
The French manga 'Dreamland' by Reno Lemaire will be adapted into a television anime that will broadcast in Japan starting October 2026. The series will air on ABC TV and TV Asahi network stations nationwide as part of the ANiMAZiNG!!! block, every Saturday at 2:00 AM. The original manga, a shonen series heavily influenced by Japanese manga, has sold over 800,000 copies in France. The anime is produced by the French studio Ellipse & La Chouette Compagnie, with direction by Juan Pablo Machado and Joe Celse. The Japanese broadcast will be a fully localized version with Japanese voice actors. A key visual and the official Japanese website have been released. Author Reno Lemaire expressed his surprise and honor that the work is reaching Japan, while the directors noted they grew up watching Japanese anime.
Sega Fave has opened entries for the regional preliminaries of the 4th official national tournament for Initial D THE ARCADE, the Road Strongest Decisive Battle 4th. The competition features three divisions-2-car battle, 4-car battle, and time trial-plus a new tag team event, the Double Ace Cup. Regional events run from August 2026 to January 2027 across seven locations, with the finals scheduled for March 2027. A new local bracket system expands access for the 2-car battle division.
Beyondge has launched "Beyondge CAIO Studio," a service that pairs an external Chief AI Officer with internal candidates for 12 months to simultaneously implement AI strategy and train the company's own CAIO. The service aims to address the shortage of AI management talent by combining external expertise with internal development, avoiding the common problem of consultants leaving no lasting capability.
Kyoto Tachibana University and creative studio KiQ have launched a joint research project exploring human-robot coexistence through physicality, interaction, and spatial experience. The first result is a quadruped robot prototype named "AUN dog," inspired by the Japanese "Aun" and "Komainu" concepts. The robot is designed to sense each other, the environment, and people, sharing a unified breath. The project includes ICOMA as a co-creator. The prototype will debut at Akane Kikuchi's solo exhibition "Inochi no Shosa" in Tokyo from July 18 to 26, 2026.
Bandai Spirits has opened a second round of preorders for the MG 1/100 Ex-S Gundam/S Gundam (Task Force Alpha Ver.) reissue on Premium Bandai. Orders began at 11:00 a.m. JST on July 15, 2026, and the kit is scheduled to ship in December 2026. Priced at 16,500 yen (tax included), the Master Grade kit reproduces the color scheme of the Alpha Task Force version from the "Gundam Sentinel" side story. It includes new parts and new water-slide decals, and can be assembled as either the Ex-S Gundam or the S Gundam through part selection. The kit features a transformation mechanism that allows it to convert into G-Cruiser mode by replacing some parts. Armaments include a beam smart gun with interchangeable barrels for normal and rapid-fire configurations, two beam sabers, head incom, two reflector incoms, and beam cannons. The beam sabers can be stored in the knee boxes, and the thigh beam cannons have flexible axis movement. Assembly requires a Phillips screwdriver, which is not included. The kit is a Premium Bandai and cannot be purchased at plastic model retail stores.
The multiplayer spy FPS Deceive Inc., whose developer Sweet Bandits disbanded in December 2024, is getting a backend overhaul to allow user-hosted servers. An unsigned Steam post on July 17, 2026, announced the rework, which preserves player progress and considers console cross-play. Public beta testing on Steam is expected in about a month. The publisher Tripwire Presents may be leading the effort.
GIGABYTE released four new AORUS INFINITY series graphics cards on July 17, 2026, featuring NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 GPUs. The lineup includes two RTX 5080 models, one with a wood-grain design, plus RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 variants. Prices range from 178,000 yen to 329,800 yen. All cards use the WINDFORCE HYPERBURST cooling system and come with a four-year warranty. A 40th anniversary campaign offers QUO cards for simultaneous motherboard and GPU purchases.
City Connection released the first sample video of new arranged BGM for the upcoming compilation Muchimuchi Pork! & Pink Sweets Boosted, launching October 1 on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. The video includes four tracks by composer Daisuke Matsumoto. Future sample videos will feature arrangements by Yosuke Yasui, Hagane, and Sean Bialo.
Pocket Pair Publishing announced that the cooperative dark fantasy dungeon exploration game Vision Quench, developed by WizMUD Games, will launch in spring 2027. A new demo with enhanced content is now available on Steam. The game features a retro 3D visual style combined with American urban legends, and pits up to four players against the 'Green Tower' labyrinth in search of the legendary 'Sweepstakes Code'.
Amazon is running a 50% points back sale on the Kindle edition of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga Romance of the Three Kingdoms. All 42 volumes are available as a bundle for 30,492 yen, with 15,246 points awarded. The promotion runs until July 20. Other Yokoyama historical manga, including Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, Water Margin, and Records of the Grand Historian, are also part of the sale.
Idea Factory announced that the Nintendo Switch otome game MIX DUNK -KING OF BASKETBALL- will launch on November 26. The romance adventure is supervised by professional basketball team Kawasaki Brave Thunders and idol group AKB48. 4Gamer published exclusive event CGs and a scenario preview alongside the release date.
A collaboration between Yowamushi Pedal: Limit Break and Mitacle Block brings five characters as block figures, with road bike sets and a large stage. Pre-orders run from July 17 to August 31, 2026, on the official Mitacle Block store. The figures are assembled by buyers using 3D online instructions.
Half Past Yellow announced Stream Train, a co-op horror game for up to six players on PC. Set in the Uncanny Valley, players board a steam locomotive, film supernatural creatures, and livestream their journey. The game's core mechanic forces players to choose between safety and creating viral content, as viewer counts and donations depend on dangerous stunts and pranks. Real-time chat reactions and viewer requests add pressure. Release is planned on Steam. Half Past Yellow, a seven-person Danish studio, has previously won four awards with titles like Time on Frog Island. Development began in September 2025.
Windup and Knights Peak announced that Hela: of Mice & Magic will launch in Q4 2026. The 3D adventure game, starring small mice, supports up to 4-player online co-op. Players explore a Scandinavian-inspired open world, solve puzzles, and gather medicine ingredients to cure a wizard. The game has no combat, focusing on kindness and cooperation. It will be available on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Wishlist registrations have exceeded 1 million.
Inomo Japan announced the INMO GO3 AI smart glasses at a July 16 press conference, with a Japan release set for July 30. The 58g glasses feature translation in 98 languages (9 offline), AI meeting minutes, teleprompter, and navigation. An optional speaker enables two-way conversation translation. The INMO Ring 4 is also available for discreet operation. The glasses are designed for daily use with a natural appearance and ergonomic fit.
Otani Design Laboratory has started service for TenoVerse, an all-ages interactive event content using hand-tracking sensors. The service includes TenoGame, a promotion-focused game with Memory Game; V Gacha, a digital gacha effect; and Buinade!, which allows users to interact with and pet VTubers and characters on screen. TenoVerse is designed for events in commercial facilities and shopping malls, aiming to improve customer attraction and reduce operational costs.
The smartphone game Touken Ranbu ONLINE has launched a line of nail oils themed after 10 of its sword warriors. The product, called Touken Ranbu ONLINE: Fluffy Flower Dance Nail Oil Vol.1, is sold in sets of two bottles, each set representing a pair of characters. Reservations opened on July 16, 2026 at 12:00 JST and run through August 16, 2026. Each set costs 3,630 yen (tax included) and is scheduled to ship in January 2027. The oils contain real flowers and are scented to evoke each sword warrior: for example, Mikazuki Munechika has a bellflower scent, while Kashuu Kiyomitsu has rose. The bottles are designed with motifs from the characters' attire and family crests, with gold caps. A second volume, Vol.2, has already been announced for production. The game, a sword training simulation, has surpassed 14 million cumulative users since its launch.
Alliance Arts featured two unique titles at a Special Creator Session during Anime Expo 2026: the rhythm adventure game Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis, which has surpassed 100,000 Steam copies with 'very positive' reviews, and the upcoming Drunken Goddess Reflux, a drinking survival Russian roulette game with 450,000 wishlists. Producer WHO YOU and artist odyk discussed the development process and community engagement during the panel.
Assemble Entertainment and Half Soup Labs released a PC demo for Glintseeker Island on Steam on July 17. The cave mining action adventure, inspired by Stardew Valley and the Underground from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, lets players explore procedurally changing caves, mine minerals, and solve inventory puzzles. The demo includes two biomes across 15 floors plus a rare Soup Fossil. The game is scheduled for a 2027 release. Japanese players made up a third of the earlier playtest and drove over 5,000 wishlist additions.
The 2026 TV anime Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell, produced by Science SARU, began streaming on July 7 via Amazon Prime Video, with other services following on July 8. The series is a new interpretation of Shirow Masamune's manga. Streaming options include DMM TV, U-NEXT, dAnime Store, Netflix, and others, with various free trial periods and pricing.