Tuesday, 6 October 2026
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Shochiku Games

Shochiku Games is publishing a broad indie catalog across PC and consoles, with releases dated through December 1, 2026 for Hela: of Mice & Magic in Japan and a November 5, 2026 launch for Mugen Sakura Roukaku on PC and Switch. Its editorial mix ranges from Japanese localizations of foreign indies to rhythm, adventure, and management sims.

Synthesized from 13 Yomimono stories · updated 1d ago

Shochiku Games, the game business office Shochiku set up in June 2024, has moved from single-title announcements to a catalog spanning several genres. The company publishes Japanese localizations of foreign indie games and original indie projects, and it has attached a dated release to nearly every game in the current slate. The most recent announcements give it a November 5, 2026 date for Mugen Sakura Roukaku, a Denneko Yuugi roguelite that adds a Switch version alongside the previously announced Steam release, and a December 1, 2026 Japanese release for Hela: of Mice & Magic from Windup Games on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The throughline is the same approach in every announcement: take an indie title, confirm platforms, and give it a Japanese release window. Yog-Sothoth's Garden arrived on Switch on July 23, 2026 with a Steam Japanese language update, then drew a free trial in August. REKA reaches version 1.0 on Steam October 26 with Japanese support. Moomin: Midsummer Madness lands on Switch 2 and Switch November 12. MONOPHOBIA, Estella, and OKU are all confirmed for Tokyo Game Show 2026 demos before their PC or console releases, and A Game About Digging A Hole Together is set for late 2026 with four-player online co-op.

The TGS 2026 slate runs September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe and includes Estella, MONOPHOBIA, OKU, and REKA. Copa City is the odd one out: a management sim from Triple Espresso for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S with no dated release in these stories.

Key facts

Mugen Sakura Roukaku release date
November 5, 2026 for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch, priced at 1,500 yen including tax ↗
Mugen Sakura Roukaku developer
Indie circle Denneko Yuugi, led by representative Hosenka and operating with about five people ↗
Hela: of Mice & Magic Japanese release
December 1, 2026, published by Shochiku Games in Japan as Hela: Chiisana Nezumi to Mahou no Mori ↗
Hela: of Mice & Magic platforms
Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store ↗
A Game About Digging A Hole Together window
Late 2026, with online co-op for up to four players and cross-platform play ↗
Moomin: Midsummer Madness release
November 12, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch ↗
REKA 1.0 release
Steam version 1.0 on October 26, 2026 at 2,300 yen, adding Japanese language support ↗
Yog-Sothoth's Garden Switch launch
Nintendo Switch version released July 23, 2026, with a Japanese language update for the Steam version on the same day ↗
MONOPHOBIA TGS 2026 showing
Story demo playable at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe ↗
OKU Steam followers
Over 300,000 Steam followers as of August 2026, ranked second worldwide among pre-release titles per GameDiscoverCo ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced
the release date of Mugen Sakura Roukaku (September 30) · 2026-10-03
Announced
publishing Estella · 2026-09-04
Noted
enters rhythm game publishing with a Taiwanese indie title · 2026-09-04

Connections

Produces
mugen sakura roukaku, a game about digging a hole together, moomin summer festival in moominvalley, reka, monophobia, yog sothoth s garden, oku, copa city

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/shochiku-games. CC BY 4.0.

All coverage

2d ago

Shochiku Games Sets Mugen Sakura Roukaku for November 5

Shochiku Games will release the roguelite 3D action game Mugen Sakura Roukaku on November 5 for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch, priced at 1,500 yen including tax. The publisher announced the date on September 30 alongside a Switch version that had not previously been confirmed; the game was originally planned for Steam alone. Developer Denneko Yuugi, an indie circle led by representative Hosenka and operating with a team of about five people, built the game around Retra, a dual-wielding cat-eared protagonist who enters the Far Eastern country of Ouran, becomes trapped in a dreamlike tower, and fights to escape. Combat pairs normal and strong attacks with Arts specials, chained through button presses and a tension gauge that fills toward the ultimate Over Arts. Runs combine more than 50 enhancement items called Attributes with the Dream Depth system, which adds debuffs and strengthens enemies as the player goes deeper.

2d ago

Shochiku Games To Publish Hela: Of Mice & Magic In Japan On December 1

Shochiku Games will handle Japanese publishing for Hela: of Mice & Magic, the open-world adventure in development at Windup Games, and the Japanese title is set as Hela: Chiisana Nezumi to Mahou no Mori. The release date is December 1, 2026. Platforms named across the cluster are Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Players take the role of a small mouse crossing a Nordic natural world to save a wizard who has fallen ill, using a magic frog backpack to hook onto branches and glide. Materials gathered in the field go into magic potions that help the animals of the forest. The game supports solo play, local two-player split-screen, and online multiplayer for up to four players. Preorders for the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 packaged versions are open. The download version costs 3,500 yen and the packaged version 4,400 yen, both with tax included.

6d ago

A Game About Digging A Hole Together Set For Late 2026 With Four-Player Co-Op

Shochiku Games announced on September 29, 2026 that it will release the digging simulation adventure game A Game About Digging A Hole Together in late 2026 with indie publisher rokaplay. Development is handled by Mipumi Games, working with the developer of the previous game, and the title arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC through Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store. The price is undecided. The game supports online co-op for up to four players with cross-platform play, described as the most requested feature from players of the first game. The core loop stays the same: dig, sell what you find, upgrade equipment, and dig deeper. New terrain and tools have been added, the systems were rebuilt from scratch, and the setting shifts to what appears to be a tropical beach. Features drawn from player feedback include greater dig depth and hidden elements.

Sep 20

Moomin: Midsummer Madness Gets November 12 Release On Switch 2 And Switch

Shochiku Games will release Moomin: Midsummer Madness on November 12, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. The point-and-click adventure adapts Tove Jansson's novel Midsummer Madness, following the Moomin family after a flood strands them in a floating theater. A Tokyo Game Show 2026 demo let players control Moomintroll and Little My, switching characters and investigating objects to advance the story.

Sep 14

Rojiura Developers Cloud Brings Five Indie Titles to TGS2026

Terui-do LLC will exhibit for the first time at Tokyo Game Show 2026 under the name Rojiura Developers Cloud, a community formed after TGS expanded to five days starting in 2026. The joint booth with Blast Edge Games Inc. runs in Hall 9 at the Indie Game Corner, booth H9-E32, with five playable titles. The lineup includes KARATE ROGUE, a karate-building roguelike RPG with a demo on Steam and a full release planned within 2026, and Animaroid Girl, a multi-ending raising ADV set in a kemonomimi, Hong Kong, cyberpunk world. The other three are XenoTechArena, a roguelike arena shooter built around crashing enemies into each other, God-Slaying Blue Silver, a region-conquest simulation RPG available on Steam since July 21, 2026, and Sushi Shogi, a turn-based board game where taking an opponent's piece means paying for the sushi, set for Steam in March 2027. TGS2026 runs September 17 to September 21 at Makuhari Messe.

Sep 9

REKA Version 1.0 Lands on Steam October 26

Shochiku Games announced September 9 that REKA, the witch exploration adventure from Berlin-based Emberstorm Entertainment, will leave early access and release version 1.0 on Steam October 26. The game costs 2,300 yen. Early access began September 12, 2024. The full release was originally planned for August 18 but was pushed back because playtests and third-party feedback surfaced bugs and performance issues that a small indie team needed time to fix. At 1.0, the game will add Japanese language support. A free demo arrives September 29, and a hands-on preview runs at the Shochiku booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026 at Makuhari Messe, September 17-21. Players control Reka, apprentice of the legendary witch Baba Yaga, and travel a procedurally generated 19th century Europe-inspired autumn world with a walking magic house on giant bird legs. The game has character creation, housing and decoration, animal taming, and quests where choices shape the player's identity as a witch. Shochiku Games publishes in Asia; Fireshine Games handles global publishing.

Sep 8

MONOPHOBIA Story Demo to Debut at Tokyo Game Show 2026

Shochiku Games announced on September 8, 2026 that MONOPHOBIA, the 2.5D urban legend adventure it publishes, will be playable at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe. The exhibition marks the first public showing of the game's story demo. The game follows two contrasting high school girls, the always mysterious Kirihara Konoka and the gal classmate Nakano Shino, who form a buddy pair to investigate eerie supernatural phenomena in a modern city rendered in nostalgic 2.5D pixel art inspired by 32-bit era adventure games. Light novel author Mikami Teren wrote the scenario, and illustrator Wata handled character design and the main visual. Developer Dendrobium, an indie team established in 2022, calls MONOPHOBIA its first independent development project. Japanese voice support is planned. The game is slated for PC via Steam with the price undecided.

Sep 4

Shochiku Games to Publish 3D Rhythm Game Estella With TGS 2026 Demo

Shochiku Games will publish Estella, a 3D music rhythm game developed by Taiwan's Imanity. Players steer an octagonal interface with mouse and keyboard while 3D effects unfold in sync with the music, a play experience the studio compares to traveling through space as a comet. Each planet is a chapter told in visual novel format. Steam early access is planned for this winter with about 40 songs. A limited demo will be playable at Tokyo Game Show 2026 from September 17 to 21.

Aug 13

Yog-Sothoth's Garden Trial Version Launches on PC and Switch

Shochiku Games released a free trial version of Yog-Sothoth's Garden on August 13, 2026, for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The game is a hotel management simulation and romance adventure set in the Cthulhu mythos. Players inherit a debt-ridden, dilapidated mansion and hire non-human girls, including artificial maids, apprentice grim reapers, and dragon girls, to renovate it into a luxury hotel. The trial covers the early hotel management and adventure segments, and includes a special scene featuring Tripoka, the grim reaper girl who is a key character. The full version has been on sale since July 2026, when the Japanese localization and Switch port launched. The English and Chinese versions first appeared on Steam in October 2023 and have sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. The trial was released in response to Japanese users who said they wanted to recommend the game to acquaintances. Steam reviews exceed 10,000, with a recent rating above 95%.

Jul 23

Yog-Sothoth's Garden Launches on Nintendo Switch, Adds Japanese on Steam

Shochiku Games released the Nintendo Switch version of "Yog-Sothoth's Garden" on July 23, 2026. The hotel management simulation and romance adventure game, inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos, also received a Japanese language update for its existing Steam version on the same day. The game was originally released on Steam in Chinese and English in October 2023. It has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. Players inherit a debt-ridden mansion and hire non-human staff including an artificial maid, a reaper apprentice, a dragon girl, and a spirit slayer. The story's ending changes based on hotel management decisions and bonds with the heroines. The Nintendo Switch download version is priced at 1,980 yen, the standard physical edition at 2,970 yen, and the first limited edition at 4,400 yen. The Steam version costs 1,300 yen. A launch trailer featuring new illustrations has also been released. The game is developed by Bone Nail and published by Bone Nail and Shochiku.

Jul 9

Yog-Sothoth's Garden Switch Pre-Orders Open, New PV Narrated by Kana Asumi

Shochiku Games opened pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch download version of Yog-Sothoth's Garden on July 9, ahead of its July 23 release. The game, a hotel management simulation and romance adventure set in the Cthulhu Mythos, was originally released on Steam in October 2023 in Chinese and English. It has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide and holds a Very Positive rating from more than 10,000 Steam user reviews. The Switch version is priced at 1,980 yen for the download edition, with a 10 percent discount until July 22. Physical editions cost 2,970 yen for the standard version and 4,400 yen for the limited first edition. To mark the pre-order start, a special promotional video narrated by voice actress Kana Asumi was released. The video introduces the game's mix of cute heroines and madness, including the SAN value mechanic that decreases sanity for profit. The PV is available on the Shochiku Games YouTube channel until October 2026. The Steam version will also receive a Japanese language update on the same day.