VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Verity Townsend
Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.
Tango Gameworks devs express regret at studio closure, encourage you to play Hi-Fi Rush
Former employees speak out about Tango Gameworks's abrupt closure, encouraging people to play Hi-Fi Rush, the Tokyo-based studio's final game
SNES prototype attracts auction bids over ¥1.5M. Why do people want it so badly?
A Nintendo's Super Famicom prototype has incited a bidding war on Yahoo Auctions in Japan but what makes this particular console so rare?
Latest viral game lets you play ring toss with a whole Japanese prefecture
Free indie game Shiga Prefecture Ring Toss surprisingly went viral in Japan during the Golden Week holidays, even gaining TV news attention
Kojima reveals that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was supposed to be MGS5 at first
On Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's 14th birthday, Hideo Kojima provided some juicy background tidbits on the 2010 PSP title
Naoki Yoshida’s job title is absurdly long
Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Yoshi-P's super long job title at Square Enix just got even longer this April
Koei Tecmo reports highest sales since 2009 thanks to mobile games, but intends to focus on console titles
Koei Tecmo's 2023 financial report reveals Nobunaga's Ambition mobile profits, and Rise of the Ronin success despite console game sales drop
What does the “Majora” in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask mean? Art director explains
Takaya Imamura, art director for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, reveals how he came up with the name Majora for the N64 game's evil mask
Classic Sega arcade cabinet recreated as detailed working miniature
Sega's arcade racing classic Power Drift has been recreated as a fully playable miniature, creator documents the struggle.
Stellar Blade is peppered with unexpected but cute tone shifts
Eve's can collecting poses in Shift Up's Stellar Blade are charmingly at odds with its cool action and serious dystopian setting.
Gory Japanese 18+ roguelike announced for PS/Switch
Compile Heart's upcoming roguelike RPG Death end re;Quest Code Z is the first in the series to get a CERO Z (18+) age rating for gory content
Persona 3 Reload OST storms up the charts in both Japan and the US
The Persona 3 Reload Soundtrack's release on digital music storefronts and streaming services yesterday saw it shoot up iTunes album charts.
Masahiro Sakurai eats Kirby
Veteran game developer and creator of Super Smash Bros. and Kirby, Masahiro Sakurai, shocks and amuses netizens with X post revelation.
Anime studio addresses reports of North Korean involvement in production
A Japanese animation studio has denied knowledge of alleged involvement of North Korean animators in upcoming anime Dahlia in Bloom.
This mysterious Japanese indie game has quietly sold over 210k copies
Japanese visual novel game Return to Shironagasu Island has gradually racked up 210K sales, according to its developer.
The Exit 8’s Nintendo Switch release reception highlights issue with streaming games
The Switch release of hit PC game The Exit 8 sparks a controversial discussion on how streaming can be a double edged sword for some games.
Saudi Arabian prince wants SNK to grow as a Japanese company, rather than relocate
SNK's majority shareholder, Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, is apparently an avid gamer with ambitious plans for the company.
Stellar Blade anticipation continues to heat up with Kpop tie-in
Stellar Blade Kpop collaboration sees Kpop singer Bibi star in song and music video inspired by the game’s sexy protagonist Eve.
Niche new title tops Nintendo Switch sales charts in Japan, ousting Princess Peach
A Japanese otome fantasy game unexpectedly tops Japan's Nintendo Switch game sales chart, beating both Princess Peach and Mario.
Game music composer Yuzo Koshiro’s “Bukkake” dinner makes a big splash
Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro posted a pic of an innocent noodle dish on X, resulting in mass confusion among English-speaking fans.
Japan’s arcades are in crisis, past two years see increase in bankruptcies
Japan’s arcades are struggling due to tightening profit margins, the impact of COVID-19 and various other factors, with many shutting down.
Can AI solve the anime industry’s problems? Industry member sparks discussion
A Japanese anime industry member's tweet on how AI could be used to help animators has drawn various views on the contentious issue
Man acquitted of upskirting charges because of “sexual attraction to Gundam”
In an Ace Attorney-style case in Japan, a man accused of voyeurism was acquitted- in part due to his reported sexual attraction to Gundam.