Fans of game shows, content creation, and violence will find Kodansha’s upcoming title BUZZ or DIE right up their alley. Developed by Japanese indie dev Bon and featuring character portraits by manga artist Atsushi Okada (Nyankees, Tataki the Side Hustle), this point-and-click adventure game pairs you with a criminal as you participate in the titular game show. The title is coming to Steam in 2026 with English language support.
The rules of the BUZZ or DIE game show are simple. Contestants (who are all heinous criminals set to receive the death penalty) dive into their fellow players’ minds to look for juicy secrets. These secrets are turned into content for short videos, which are shown to the audience. Contestants with the highest number of likes on their videos move on to the next round, with the grand winner receiving a pardon and the promise of having one wish granted. Those who lose are executed and have their dignity revoked for all eternity, with a slave android created based on their likeness., and a slave android based on their likeness is manufactured.
Along with death row inmate Sho Sagishima (who has been accused of fraud, bribery, perjury, embezzlement, multiple tax violations, and aiding and abetting the misappropriation of national funds), you delve into contestants’ minds in search of secrets. Once you’ve found something worthy of content creation, an in-game video editing software called PhotoBishop lets you design your video. From character images to large text blurbs, your goal is to make something so viral that you and Sho live to see another day. Based on the first trailer, it looks like the game’s story unfolds between video editing sessions.
BUZZ or DIE is set to release in 2026 for Windows (Steam).
