Kohachi Studio, an indie game studio formed by SNK/Nazca veterans of Metal Slug and R-Type fame, has a mysterious announcement to make. On June 12, they will unveil a “phantom pixel art game” the team created 20 years ago.
This appears to be a lost project that was never announced. Kohachi Studio’s director Shinano Ishiguro says that even though development was fully completed 20 years ago, the game remained “sealed away” from the public. He doesn’t reveal the exact circumstances, but suggests that there were significant hurdles blocking the game’s release. “Over the past few years, I consulted with nearly everyone I met in the industry, and I was on the verge of giving up so many times, but finally, I was able to break the seal on this game,” Ishiguro writes on X.
A teaser image shared by Kohachi Studio (seen in the X post above) shows off the game’s pixel art environment, describing it as a “lost pixel art gem by a legendary team.” Further details are expected to come out on June 12.
Other than working on “breaking the seal” on their past project, Kohachi Studio is also working on Black Finger JET, a new side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter. The game was originally announced in 2023, and after encountering some financial setbacks, the project is back on track with the support of UAE gaming studio Red Dunes Games. Black Finger JET is planned to launch on Steam.
