4Gamer.net recently released its yearly interviews with Japanese game developers, focusing on 2026. This year, they spoke with 194 creators, and many hinted at upcoming games and announcements for the new year.
Get the notable tidbits below.
■ Arc System Works
Kenji Satou
(Known for River City: Rival Showdown, River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next)
—Ambitions for 2026
We really appreciate your continued support of our games! 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Kunio-kun series, and we hope to celebrate this milestone with all of our fans. Thank you for playing, and we look forward to your continued support.
■ RS34
Daisuke Nagata
(Known for Karous, Radirgy, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
I’m hoping to actively pursue new experiences and challenges in 2026. We’re also working on our next project, exploring some fresh and innovative ideas. I’m excited about it and hope you will be too!
■ Idea Factory
Hikaru Yasui
This person has worked on popular titles like Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters, MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy, and Touhou Spell Carnival.
—Ambitions for 2026
We’re incredibly thankful to all the fans who love the Neptunia series! The amazing response to its 15th anniversary in 2025 was beyond anything we expected. Your passion and support made this year truly special, and we’re deeply grateful. Your enthusiasm is a huge motivation as we move forward with future projects.
“And now, it is finally 2026.
We’re excited to keep the momentum going during this special anniversary year and finally release the newest main installment in the Neptunia series, which fans have been waiting for! The development team, led by Tsunako, is working hard and hoping to create a game that surpasses everyone’s expectations.
We’re excited to announce a new Hyperdimension story coming in 2026! Thank you for all your continued support.
■ ATLUS
Shinjirou Takata
This developer is famous for games like Devil Survivor, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Shin Megami Tensei V, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.
—Ambitions for 2026
We launched RAIDOU Remastered in June 2025 and Persona 3 Reload on the Switch 2 in October. Now that the initial work – like releasing demos and providing updates – has calmed down… or so it seemed. It appears I won’t be able to share any new updates for a bit longer.
Atsushi Nomura
(Known for Persona 4 Golden remastered, Persona 5 Tactica)
—Ambitions for 2026
Can you believe it? The Persona series is turning 30 in 2026! That means it all started way back with Revelations: Persona in ’96. As a long-time fan, I just want to say thanks to everyone who’s been with the series, and a big welcome to anyone new jumping in! I really hope we can get even more people to experience Persona next year. We’re also getting a ton of love for Persona 4 Revival, and trust me, we’re super eager to share some news about that soon, so please keep the support coming!
Kazuhisa Wada
(Known for Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 Reload, Persona 5: The Phantom X, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
The Persona series will be turning 30 in 2026, and we’re planning a big global celebration to thank our fans! We’re also excited about the possibility of sharing what’s next for the series that year. The team at ATLUS is working hard to make this a special time for Persona, and we appreciate your continued support!
■ Inti Creates
Takuya Aizu
Inti Creates is the team behind popular games like the Azure Striker Gunvolt series, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon series, Grim Guardians, and Card-en-Ciel.
—Ambitions for 2026
We’re excited to share that we’ll be announcing some new content for the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX series in the latter half of 2026. We’re also actively working on completely new games that we can’t reveal just yet. We’re committed to ongoing development to bring you some exciting surprises in 2026, so stay tuned for more information!
■ Experience
Hajime Chikami
(Known for the Demon Gaze series, Spirit Hunter series, Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi)
—Ambitions for 2026
Next year, we’re excited to launch Demon Kill Demon, our first new dungeon RPG in a while. The game takes place five years after the story of Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi. It’s a darker game designed for our dedicated fans, but we’re also working hard to make it even more enjoyable for everyone. We also have plans to continue supporting Monkarufanta: The Hero and the Crystal Girl and the Spirit Hunter series, and we thank you for your ongoing support!
■ M2
Naoki Horii
(Known for Night Striker GEAR)
—Ambitions for 2026
Next year, our publishing brand, M2ShotTriggers, will celebrate its 10th anniversary! We’ve been working on a lot of exciting things over the past decade, and we’re planning to share as much as possible with everyone. We’ve already given you a few glimpses of what’s coming, and we think this might be our biggest year yet. In fact, we have so much to share, we’re even considering adjusting our release schedule to make sure we can get it all out there!
■ Koei Tecmo Games / Gust
Junzo Hosoi
(Known for the Atelier series)
—Ambitions for 2026
In 2026, Gust plans to keep pushing boundaries with both the Atelier series and several exciting new games. We hope you’ll be eager to see what we create!
■ Koei Tecmo Games / Team NINJA
Fumihiko Yasuda
(Known for the Nioh series, NINJA GAIDEN, Rise of the Ronin)
—Ambitions for 2026
Team NINJA has several exciting games coming out this year! Keep an eye out for Nioh 3 on February 6th and FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE on March 12th. We’ll also be announcing some brand new games and series soon that we think our fans will really enjoy, so stay tuned for more updates!
■ CyberConnect2
Hiroshi Matsuyama
This studio is known for popular anime and video game adaptations, including the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, Fuga: Melodies of Steel, and the .hack series.
—Ambitions for 2026
CyberConnect2 is celebrating its 30th anniversary! Founded on February 16, 1996, the company will reach this milestone in 2026. To mark the occasion, they’re planning a party and hope the team at 4Gamer can attend. They promise a fun event with several exciting announcements to come.
■ JP Games
Hajime Tabata
(Known for Final Fantasy XV)
—Ambitions for 2026
We’re planning to begin beta testing for RYUGUKOKU in 2026. It’s an online role-playing game set in a fantastical version of Japan where players can create content and fight historical figures. Thanks for your ongoing support, and we’ll have more news next year!
■ Square Enix
Takashi Anzai
(Known for Dragon Quest X Online)
—Ambitions for 2026
I’m excited to start some new projects, and I’ll be sharing details about them in 2026. Stay tuned!
Yosuke Saito
(Known for the Dragon Quest series, the NieR series)
—Ambitions for 2026
Next year will be the 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest, and we’re hoping everyone will join us in a big celebration! We’re also preparing a small surprise to mark the ninth anniversary of NieR: Automata, so please try to contain your excitement! Wishing you all a happy New Year!
Kazutoyo Maehiro
He’s famous for his work on many popular Final Fantasy games, including Final Fantasy Tactics (1997), Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XVI, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
—Ambitions for 2026
In 2025, we launched Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles on September 30th and LOGOS: The World of Final Fantasy XVI on December 16th. Although these releases – a game and a book – were quite different, we dedicated ourselves to both with the hope that players and readers would simply enjoy the fun of gaming. Our next project is also taking a unique approach, and we’re working hard to deliver a new and exciting gaming experience. Please stay tuned for its reveal!
■ SEGA
Hiroyuki Sakamoto
(Known for the Yakuza series)
—Ambitions for 2026
Get ready! Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties comes out on February 12, 2026, and we think you’re going to love it. Plus, we have some exciting news coming in 2026, so stay tuned!
■ Nihon Falcom
Toshihiro Kondo
(Known for the Trails series, Ys series, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
As a long-time Falcom fan, I’m super excited to hear they’re speeding things up! They usually release one game a year, but with a bigger team, they’re finally able to work on more stuff at once. They’ve already announced Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, and this year is also their 45th anniversary, so they’re promising lots of cool reveals and news throughout the year. I’m definitely keeping my eyes peeled – it’s going to be a great year for Falcom fans!
■ Bandai Namco Entertainment
Yusuke Tomizawa
(Known for the Tales series, God Eater series, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
In 2026, the Tales of series will reach its 30th anniversary. We’re excited to share more about the remasters we’ve been creating soon, and we’ll keep working on new games and expanding the Tales of series as a whole.
■ LEVEL-5
Ken Motomura
(Known for the Yo-kai Watch series, Snack World series, etc.)
—Ambitions for 2026
I’m leading the development of Decapolice, and while I can’t share many details just yet, things are moving forward well. We’re experimenting with new gameplay features, focusing on deduction and a strong narrative. We’ll make a proper announcement when we can fully showcase what makes the game special, so stay tuned!
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2025-12-26 21:20