Indie Ming Dynasty soulslike boasts stunning traditional ink painting-style environments
![The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty gameplay](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231207-23810-header-768x432.jpg)
The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is a historical 3D action RPG that releases December 7 for the PC (Steam). The game's environments are inspired by traditional ink wash paintings.
FromSoftware has no idea why Elden Ring was such a success, and they don’t need to know
![Elden Ring by FromSoftware](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231207-23799-header-768x432.jpg)
At an award ceremony held December 1, Elden Ring producer Yasuhiro Kitao commented on the title's extraordinary success, mentioning that FromSoftware doesn't know what made it a hit.
Oppenheimer to finally be screened in Japan after much consideration
![Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231207-23787-header-e1702256875405.png)
Christopher Nolan’s biopic of atomic bomb scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer set for a 2024 release in Japanese theaters by independent distributor Bitter Ends.
Twitch to shut down in South Korea – operating costs up to 10x higher than other regions
![Twitch logo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231206-274814-header-768x432.jpg)
Twitch will be shutting down its services in South Korea in February 2024 due to the high operational costs. They have been operating with significant losses due to network fees imposed by Korean providers.
Almost a fifth of Japan’s animation industry suffer from depression
![depressed animator photo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231206-23774-header-e1702256930759-768x462.jpg)
According to survey results, 17% of animators working in Japan's anime industry suffer from mental health issues, likely due to the tough working conditions.
A shocking 77% of Like a Dragon: Gaiden’s cutscene data is cabaret club scenes
![Live cabaret hostess scene from Like a Dragon: Gaiden](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231206-274756-header-768x432.jpeg)
Yutaka Ito of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio shared some trivia about Sega's Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It seems the live cabaret club scenes make up 77% of the game’s total cutscene data.
Armored Core 6 producer reveals the “secrets” behind the IP’s successful reboot
![Armored Core 6 by FromSoftware](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230822-261019-004-768x432.jpg)
Yasunori Ogura, producer of FromSoftware's Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, held a lecture on November 25 in which he explained what went into the success of the IP's long-awaited reboot.
The Exit 8 shines light on real-life Japanese stations’ creepy passageways
![The corridors around Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station's Exit 3 resemble indie horror game The Exit 8.](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GAd6my3bcAAj4z8-768x510.jpg)
Indie liminal space horror game The Exit 8 prompts Japanese X users to point out unnerving places in Tokyo's real-life train stations.
Run a relaxed Hookah lounge in upcoming Japanese VA-11 Hall-A-esque visual novel
![Hookah Haze by Aniplex and Acquire](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231205-23732-header-768x432.jpg)
Hookah Haze, by Aniplex and Acquire, is an upcoming "human drama" visual novel game for the PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch in which you run a Hookah Lounge and get to know peculiar customers.
Surgical horror Steam title Revenge Of The Colon to release in December
![Revenge Of The Colon indie horror gameplay](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231205-23702-header-768x432.jpeg)
Lilou Studios' creepy game Revenge Of The Colon depicts a horrifying week in the life of a top doctor treating patients' nightmarish symptoms.
Omega Crafter’s engineer-heavy dev team discusses the origins of the open-world programming survival game
![Omega Crafter by Preferred Networks](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231204-274437-header-768x432.jpg)
Developed by Japanese IT venture Preferred Networks, Omega Crafter is an open-world crafting survival game that incorporates programming into its gameplay. We asked the developers about how the project came to be.
Upcoming Japanese indie roguelite presents new challenge for Dark Souls fans
![Deep Death Dungeon Darkness gameplay](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231204-23669-header.jpeg)
Deep Death Dungeon Darkness is a soulslike and roguelite indie title set in a world inspired by the Arabian Nights and ancient Egyptian civilization.
Japanese open-world survival game Omega Crafter incorporates programming as a gameplay element
![Omega Crafter by Preferred Networks](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231203-274382-header-768x432.jpg)
Omega Crafter by Japanese IT venture Preferred Network is an open-world crafting survival game that incorporates programming into its gameplay.
Eat sushi or die! Frenetic Japanese indie game gets sequel
![Sushi soul universe I'm going to die if I don't eat sushi!](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/202301204-23628-header-768x432.jpg)
SUSHI SOUL UNIVERSE, the fast-paced 3D action game sequel to 2021’s cult hit “I’m going to die if I don’t eat sushi!" gets December release.
Analyze clues on social media to solve the mystery of a missing k-pop idol in upcoming Japanese indie game
![Pricolage -IDOLIZED- by Hijiki](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231202-274282-header-768x432.jpg)
Pricolage -IDOLIZED- is a Japanese mystery adventure game in which you analyze clues on social media to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Sena, a k-pop idol group member.
Chilla’s Art’s announce found footage mockumentary-style horror game Jisatsu
![Jisatsu by Chilla's Art](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231203-274413-002-768x429.jpg)
Japanese indie developer Chilla's Art announced the found footage documentary psychological horror game Jisatsu on December 3.
Latest Steam hit horror game The Exit 8 sells over 30,000 copies within a day of release
![The Exit 8 - a horror game that traps you in an infinite underground passageway](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231201-274153-header2-768x432.jpg)
The Exit 8, an indie horror game that traps you in an endless passageway of a Japanese subway station, has become a Steam hit, selling 30,000 copies within a day of release.
Japanese grandma racks up hours on the Nintendo Switch playing Suika Game
![Suika Game logo](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231201-23602-header-768x432.jpeg)
Gamer lends Nintendo Switch to grandma, sparks hours of watermelon making in Suika Game.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom players discover baffling high-speed flying glitch
![U-shaped block and Stabilizer construction in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231130-273952-header-1-768x432.jpg)
This combination of a U-shaped block and a Stabilizer in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom allows you to launch off at abnormal speeds due to a bug triggered by skipping a cutscene.
Chilla’s Art to release another game in 2023
![Parasocial by Chilla's Art](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230824-261497-003-768x429.jpg)
Japanese indie horror game developer duo Chilla's Art is planning yet another title for 2023. Fans are stunned by their speedy development pace.
Are there really rooms behind every window in Marvel’s Spider-Man? This is how developers create the illusion
![Spiderman crawling across building windows in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231201-23558-header.jpeg)
Exploring the interior mapping techniques used by game developers to create vibrant interiors in Marvel's Spider-Man and other open world games.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player builds breathtakingly convincing steam locomotive
![](https://automaton-media.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231130-23545-header-768x464.jpg)
A player of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has engineered a fully functional armed steam locomotive, complete with wagons in-game.