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Award-winning director and scriptwriter Izuru Narushima died of lung cancer on August 24, Kyodo reported. He was 65. Narushima won 10 awards at the 35th Japan Academy Prizes for his 2011 film Rebirth, including best picture and best director. In anime, he wrote the screenplay for the 2000 film The Boy Who Saw the Wind.
Square Enix is releasing a PLAY ARTS Kai action figure of Sephiroth from FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH. The figure uses new hip and joint parts for click-free movement and includes a gimmick that lets the eyeballs move. Reservations are open at AmiAmi, with a November 2026 release planned.
Square Enix announced two new Final Fantasy VII Rebirth collectibles on August 25, both scheduled for release on November 28. The first is the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Static Arts Tifa Lockhart - Swimsuit Ver.-, a 29,700 yen statue depicting Tifa in a light purple frilled swimsuit with a flower ornament in her hair. The figure measures approximately W123mm x D122mm x H260mm and uses clear materials for the base to evoke a waterfront with splashing waves. The second product is the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PLAY ARTS Kai Sephiroth, an action figure priced at 31,900 yen, featuring Sephiroth as a Soldier 1st Class. This PLAY ARTS Kai iteration introduces newly designed hip and joint parts that replace click-based articulation with click-free movement for smoother motion, plus movable eyes for a wider range of expressions. Accessories include a detachable single wing, Sephiroth's Masamune blade, an interchangeable hair piece, a smiling face plate, and various hands. Reservations are open at the Square Enix e-STORE and AmiAmi, where the Tifa statue is listed at a discounted 26,730 yen. Character design is credited to Tetsuya Nomura and Roberto Ferrari.
Dwango announced on August 17 that it will live-stream gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 with Japanese interpretation subtitles on Niconico Live. The stream is scheduled for August 26 from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM Japan time, ahead of gamescom 2026, which runs from August 26 to 31 in Cologne, Germany. The event will feature trailers for SILENT HILL: Townfall and FF7 Revelation, plus new information and gameplay footage for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past expansion. gamescom 2026 is the largest edition ever, with all exhibition floors sold out for the first time in the event's history. Exhibitors include Nintendo, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Sega, Konami Digital Entertainment, Xbox, and EA. Niconico Live will provide real-time subtitles for the broadcast, which is hosted by Geoff Keighley and Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere. The viewing URL is https://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv351102382.
Square Enix Holdings reported its consolidated results for the first quarter of fiscal year ending March 2027 on August 10, 2026, covering April 1 to June 30. The company recorded net sales of 78.423 billion yen, up 32.3 percent year on year, operating income of 17.008 billion yen, up 88.6 percent, and ordinary income of 18.766 billion yen, up 172.4 percent. This marks the first quarter with year-on-year revenue and profit growth since the third quarter of fiscal year ending March 2022, roughly four and a half years ago. The Digital Entertainment segment drove the gains, with sales up 51.8 percent to 49.96 billion yen and operating income up 91.8 percent to 15.583 billion yen. Within that segment, HD games saw sales rise by 8.8 billion yen to 17.7 billion yen and operating income increase by 5.1 billion yen to 6.1 billion yen. The company attributed the performance to new titles such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Microsoft Store, and Adventure Elliot's Millennial Story, along with strong catalog sales. MMO revenue and profit also grew, though profit rose only slightly by about 30 million yen due to costs for the upcoming expansion 8.0, Silver Wanderer, set for early 2027. Smart device and PC browser segments also improved, supported by Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest Smash Glow. Full-year forecasts remained unchanged.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has seen a resurgence in 2026, with its Steam concurrent player count surpassing 120,000, a new all-time high for the game. The spike follows a 90% discount during a Steam summer sale that dropped the price to 148 yen, though the game's continued DLC support also factors into its longevity.
Square Enix will show new footage of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the concluding chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, during gamescom Opening Night Live on August 26 at 3:00 AM JST. Director Naoki Hamaguchi is scheduled to appear at the event, which is hosted by Geoff Keighley. The game was first announced during Summer Game Fest 2026 in June. Revelation features an open world that players explore from the airship Highwind, with destinations including Midgar's outskirts, green islands, and the ninja nation of Wutai. Characters parachute from the Highwind to reach these areas. The story reunites the party around Cloud to save the planet. New gameplay elements include a Weight Mode that slows time for strategic action selection, and a Wear System where costumes grant special abilities. The game is scheduled for release in spring 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Hamaguchi posted on X that he looks forward to showing what the team has prepared.
Several Final Fantasy games are at their lowest prices ever on Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store. The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Digital Deluxe Edition is 60% off at 3,256 yen, Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is 1,914 yen on Switch, and the Final Fantasy I-VI Bundle is 5,503 yen. Most deals end July 15.
Sony Interactive Entertainment published the June 2026 PS Store download rankings on July 9. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth leads the PS5 category, followed by Adventurer Elliot's Millennium Story and EA Sports FC 26. On PS4, Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027 takes first, with Dragon Quest XI S and Monster Hunter: World in second and third. Beat Saber tops PS VR2, and eFootball leads free-to-play.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, a 2014 remake of the 2011 Flash original, reached 153,268 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend, becoming the most played paid game on the platform. A 90% off sale, the largest discount ever for the title, drove the surge. The game holds a Very Positive rating from recent reviews.
Square Enix Manga & Books announced eight new manga licenses and two Final Fantasy books during its Anime Expo panel on Thursday. The manga slate includes titles like Not Quite Love, My Classmate James, Inuta: My Canine Classmate, Daughter of the Dragon God, and Supervillain Boy, with releases starting January 2027.
GKIDS announced the EVANGELION 30th Movie Fest, screening Evangelion: Death (True)² & Rebirth on July 21 and The End of Evangelion on July 22 in U.S. theaters. Tickets are now on sale via GKIDS' website. The event marks the 30th anniversary of the original TV series.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth reached 123,429 concurrent players on Steam, breaking its all-time record more than 12 years after its 2014 release. The surge is attributed to a 90% Steam Summer Sale discount and continued updates, including the free Repentance+ multiplayer DLC and cross-play support added earlier this year.
Famitsu's latest sales rankings for June 1-7 show Tomodachi Life at the top with 50,151 copies sold, followed by Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and eFootball Kick-Off!. The chart covers 20 titles across Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, with several new entries debuting.
A post from 2015 by X user Caleb correctly predicted the third title in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, Revelation, before the first remake was released. The post also came close on the second title, Rebirth, and loosely matched the first game's full name. The prediction resurfaced after Square Enix announced Revelation at Summer Game Fest 2026.
A free update for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth adds Boost Mode, a suite of cheats that dramatically reduces playtime. The author tested it and found clear time dropped below half of normal play, with battles ending in one hit and scenes skippable at 2x speed. The mode is available on all current platforms.
Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Revelation at Summer Game Fest 2026 on June 6, with a spring 2027 release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Following the announcement, the concurrent player count for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Steam surged from around 3,000 to a peak of 8,300 on June 13, according to SteamDB. The spike is likely tied to the announcement and a concurrent Square Enix sale offering the highest-ever discounts on the remake trilogy.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed new details in a Game Spark interview, including a massive post-game with optional bosses like Weapons and Knights of the Round, branching side content that changes storytelling per playthrough, and a new option that adjusts recommended levels to match main story progression for players who want to skip side content.
Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows on June 3, 2026. The standard edition costs 6,578 yen, and the Digital Deluxe Edition costs 8,201 yen. A 20% off early purchase sale for the download version runs until June 10. The Switch 2 version supports TV, tabletop, and handheld modes. The reviewer from GAME Watch reported that handheld mode performance is comparable to TV mode, with no significant frame rate or visual degradation. The Switch 2 version includes all previously released features, such as the Game Boost function (HP/MP always full, damage always 9999) and the Event Scene Fast-Forward option at 1.5x or 2x speed. Players can also start with a New Game+ mode called "Strong New Game," which begins with characters at level 60 instead of the default level 40. The game is the second installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, covering the story from the escape from Midgar to the Forgotten Capital. It includes a digest video of the first game for newcomers.
Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on June 3, alongside a launch trailer. A 20% early purchase discount on the digital version runs until June 10. A live commentary stream by Kamito and Hinano Tachibana started on June 2.
Inside lists five titles launching in June 2026, led by Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and PC. Other highlights include Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027, the first HD-2D action RPG Adventurer Elliot's Millennial Story, and two classic remakes.
Game Spark published its weekly roundup of new game releases for the week of June 1 to June 6, 2026. The list covers releases across Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2, with separate schedules for Japan and North America. Major titles include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, launching June 3 on Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2; Gothic 1 Remake, arriving June 6 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S; The 7th Guest Remake, out June 4 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S; and eFootball Kick-Off!, also releasing June 4 on Nintendo Switch 2. Other notable releases include House Flipper Remastered Collection, River City Saga: Journey to the West, TETRIS THE GRAND MASTER 4 -ABSOLUTE EYE-, and multiple smaller indie titles. The roundup also lists several games launching across multiple platforms on the same day, such as the Kunio-kun title River City Saga: Journey to the West and the villain-reincarnation game Villain Reincarnation.