D3 Publisher recently announced their brand-new anime-inspired action game FULL METAL SCHOOLGIRL, scheduled to release on October 23, 2025, on all major platforms. The game is developed by Yuke’s and produced by Nobuyuki Okajima, who is known for his long-time production work on Earth Defense Force and the OneChanbara series. In a recent interview with Famitsu, Okajima confessed that he had created the concept for this cyborg-themed hack-and-slash game more than 10 years ago, and that this year, it will finally be ready to see the light of day.
“I’ve had a concept for an action game in which cyborg girls with built-in weapons battle it out on my mind for more than 10 years now. There are many anime and movies themed around cyborg characters or characters with built-in weapons, but surprisingly, there weren’t many games like that – which is how I came up with the idea.”
Okajima expressed his love towards cyborgs in fiction, citing Cyborg 004, a character from the science-fiction manga Cyborg 009, and Talos, from the novel Crusher Joe, as some of his favorites. “I’m one of those people who feel deep sadness and admiration [for these types of characters].”
Okajima admits that he had contemplated turning his concept into a commercial product multiple times, but couldn’t get anything off the ground. However, having had a couple of opportunities to work together with creators from Yuke’s, he started thinking: “Maybe these people could help me create something good out of the idea that has been simmering in my mind for the past 10 years. I explained to them the gist of the game and tried sounding them out about the production – that’s how everything started.”
The collaboration seems to be a perfect fit, because a lot of the wacky ideas that shaped Full Metal Schoolgirl actually came from Yuke’s creative team, Okajima explains. “I am the producer, so I’m responsible for adjusting the overall direction of the game and making everything feel like coherent. However, my policy is not to share much of my creative ideas even if I do have them. My role is to listen to the ideas of professional game creators, take them into consideration and pick the ones that work.”
For example, in order to expand the worldbuilding into a mixture of retro and futuristic, Yuke’s team suggested the addition of a livestream mechanic In the game, money for new upgrades and customization is earned through livestreaming your battles and growing your audience – which adds a modern contrast to the game’s nostalgic elements. “An old man like me could never come up with something like that,” Okajima jokes.
FULL METAL SCHOOLGIRL will be released on October 23, 2025, for the PC (Steam/Epic Games), PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
