Rapper ACE COOL released his third album, Haigamine, on Wednesday, September 16, about two years after his previous album. The nine-track record is named after Mt. Haigamine, which overlooks his hometown of Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, and is the first to use a place name from Kure in its title. Guests include Jinmenusagi, Bonbero, Siero, BFN TOKYOTRILL, and JC.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault shifts the series out of Rynoka Village, opening with shopkeeper-adventurer Will thrown into a wasteland by Tresna's owner, Miss Scratch, and made to fill his backpack with relics. The sequel also moves from the previous game's 2D top-down view to a 3D top-down view from diagonally above, with height differences built into the dungeon areas.
Nihon Falcom announced on September 16, 2026 that it signed a product licensing agreement with South Korean studio NEOWIZ to develop The Legend of Heroes III: Shiroki Majo for PC and home consoles and to release it in global markets. The game is the third entry in The Legend of Heroes series, an RPG Falcom released in 1994 for the PC-9801. It is described as a singing RPG that emphasizes detailed worldbuilding and storytelling. It forms one part of the Gagharv Trilogy alongside The Legend of Heroes IV: Akai Shizuku and The Legend of Heroes V: Umi no Oriuta, and it is regarded as the origin of the later Trails series that began with The Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky. Game Spark notes that an existing console port, EGG Console The Legend of Heroes III: The White Witch Renewal PC-9801, has been distributed for Nintendo Switch, and that it is unclear whether the new agreement will recreate the original or remake it as a new title.
Sanrio opened the YouTube channel "Sanrio Kids - Cartoons & Kids Songs" on Tuesday, September 15, aimed at preschoolers and their families. It streams original 3D animation featuring Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Kero Kero Keroppi, Little Twin Stars and My Melody in Japanese and English. Episodes run about two minutes. Three series are running, and an Instagram account for families of children aged 3 to 6 opened alongside it.
MOONDROP began taking pre-orders on September 14 at 18:30 for the MOONDROP Sparxie, a fully wireless earbud model built around Sparkle from Honkai: Star Rail. The set costs 16,200 yen including tax. It ships with a chibi Sparkle acrylic stand, a limited acrylic charm and strap, and a leather pouch for the charging case, plus voice guidance in Sparkle's voice for power and mode changes.
A Game Spark play report covers Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, developed by Digital Sun. Protagonist Will still runs an item shop while raiding dungeons, but the visuals move from 2D pixel art to 3D. Dungeons now use a route-based roguelite structure with branching path choices. Four melee weapon types (sword, greatsword, spear, fists) plus a gun replace the previous bow, and a backpack-swing attack joins the combat set.
Mika Yamamori announced in the author's notes of the 11th In the Clear Moonlit Dusk volume on Friday that the manga will end with its next volume next spring. The 11th volume's jacket band states the series has 8.2 million copies in circulation globally. Kodansha published volume 11 on September 11. The anime adaptation premiered on January 11, and a live-action film opens in Japan on October 23.
Astro Production's indie brand ASTRA will exhibit MoonHack at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from Thursday, September 17. The booth sits in the Indie Game Corner of Exhibition Hall 9. Visitors can play a polished rhythm action section, watch the third music video before its September 27 YouTube release, and receive a random trading card among 13 types or an original sticker for showing a Steam wishlist screen.
Publisher Starry Dome announced The Wandering Earth: The Last Full Moon, a third-person shooter developed by Surgical Scalpels, and released an announcement trailer. The game adapts Liu Cixin's short story The Wandering Earth. Its story is set at the end of the project's first phase, as the United Earth Government moves to use 12 lunar engines to push the Moon out of Earth's orbit. Combat takes place on the lunar surface and in space, and gravity changes how you fight.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault left early access and reached its full official release on September 2, 2026. The roguelite sequel, which moved from pixel art to an anime style, is available on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. A physical edition for Switch 2 and PS5 is scheduled for December 10 via Sega.
Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios, launched VideoGamesCritic on September 2, a review aggregation site that weights user reviews at least two-thirds against media scores. Mahler criticized Metacritic and OpenCritic for favoring media scores and for keeping launch ratings fixed. The site also publishes a trust score for media outlets, calculated by comparing their reviews to concurrent Steam user ratings.
GKIDS issued a statement Thursday apologizing for incorrectly timed English subtitles during screenings of The Last Blossom last Sunday, which led to cancellations on Monday. The company pulled affected shows from sale, issued refunds, and delivered a corrected version Monday, though some theaters could not update in time. GKIDS is reviewing options including makeup screenings. It also confirmed cocoon will open September 4 as planned.
During Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play broadcast on September 3, developer Twin Swan Limited announced Hunter's Moon, a first-person folk horror game set for release on October 26. The game is described as inspired by the true history of witch hunts in England. Players take on the role of Lilith Thorne, a woman accused of being a witch, and must flee through a rural village set in 17th-century early modern England. The gameplay involves eavesdropping on villagers' conversations under the light of the full moon, evading pursuit from witch hunters, and uncovering secrets hidden in a village on the brink of collapse. The game will be available on PS5. Twin Swan Limited is a studio that includes artists who have worked on titles such as The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The announcement was made during the State of Play broadcast, and the game is scheduled to launch on October 26, 2026.
Aniplex announced during Sony's September 3 State of Play livestream that Fate/EXTRA Record, the full remake of the 2010 PlayStation Portable dungeon RPG Fate/EXTRA, will launch on January 28, 2027. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The new trailer showed gameplay, battle scenes, cutscenes, and a surprise appearance by Arcueid Brunestud, the main heroine of TYPE-MOON's visual novel Tsukihime. The release date follows a series of delays that pushed the game from an initial 2025 window to spring 2026, and then to an indefinite postponement after Bandai Namco Entertainment withdrew as publisher by mutual agreement with Notes, TYPE-MOON's corporate arm. Aniplex subsequently took over publishing. The game was originally announced in July 2020, marking the 10th anniversary of the original Fate/EXTRA. Kazuya Nino, the game's director and planner, left TYPE-MOON studio BB for personal reasons and health concerns, with Arco Wada returning as character designer. A physical Limited Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition were also detailed.
Developer poncle announced on September 3 that it will give away Vampire Survivors and the new DLC Legacy of the Blood Moon for free to those who donate blood or make donations. The application period runs until October 7. The game is a top-down action title with roguelike elements, supporting solo play and online co-op for up to four players. Total player count has exceeded 27 million. The DLC, released on August 28, adds a new stage, over 10 characters, and over 16 weapons.
Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood is a 63-minute historical drama set in 1945 Okinawa, following schoolgirls mobilized through the Himeyuri Student Corps. Based on the manga by Machiko Kyo, the film is the debut of studio Sasayuri and first-time director Yukimitsu Ina. The review praises the restrained dialogue, the oil-painting backgrounds, and the silkworm metaphor at the story's center, calling the film a quietly joyful affirmation of life.
11 bit studios and Digital Sun released Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault at version 1.0, roughly ten months after early access began on Steam in November 2025. The roguelite action RPG sequel keeps protagonist Will's dungeon exploration and shop management loop while moving from 2D pixel art to 3D. The full release completes the main story and adds four Endless weapon aspects, the Bomb Path ability, final-stage shop expansion, the Infinite Endless Vault endgame, and hardcore mode.
Moon Studios has delayed the full release of No Rest for the Wicked from October 2026 to March 2027. The studio said the game has not reached a level it considers sufficient for launch. An open beta is planned for December 2026, and Steam players who purchase by January 1, 2027 will receive a founder pack. The PS5 version launches alongside the full release, with Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 versions planned.
DRECOM CREATORS STUDIO, the indie publishing arm run by Drecom, announced its first three titles: TIMEMOON, Beautiful Life Show, and Chill Planet. All three will be exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held September 17-21 at Makuhari Messe. The studio also renewed its official website and plans to announce a fourth publishing title in October 2026.
Sega will release the package edition of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan on December 10, 2026, priced at 5,400 yen (5,940 yen with tax). Sega signed a co-publishing agreement with UK publisher Silver Lining Interactive and will handle manufacturing and sales of the package title in Japan. The action RPG and management sim sequel is developed by Spanish studio Digital Sun.
ProbablyMonsters released Crimson Moon on September 2, 2026, for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The gothic 3D action RPG, developed by Team Metal, was first announced during a State of Play presentation in February 2026 with a fall release window. Players take on the role of a Nephilim, a hybrid of human and angel, fighting for the Crimson Moon Knights to defend the fallen land of Guildenark against demonic forces. The game features soulslike melee combat, two-player online co-op, high-risk high-reward missions, and dynamic difficulty adjustment that scales rewards to challenge. Shortly after launch, players reported the inability to freely remap keyboard and controller buttons, plus camera control issues. ProbablyMonsters acknowledged the complaints on official X and Steam News, stating that developer Team Metal is working on a quick initial implementation of keybinding, with a preview image shared and a promise to deliver an early version within the week. The studio also directed players to a known issues page for other reported problems. According to SteamDB, the game peaked at 10,273 concurrent players, while Steam reviews sat at 56% positive out of about 1,300 reviews, earning a mixed status.
Moon Studios announced on September 2 that No Rest for the Wicked will leave early access in March 2027, moved back from October 2026. The PS5 version shifts to the same month. The studio said its small but uncompromising quality bar would not be met in October, and it will spend the extra time on performance, class system tuning, and overall polish.
Pluto TV is adding two dedicated anime channels, more than 1,300 hours of programming, and several English dubs debuting this month. The free ad-supported service will carry dubbed versions of One-Punch Man and Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, which Pluto says makes it the only free streaming platform with either dub. New channels It's Anime and Big A Anime launch this month. The expansion targets younger viewers, who account for nearly half of all anime viewing hours on the platform.
WEBTOON Entertainment reported an operating loss of US$15.6 million for the second quarter of 2026, widening from US$8.8 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 2.8% to US$338.5 million, a decline the company blamed on the weak Korean won and Japanese yen. Currency-adjusted revenue would have grown 5.2%, with Korea up 16% and Japan down 15.6%.
Sweden-based studio Moonmilk Games announced Cave Expedition, a cave exploration simulator for up to four players, on August 31. The game casts players as cave explorers pushing into unexplored caves, with locations that include flooded passages, narrow gaps, and huge cavities. The studio records environmental sounds and textures in real caves around the world, and its staff operate as an actual cave exploration team. Gameplay covers horizontal crawling, vertical descents with ropes and anchors, and underwater diving with scuba gear. Players customize equipment before heading out, choosing headlamps, climbing gloves, and SRT gear, and deeper runs demand more tools. A shop lets players buy and upgrade equipment, and the game tracks hunger, fatigue, and body temperature. The studio plans a 2027 release on PC (Steam), with Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S versions planned. An official Discord channel is open for feature requests.
CCMC opened the Steam store page for Ollie Ninja Slash, a high-difficulty platform action game starring Hololive Indonesia talent Kureiji Ollie. Developed by 7 Moon Studio, the game launches September 18, 2026 for 250 yen. Wishlist registration is now available.
The week of August 31 to September 6, 2026, brings a heavy slate of new game releases across Japan and North America, led by two major action titles. Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches on September 4 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, priced at 8,990 yen. The sword-fighting action game is set in early Edo-period Kyoto transformed by miasma, with players controlling swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who bears the Oni Gauntlet and battles the supernatural Genma. Stages recreate real landmarks like Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Yasui Konpira-gu Shrine. A pre-order bonus offers an omamori charm and sword fittings set usable in-game. The Blood of Dawnwalker, a dark fantasy action RPG from Rebel Wolves, arrives on September 3 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S at 9,790 yen. It stars a Dawnwalker who lives as a human by day and a vampire by night, with day and night gameplay duality as a key attraction. Also releasing this week are Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition, My Hero Academia: All's Justice, and Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault.
Poncle released the eighth expansion DLC for Vampire Survivors, titled Legacy of the Bloodmoon. It adds over 10 new characters, 16 or more new weapons, 8 new music tracks, an XL-sized new stage, and 1 new adventure. The DLC connects to the first expansion, Legacy of the Moonspell, and its Moonspell clan theme.
Chinese AI firm Moonshot AI is negotiating with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to host its open model Kimi K3 on their cloud services, seeking up to 30% revenue share. The talks face unresolved issues over revenue sharing, data access, and token auditing. Moonshot AI has suspended new subscriptions due to GPU shortages.
BANDAI SPIRITS revealed the full lineup for Ichiban Kuji Splatoon 3 Volume 3, launching August 22 at Seven-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and Nintendo TOKYO/OSAKA/KYOTO/FUKUOKA. The A prize is a Splattershot Light that shines ink-shaped beams in the dark, with a 50 cm Squid Bunker plush as B prize and an 80 cm version in the Double Chance Campaign. Draws cost 750 yen.
Bandai is releasing two volumes of the gashapon set "CRAZY RACCOON Tsumande Tsunaidete Masukotto." The capsule figures depict members of CRAZY RACCOON with pinched designs. Each volume has 12 types, and each design comes with a ball chain or crab clasp. Both volumes are priced at 400 yen per play and are scheduled for release in the 5th week of August 2026.
In an interview with Automaton, Kan Gao of Freebird Games discusses his long use of RPG Maker, the upcoming final entry in the To the Moon series, and why the tool's simplicity helps him focus on creation. He started using RPG Maker around 2005 and released To the Moon in 2011, with the series spanning over a decade.
Naniwa Danshi will release their 11th single "Moonlit" on October 21. The title track is the theme song for the movie "Uruwashiki Yoi no Tsuki," starring member Shunsuke Michieda, which opens October 23. The song was produced by the team behind their debut single "Ubu Love" and was performed live at Osaka-jo Hall on August 26.
Vampire Survivors developer poncle will release the Legacy of the Bloodmoon DLC on August 28. The expansion follows the Bloodmoon Clan, a fanatical sect born from the Red Moon Order, and adds over 10 cursed characters, more than 16 new weapons, 8 music tracks, and the large stage Redmoon Manor.
RetroCrush will add several Viz Media anime films and series to its service, including Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Sailor Moon R: The Movie, Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse, Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge, Hikaru no Go, Accel World, both Captain Tsubasa series, and Vampire Knight.
Creator sooncha announced on Friday that they have withdrawn the copyright for Yang Can't Live Alone from Square Enix. The manga ended on Manga UP! on August 13. sooncha will move the series to an unnamed company, with a new revised edition to be published in Japan physically and digitally. Square Enix will stop digital distribution on August 31. Translated versions remain available until their agreements end.
Mabinogi Mobile pre-registration began on August 24. In an interview, DevCAT studio head Kim Dong-gon and development director Lee Ji-hoon discussed the game's relationship to the PC Mabinogi. They described it as a different bard's interpretation of the same world, not a remake or a separate work, incorporating ideas Kim could not realize originally.
WEBTOON Entertainment announced a definitive agreement to invest in RI Games Holdings, gaining a 60% stake at closing. The company plans to develop multiple games based on webtoon IPs over four years. The first title is an action MMORPG based on Overgeared, developed by GrayGames and published by Nexon, launching this year alongside the anime.
Publisher Pantaloon announced during its Pixel Arcadia showcase on August 25 that ROLLA, a horror arcade action game developed by Tyrmä Games, will launch for PC via Steam on October 1. The game is inspired by B-movie horror films, where players control a slime-like extraterrestrial flesh mass named ROLLA that has escaped captivity and grows by devouring everything in its path, from people and cars to houses, buildings, and trees. As ROLLA expands, humanity fights back with bullets, missiles, and fire, and players must dodge attacks while completing stage missions to aim for high scores. The gameplay unfolds from a top-down perspective, starting with a car-sized mass that grows larger with each consumption, allowing the destruction of bigger structures. The screen layout mimics breaking news footage, with subtitles at the bottom, and includes multiple city maps from around the world. The game has no victory condition, as monsters rarely win in B-movie horror films, but players can clear stages by meeting specific conditions. A free demo is available on Steam, and the game does not currently support Japanese. Tyrmä Games has updated the demo since its initial release, adding new stages and a UI overhaul.
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.
Inside ran a satisfaction survey for the Nintendo Switch 2 title Splatoon Raiders, released in July 2026, and collected 553 votes across three response levels. The top answer, 'A PvE-exclusive Splatoon is also great!', took 48.5% of the vote. 'It met my expectations' drew 31.1%, while 'This one was a bit lacking' received 20.4%.
Bandai will release two CRAZY RACCOON gashapon sets from the 5th week of August 2026. Each set features six members of the professional gaming team in a pinched design, with two variants per member: ball chain and crab can. The two sets cover 12 members total, and each costs 400 yen.
Developer poncle announced that the eighth expansion DLC for Vampire Survivors, Legacy of the Bloodmoon, will release on August 28. It adds over 10 new characters, over 16 new weapons, 8 new music tracks, an XL-sized stage, and a new adventure. The DLC is closely tied to the first DLC, Legacy of the Moonspell, and will likely match its Steam price of 135 yen.
At Tokyo Game Dungeon 13, held August 8, 2026, Game Spark tried 'MoonHack', a rhythm action ADV set in 2125 where AI organization AEGIS manages emotions and love. Players join old-model AI Kaguya girls deemed criminals. The game, formerly 'Human Optimization Plan Eden Protocol - Order of 2125', targets a Steam release in 2027.
Dengeki Hobby Web reports the top 20 Kindle manga tankobon rankings as of August 21, 2026. Kingdom volume 80 leads, with new volumes of Made in Abyss, Black Lagoon, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer also popular. Blue Lock's volumes 1-22 are on special covers for the live-action film, and Hakaiju volumes are 99 yen each.
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.
Bandai Spirits will release Ichiban Kuji Splatoon 3 Volume 3 from August 22, 2026, at Seven-Eleven, Ito Yokado, Nintendo TOKYO/OSAKA/KYOTO/FUKUOKA, and other stores. The lottery's A-Prize is a Splat Shooter light that projects an ink-shaped beam, while the B-Prize is a 50cm Squid Bunker plush. The Last One Prize is a Smallfry donburi bowl, and a Double Chance Campaign offers an 80cm Big Squid Bunker.
Moonton launched a limited-time Assassin's Creed crossover in Watcher of Realms on August 20. Ezio, Kassandra, Eivor, and Bayek join as playable heroes, with Ezio obtainable for free through login and mission participation. A crossover story and the stealth-inspired 'Assassin's Creed' event are also live.
Publisher Pretty Soon released Project P.I.T.T., a physics-based automation sandbox game developed by solo developer Froke, on Steam on August 20. The game tasks players with producing rubber ducks and dropping them into a bottomless hole in the floor to earn money. Players can purchase upgrades such as magnets and fans to improve efficiency, and later unlock items like cash registers and candy to drop as well. The game includes sandbox elements, allowing players to build conveyor belts and automated systems to feed the pit. The demo version has attracted many YouTube playthroughs, with total video views exceeding 10 million. As of 10:30 AM JST on August 20, the game had received 75 Steam user reviews, with 90% positive, earning a 'Very Positive' rating. The game is available for 1,350 yen, with a 15% launch discount bringing it to 1,147 yen until September 3. It supports Japanese. The workplace features unsettling messages like 'They See You' and 'NO WAY OUT,' hinting at a mysterious narrative.
GKIDS began streaming an English-dubbed trailer for the cocoon anime on Tuesday. The film, based on Machiko Kyo's manga, opens in North American theaters on September 4 with both Japanese subtitled and English dubbed screenings. GKIDS will also release the anime on home video. The story follows two girls at an all-girls school as war reaches their tropical island.