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.
Japanese tool protects your artwork from AI learning
Japanese company SnackTime has just launched their emamori service, which enables creators to protect their artwork from AI learning and AI image generation programs
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s mochi-induced “Chicken Dance” gets players in a flap
Find out how Pokémon SV's Mochi Dance from the epilogue of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC is taking the internet by storm.
Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade, Pokémon Sleep and Suika Game spinoffs among top downloaded mobile games in Japan
Top 10 charts for mobile game downloads and profits in Japan reveal a surprising mix of fast-growing new releases and enduring older games
Persona 3 fans shudder at real-life Dark Hour spotted in Tokyo
Persona 3 fans were surprised by a vivid green illumination of The Tokyo Skytree and its eerie resemblance to Tartarus during Dark Hour
Square Enix analyzes failure of Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest
Square Enix responds to negative reception of Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest, explaining how they will focus more closely on player needs and feedback in the future
Japanese manga artists have a problem with… bicycles. Here’s why
Bicycle-themed manga artist Gaku Miyao explains why cycling characters are so hard for anime and manga to get right- the answer is probably not what you think
Minecraft: City mod is so lifelike it’s mistaken for real Japanese city
Japanese modding group creates stunningly realistic Japanese cityscape in Minecraft, causing some people to have trouble believing their eyes
How did the niche gem Suzuki Bakuhatsu come to be? The producer explains the bizarre bomb disposal game’s origin
Takehiro Ando reveals how the PlayStation 1's quirkiest Japanese puzzle game ended up featuring cute models, weird bombs and a robot anime parody
The Exit 8 has been creepily recreated in “live-action” video
Wandering around The Exit 8's liminal spaces is creepy enough, but VFX artist Ray Wakui recently upped the scare factor by combining real-life footage with assets from the game.
New Japanese AI tool will detect suspicious job listings
Tokyo-based recruitment website operator to introduce a generative AI tool to help detect the increasing number of shady part-time job listings in Japan.
Nintendo Switch gaming brings cheer to children in earthquake evacuation center
Noto Peninsula earthquake evacuees enjoy a Smash Brothers tournament on the Nintendo Switch thanks to community organization efforts and the local power company.
Mario creator Miyamoto explains why designers shouldn’t be involved in initial stage of game development
In a recent interview, Shigeru Miyamoto explains why it is best to start out with a small team when developing a video game.
Japanese industry veteran warns about negative impact of gamers’ harsh language
Former Hudson Soft executive Takahashi Meijin called on pro-gamers and game companies to consider the detrimental effects of strong language and ultra-realistic FPS games on children.
Einhander: Square’s fiendish, stylish and polished space shooter classic
We look back at the challenging but well-crafted Psone era scrolling shooter Einhander, examine its legacy and why it is still worth playing.
20% of the anime industry’s profit comes from outside of Japan
The popularity of Japanese anime is showing no signs of slowing down, with overseas sales increasing by 11% compared to the previous year.
New official Final Fantasy XIV potato chips are floor-lickin’ good?
Square Enix is collaborating with Koikeya to release more Final Fantasy XIV Eorzea Popoto Chips, this time in a humourous spicy flavor that references gamer slang.
Shock as YOASOBI’s Idol is excluded from the Japan Record Awards Grand Prix
Oshi no Ko theme song Idol by YOASOBI is arguably Japan's biggest hit song of 2023 but why has it been excluded from the top award at Japan's equivalent of the Grammys?
Popularity of Steam sales leaves developers in a game pricing dilemma
Hyogo Onimushi is a Japanese indie game developer who created the visual novel adventure game Return to Shironagasu Island, available on Steam. In a recent post on X, he discussed how Steam’s advance notifications of large-scale and genre-specific sales have…
Dragon Ball creator’s Sand Land manga gets open-world ARPG adaptation
Bandai Namco is adapting Akio Toriyama's Sand Land into a sprawling, story-driven action RPG. Latest trailer shows off the Unicycle vehicle and combat against various monsters in the vast desert.
Like a Dragon funeral event lets fans offer flowers to deceased characters and see their spirits
Sega will hold an unusual memorial event dedicated to characters from its popular Yakuza games at Parco Department stores across Japan.
Anger in Japan as violent death threats lead to cancellation of game and anime events
Persistent death threats have caused Nintendo and AniLoca events in Japan to be cancelled or postponed, prompting angry and determined reactions from organizers and commenters.
Noir FPS Mouse and zany space adventure Galaxi Taxi are brimming with retro cartoon nostalgia
Fumi Games to release two cartoon-inspired games; swinging 1930s noir FPS Mouse and wacky, colorful space adventure Galaxi Taxi, which should appeal to Cuphead fans.