https://automaton-media.com/en/ AUTOMATON is a website that covers the Japanese gaming world. We bring you the news on video games from Osaka and Tokyo. Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:21:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-automaton-sitelogo-120x120-1-32x32.png https://automaton-media.com/en/ 32 32 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/dark-psychological-otome-game-cyber-paranoia-has-you-undergoing-experimental-therapy-sessions-with-a-beautiful-android/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/dark-psychological-otome-game-cyber-paranoia-has-you-undergoing-experimental-therapy-sessions-with-a-beautiful-android/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69181 Cyber Paranoia is an indie dark otome game coming to PC (Steam), with a free demo out.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/dark-psychological-otome-game-cyber-paranoia-has-you-undergoing-experimental-therapy-sessions-with-a-beautiful-android/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/a-cult-2000s-flip-phone-jrpg-that-did-the-neet-gets-isekaid-plotline-before-it-was-cool-is-now-playable-on-pc-globally/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/a-cult-2000s-flip-phone-jrpg-that-did-the-neet-gets-isekaid-plotline-before-it-was-cool-is-now-playable-on-pc-globally/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69154 2006 cult JRPG Bravest! has received a full remaster and Steam port, becoming playable again after a long time.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/a-cult-2000s-flip-phone-jrpg-that-did-the-neet-gets-isekaid-plotline-before-it-was-cool-is-now-playable-on-pc-globally/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/suda51-and-ueda-fumito-discuss-their-game-design-philosophies-the-inherent-violence-of-action-games/ https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/suda51-and-ueda-fumito-discuss-their-game-design-philosophies-the-inherent-violence-of-action-games/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 06:49:50 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69161 Roundtable discussion with Romeo Is a Dead Man director Goichi Suda and ICO, Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/interviews/suda51-and-ueda-fumito-discuss-their-game-design-philosophies-the-inherent-violence-of-action-games/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/former-umamusume-pretty-derby-content-directors-new-game-studio-receives-investment-from-scopely/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/former-umamusume-pretty-derby-content-directors-new-game-studio-receives-investment-from-scopely/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:48:57 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69149 Japanese developer Studio AuKnow, founded by Takuma Akitsu, has received strategic investment from Niantic parent Scopely.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/former-umamusume-pretty-derby-content-directors-new-game-studio-receives-investment-from-scopely/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/persona-5-the-phantom-x-to-feature-p3ps-female-protagonist/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/persona-5-the-phantom-x-to-feature-p3ps-female-protagonist/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:05:40 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69142 In an upcoming P3P collaboration event, Persona 5: The Phantom X will feature female protagonist Kotone Shiomi.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/persona-5-the-phantom-x-to-feature-p3ps-female-protagonist/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/square-enix-shareholders-ask-for-the-companys-stance-on-nier-reincarnation-eos-and-game-preservation-policy/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/square-enix-shareholders-ask-for-the-companys-stance-on-nier-reincarnation-eos-and-game-preservation-policy/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:29:23 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69134 During its 46th Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, Square Enix addressed its game preservation policy and the NieR Reincarnation EOS.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/square-enix-shareholders-ask-for-the-companys-stance-on-nier-reincarnation-eos-and-game-preservation-policy/feed/ 6 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/first-mainline-princess-maker-game-since-2007-bounces-back-from-development-limbo-with-major-content-update/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/first-mainline-princess-maker-game-since-2007-bounces-back-from-development-limbo-with-major-content-update/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69123 After months of silence, Princess Maker: Children of Revelation has received a significant content update.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/first-mainline-princess-maker-game-since-2007-bounces-back-from-development-limbo-with-major-content-update/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/level-5-gives-employees-significant-pay-raises-for-acing-quizzes-about-its-own-games-according-to-ceo/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/level-5-gives-employees-significant-pay-raises-for-acing-quizzes-about-its-own-games-according-to-ceo/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69116 Akihiro Hino recently revealed that Level-5 has its employees take knowledge quizzes about the company's content, awarding high scorers with raises.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/level-5-gives-employees-significant-pay-raises-for-acing-quizzes-about-its-own-games-according-to-ceo/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/over-70-of-companies-using-generative-ai-in-creative-work-in-japan-dont-actively-disclose-it-survey-finds/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/over-70-of-companies-using-generative-ai-in-creative-work-in-japan-dont-actively-disclose-it-survey-finds/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:07:04 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69109 A recent survey of 400 creative professionals working in the corporate world showed that a majority of companies use AI, but most don't openly talk about it.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/over-70-of-companies-using-generative-ai-in-creative-work-in-japan-dont-actively-disclose-it-survey-finds/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/428-shibuya-scrambles-spiritual-successor-led-by-jiro-ishii-crowdfunds-60k-usd-in-62-minutes-in-its-second-round-of-crowdfunding/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/428-shibuya-scrambles-spiritual-successor-led-by-jiro-ishii-crowdfunds-60k-usd-in-62-minutes-in-its-second-round-of-crowdfunding/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 06:04:45 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69104 Rewards for backers include the opportunity to appear as an extra in the game.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/428-shibuya-scrambles-spiritual-successor-led-by-jiro-ishii-crowdfunds-60k-usd-in-62-minutes-in-its-second-round-of-crowdfunding/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/story-of-seasons-creators-studio-has-a-new-cozy-but-hardcore-fishing-game-due-out-on-october-8-in-japan-for-switch/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/story-of-seasons-creators-studio-has-a-new-cozy-but-hardcore-fishing-game-due-out-on-october-8-in-japan-for-switch/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:52:22 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69088 Boku to Tsuri Nikki is a new title by Yasuhiro Wada's game studio Toybox.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/story-of-seasons-creators-studio-has-a-new-cozy-but-hardcore-fishing-game-due-out-on-october-8-in-japan-for-switch/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/epic-games-ceo-claims-steams-high-fees-are-costing-it-free-to-play-hits-like-genshin-impact-drawing-criticism-recent-releases-suggest-otherwise/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/epic-games-ceo-claims-steams-high-fees-are-costing-it-free-to-play-hits-like-genshin-impact-drawing-criticism-recent-releases-suggest-otherwise/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:10:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69083 Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has criticized Steam's practices when it comes to platform fees, drawing pushback from gamers.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/epic-games-ceo-claims-steams-high-fees-are-costing-it-free-to-play-hits-like-genshin-impact-drawing-criticism-recent-releases-suggest-otherwise/feed/ 5 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-release-date-moved-up-by-three-weeks-to-september-4/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-release-date-moved-up-by-three-weeks-to-september-4/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2026 01:27:19 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69078 Onimusha: Way of the Sword will be releasing on September 4 instead of September 25.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-release-date-moved-up-by-three-weeks-to-september-4/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/academic-researchers-of-chatgpt-thousands-of-fanfics-about-doki-doki-literature-club-characters-giving-birth/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/academic-researchers-of-chatgpt-thousands-of-fanfics-about-doki-doki-literature-club-characters-giving-birth/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69051 The “AI Fiction in the Wild” study analyzed over 500,000 anonymous English-language ChatGPT conversation logs.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/academic-researchers-of-chatgpt-thousands-of-fanfics-about-doki-doki-literature-club-characters-giving-birth/feed/ 41 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/backrooms-japanese-movie-poster-sparks-debate-after-ditching-the-originals-minimalist-design-for-tacky-cluttered-redesign/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/backrooms-japanese-movie-poster-sparks-debate-after-ditching-the-originals-minimalist-design-for-tacky-cluttered-redesign/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69041 Backrooms' redesigned poster for the Japanese market has people understandably divided.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/backrooms-japanese-movie-poster-sparks-debate-after-ditching-the-originals-minimalist-design-for-tacky-cluttered-redesign/feed/ 1 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/new-kaiji-film-faced-uncertainty-due-to-real-life-online-gambling-scandals-in-japan-according-to-staff/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/new-kaiji-film-faced-uncertainty-due-to-real-life-online-gambling-scandals-in-japan-according-to-staff/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69045 The upcoming "Kaiji: Life Revenge Game" film started production right after a series of unfortunate scandals involving online casinos.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/new-kaiji-film-faced-uncertainty-due-to-real-life-online-gambling-scandals-in-japan-according-to-staff/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/unity-gets-dev-kit-for-direct-in-app-purchases-helping-games-reduce-reliance-on-google-play-and-the-app-store/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/unity-gets-dev-kit-for-direct-in-app-purchases-helping-games-reduce-reliance-on-google-play-and-the-app-store/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69063 Unity Technologies just released its new Unity In-App Purchasing Software Development Kit (Unity IAP SDK) 5.4 update.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/unity-gets-dev-kit-for-direct-in-app-purchases-helping-games-reduce-reliance-on-google-play-and-the-app-store/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/adult-take-on-the-exit-8-where-you-get-trapped-aboard-a-train-with-sexy-anime-women-becomes-an-overwhelmingly-positive-steam-hit-selling-over-50k-copies/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/adult-take-on-the-exit-8-where-you-get-trapped-aboard-a-train-with-sexy-anime-women-becomes-an-overwhelmingly-positive-steam-hit-selling-over-50k-copies/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:17:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69048 Mango Party and Elniko's raunchy The Exit 8-inspired adventure Train45 launched on June 26, to an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/adult-take-on-the-exit-8-where-you-get-trapped-aboard-a-train-with-sexy-anime-women-becomes-an-overwhelmingly-positive-steam-hit-selling-over-50k-copies/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/the-official-june-newsletter-for-steams-chaotic-roguelike-elin-has-been-released-news-for-cat-huffing-adventurers-we-found-a-giant-cat/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/the-official-june-newsletter-for-steams-chaotic-roguelike-elin-has-been-released-news-for-cat-huffing-adventurers-we-found-a-giant-cat/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68666 Elin State of the Game – June 2026, the seventh edition of Elin's official newsletter.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/the-official-june-newsletter-for-steams-chaotic-roguelike-elin-has-been-released-news-for-cat-huffing-adventurers-we-found-a-giant-cat/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/romance-rpg-love-and-deepspace-cancels-release-of-new-love-interest-mere-days-after-announcement-due-to-backlash-says-there-will-never-be-another-one/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/romance-rpg-love-and-deepspace-cancels-release-of-new-love-interest-mere-days-after-announcement-due-to-backlash-says-there-will-never-be-another-one/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 06:27:27 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69033 Papergames has cancelled the release of Love and Deepspace's new male lead Valko, leaving players divided.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/romance-rpg-love-and-deepspace-cancels-release-of-new-love-interest-mere-days-after-announcement-due-to-backlash-says-there-will-never-be-another-one/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/schrodingers-call-becomes-a-must-play-title-on-metacritic-after-climbing-to-a-metascore-of-90/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/schrodingers-call-becomes-a-must-play-title-on-metacritic-after-climbing-to-a-metascore-of-90/#respond Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:29:41 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69026 One month after its release, Schrödinger’s Call reached a Metascore of 90, earning it the title of a "Must Play" game on the platform.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/schrodingers-call-becomes-a-must-play-title-on-metacritic-after-climbing-to-a-metascore-of-90/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/meccha-chameleon-developers-say-the-secret-behind-their-2-month-dev-cycle-is-asset-reuse-and-a-make-it-exist-first-perfect-it-later-approach/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/meccha-chameleon-developers-say-the-secret-behind-their-2-month-dev-cycle-is-asset-reuse-and-a-make-it-exist-first-perfect-it-later-approach/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69005 The secret behind Meccha Chameleon’s short dev cycle is making the the “bare minimum,” and then building upon it, devs explain.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/meccha-chameleon-developers-say-the-secret-behind-their-2-month-dev-cycle-is-asset-reuse-and-a-make-it-exist-first-perfect-it-later-approach/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/pragmata-developers-share-devastating-internal-criticism-from-the-games-early-development-earning-sympathy-from-industry-peers-and-fans/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/pragmata-developers-share-devastating-internal-criticism-from-the-games-early-development-earning-sympathy-from-industry-peers-and-fans/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69002 A recent documentary on Pragmata's development reveals details about the prolonged, troubled development of the project.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/pragmata-developers-share-devastating-internal-criticism-from-the-games-early-development-earning-sympathy-from-industry-peers-and-fans/feed/ 2 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/prime-1-studios-massive-86-8-kg-queen-alien-headlines-next-level-showcase-xviii/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/prime-1-studios-massive-86-8-kg-queen-alien-headlines-next-level-showcase-xviii/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:46:42 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69015 Prime 1 Opens Pre-Orders for Aliens Queen Alien Statue. ]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/prime-1-studios-massive-86-8-kg-queen-alien-headlines-next-level-showcase-xviii/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/genshin-impact-fans-in-japan-are-calling-anastasya-feodorovna-snezhnaya-%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc-but-even-they-have-no-idea-how-to-actually-pronounce-it/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/genshin-impact-fans-in-japan-are-calling-anastasya-feodorovna-snezhnaya-%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc-but-even-they-have-no-idea-how-to-actually-pronounce-it/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:23:25 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=69009 Japanese Genshin Impact have a new nickname for the Cryo Archon, but how are you even supposed to pronounce it?]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/genshin-impact-fans-in-japan-are-calling-anastasya-feodorovna-snezhnaya-%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc%e3%83%bb%e3%83%bc-but-even-they-have-no-idea-how-to-actually-pronounce-it/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/my-dress-up-darling-and-spy-x-family-anime-studio-cloverworks-sees-widening-financial-losses-in-past-two-fiscal-years/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/my-dress-up-darling-and-spy-x-family-anime-studio-cloverworks-sees-widening-financial-losses-in-past-two-fiscal-years/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:48:12 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68995 In the fiscal year ended March 2026, CloverWorks' losses widened from 24 to 38 million yen.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/my-dress-up-darling-and-spy-x-family-anime-studio-cloverworks-sees-widening-financial-losses-in-past-two-fiscal-years/feed/ 10 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/atlus-reports-92-operating-profit-growth-in-the-past-fiscal-year-says-its-ready-to-provide-content-across-all-platforms-for-the-long-term/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/atlus-reports-92-operating-profit-growth-in-the-past-fiscal-year-says-its-ready-to-provide-content-across-all-platforms-for-the-long-term/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:02:14 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68987 During this period, Atlus released Raidou Remastered, Persona 5: The Phantom X, and Persona 3 Reload's Switch 2 edition.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/atlus-reports-92-operating-profit-growth-in-the-past-fiscal-year-says-its-ready-to-provide-content-across-all-platforms-for-the-long-term/feed/ 1 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/cells-at-work-manga-author-says-ongoing-legal-threats-from-perpetrators-forced-her-to-go-public-about-abuse/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/cells-at-work-manga-author-says-ongoing-legal-threats-from-perpetrators-forced-her-to-go-public-about-abuse/#respond Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:42:02 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68982 Akane Shimizu has made another update regarding the abuse she suffered during the serialization of the Cells at Work! manga.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/cells-at-work-manga-author-says-ongoing-legal-threats-from-perpetrators-forced-her-to-go-public-about-abuse/feed/ 0 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/needy-streamer-overload-creators-new-visual-novel-sister-other-paranoia-gets-august-15-launch-date/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/needy-streamer-overload-creators-new-visual-novel-sister-other-paranoia-gets-august-15-launch-date/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:02:15 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68977 nyalra's new game company HazeDenki has announced that the dark visual novel Sister Other Paranoia will launch on August 15.]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/needy-streamer-overload-creators-new-visual-novel-sister-other-paranoia-gets-august-15-launch-date/feed/ 1 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/bizarre-japanese-property-listing-includes-a-three-story-building-stuffed-with-manga-for-under-12000/ https://automaton-media.com/en/news/bizarre-japanese-property-listing-includes-a-three-story-building-stuffed-with-manga-for-under-12000/#respond Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=68962 An old manga library in Japan has been listed on a real estate website for just under $12,000, and it's actually filled with books. ]]> https://automaton-media.com/en/news/bizarre-japanese-property-listing-includes-a-three-story-building-stuffed-with-manga-for-under-12000/feed/ 0