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AUTOMATON WEST

@automatonwest.bsky.social
2.1K followers 3 following 3K posts

Official AUTOMATON English account. Bringing video game and internet culture-related news from Japan! Find us at: automaton-media.com/en Japanese account: @automaton-media.com

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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 4h
Amusement park escape horror visual novel 1999 Tokoyo Building gets Steam demo. Uncover the secrets of the facility’s bizarre employees by playing the “burglar” automaton-media.com/en/news/amus...
automaton-media.com
Amusement park escape horror visual novel 1999 Tokoyo Building gets Steam demo. Uncover the secrets of the facility’s bizarre employees by playing the "burglar" - AUTOMATON WEST
1999 Tokoyo Building releases on November 10 for PC (Steam).
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 4h
Pocketpair shares stance on Palworld spin-off games and why a live-service format with tons of DLC “is not the right way forward for…
automaton-media.com
Pocketpair shares stance on Palworld spin-off games and why a live-service format with tons of DLC “is not the right way forward for us”
Pocketpair’s monster-taming survival title Palworld has been a sensation ever since its Early Access launch in 2024, and continues to enjoy popularity among gamers following its recent 1.0 launch. The company has since expanded its horizons, launching its own indie game publishing division called Pocketpair Publishing in January 2025, and Palworld’s own official TCG in August 2026. While the Palworld IP is also set to expand through spin-off games like Palworld: Palfarm and Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~, the developers aren’t necessarily keen on continuing to expand Palworld itself in a live-service fashion. In a recent interview with MP1st, John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s Head of Publishing and Communications, shared the […]
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 6h
Pico Park developer asks Nintendo Switch 2 users to avoid buying the first game for the time being due to game-breaking bug automaton-media.com/en/news/pico-pa…
automaton-media.com
Pico Park developer asks Nintendo Switch 2 users to avoid buying the first game for the time being due to game-breaking bug
Switch 2 players have reported getting stuck on blank screens while playing online.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 9h
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War to be playable as a standalone app on Steam for those who pre-ordered Ace Combat 8 automaton-media.com/en/news/ace-com…
automaton-media.com
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War to be playable as a standalone app on Steam for those who pre-ordered Ace Combat 8
The update comes following Project Aces' apology over the game's limited launch options.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 12h
Developers of Shin Megami Tensei board game apologize for delayed responses to backers, provide future schedule automaton-media.com/en/news/develop…
automaton-media.com
Developers of Shin Megami Tensei board game apologize for delayed responses to backers, provide future schedule
Details regarding shipping costs and new payment methods will be announced on October 16.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13h
Greek mythology-inspired psychological horror game Below Lethe gets demo. Judge the dead in a trial before the Underworld automaton-media.com/en/news/gree...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13h
Pokémon director Shigeru Ohmori talks about how Game Freak’s new magical girl game Ame Nochi Hare Onna came to be After over 20 years of working on Pokémon, Ohmori wanted to explore "forms of expression that can only be achieved in an original game" automaton-media.com/en/news/poke...
automaton-media.com
Pokémon director Shigeru Ohmori talks about Game Freak’s magical girl weather game Ame Nochi Hare Onna and how the project came to be  - AUTOMATON WEST
After over 20 years of working on Pokemon, Ohmori wanted to explore "forms of expression that can only be achieved in a completely original game."
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13h
SHIFU: Traffic Masters, a chaotic physics-based driving game set in 90s China, gets Steam demo automaton-media.com/en/indie-gam...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Children of Belgrade Metro tells the story of ostracized psychic kids living in Serbia’s abandoned subway system: Steam gems from Japan you might be missing out…
automaton-media.com
Children of Belgrade Metro tells the story of ostracized psychic kids living in Serbia’s abandoned subway system: Steam gems from Japan you might be missing out on
Steam gems from Japan you might be missing out on #8: Children of Belgrade Metro.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Silent Hill f and Fatal Frame creators discuss why J-horror so often centers on women and why oppression is at the heart of many “vengeful ghost”…
automaton-media.com
Silent Hill f and Fatal Frame creators discuss why J-horror so often centers on women and why oppression is at the heart of many “vengeful ghost” stories
Motoi Okamoto and Makoto Shibata recently discussed Silent Hill f, Fatal Frame, and J-horror as a whole.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
The Pokémon Company and major Japanese e-commerce platforms introduce listing prohibitions to curb Pokémon TCG scalping automaton-media.com/en/news/the-pok…
automaton-media.com
The Pokémon Company and major Japanese e-commerce platforms introduce listing prohibitions to curb Pokémon TCG scalping
The Pokémon Company has partnered with LINE Yahoo! to implement new measures aimed at creating a fair environment for Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) players in Japan.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Kung-fu punk” action RPG Phantom Blade Zero may not be indie in scale, but it’s definitely indie in spirit, creator says automaton-media.com/en/news/kung-fu…
automaton-media.com
“Kung-fu punk” action RPG Phantom Blade Zero may not be indie in scale, but it’s definitely indie in spirit, creator says
Phantom Blade Zero developer Soulframe talks about the difficulties of the transition from mobile to AAA development.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Angelic Agency: Soul Salvation Unit is a supernatural mystery VN following a detective duo that can peek into the memories of ghosts. Steam demo out…
automaton-media.com
Angelic Agency: Soul Salvation Unit is a supernatural mystery VN following a detective duo that can peek into the memories of ghosts. Steam demo out now
Angelic Agency: Soul Salvation Unit tells the story of officer Tsujitsuma and his buddy Damian as they investigate supernatural murder cases.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO director says the upcoming film brings late wife and SEED writer Chiaki Morosawa’s final screenplay to life after nearly being shelved automaton-media.com/en/news/gund...
automaton-media.com
Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO director says the upcoming film brings late wife and SEED writer Chiaki Morosawa’s final screenplay to life after nearly being shelved - AUTOMATON WEST
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Zero is set to premiere in North America in February 2027.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Developers of AI-powered driving game take out loan to keep Steam demo running after surge in players pushes AI costs past $1,000 a day automaton-media.com/en/news/deve...
automaton-media.com
Developers of AI-powered driving game take out loan to keep Steam demo running after surge in players pushes AI costs past $1,000 a day - AUTOMATON WEST
Teach My Little Sister How to Drive uses external AI models (Gemini and ChatGPT) to generate real-time conversations.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Danganronpa 2 fans in Japan can now buy canonically accurate Nagito Komaeda and Hajime Hinata underwear as official merch automaton-media.com/en/news/dang...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Resequence: The Orchard is an occult horror visual novel told through a psychiatrist’s counselling sessions with his students, coming to Steam The scenario is by Magical Girl Witch Trials developer Re,AER automaton-media.com/en/news/rese...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Ace Combat 8 players in Japan are affectionately headcanoning its ace pilot protagonist as a helpless “airhead” outside the cockpit, thanks to clumsy story moments and awkward QTEs automaton-media.com/en/news/ace-...
automaton-media.com
Ace Combat 8 players in Japan are affectionately headcanoning its ace pilot protagonist as a helpless "airhead" outside the cockpit, thanks to clumsy story moments and awkward QTEs - AUTOMATON WEST
In ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, players take on the role of silent protagonist Rex, an ace pilot who racks up impressive achievements in aerial combat. However, a popular headcanon has recently been ...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Toei’s iconic “triangle and waves” logo officially becomes an anime girl automaton-media.com/en/news/toei...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Russian Roulette-style drinking game Drunken Goddess Reflux set for December 8 release. Steam demo to launch October 19 automaton-media.com/en/news/russ...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Lawsuit over Sanrio’s Kuromi comes to a close as court acknowledges Studio Comet as the original creator but dismisses copyright…
automaton-media.com
Lawsuit over Sanrio’s Kuromi comes to a close as court acknowledges Studio Comet as the original creator but dismisses copyright claims
The lawsuit first came to light in February 2025, when animation company Studio Comet sued Sanrio over the character.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Pokopia-style town building RPG Warota: I Live Next to The Demon King’s Castle LOL gets Steam demo ahead of Early Access launch automaton-media.com/en/news/poko...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The Hundred Line director says a larger studio would force his team to take on projects they don’t want just to stay afloat, intends to stay small and…
automaton-media.com
The Hundred Line director says a larger studio would force his team to take on projects they don’t want just to stay afloat, intends to stay small and outsource
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy director Kazutaka Kodaka talked about his approach to game development with Too Kyo Games.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
What are the “indispensable” elements Crazy Taxi: World Tour inherits? Developers talk about the importance of music, balancing freedom and restrictions, map design, and…
automaton-media.com
What are the “indispensable” elements Crazy Taxi: World Tour inherits? Developers talk about the importance of music, balancing freedom and restrictions, map design, and more
Interview with Crazy Taxi: World Tour creative producer Kenji Kanno and Director Yo Momotani (Part 2).
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Japanese 3D mecha action indie CodePhantom gets Steam demo. “No-nonsense” robot combat automaton-media.com/en/news/japanes…
automaton-media.com
Japanese 3D mecha action indie CodePhantom gets Steam demo. “No-nonsense” robot combat
CodePhantom is a single-player mecha action game featuring ground combat and aerial battles.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Anime-styled magical girl action roguelite Bless You Again to get Steam demo next week automaton-media.com/en/news/anime-s…
automaton-media.com
Anime-styled magical girl action roguelite Bless You Again to get Steam demo next week
Bless You Again follows the story of the battle mage Lily who ventures into a dungeon labyrinth in pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Laica is a space horror survival game in which you spend time with a mysterious girl while anomalies erode the world, coming to Steam in 2027 automaton-media.com/en/news/laic...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Nara☆Koi, an otome game in which you romance Japan’s historical figures as the genderbent version of a 7th century diplomat, announced for Steam and…
automaton-media.com
Nara☆Koi, an otome game in which you romance Japan’s historical figures as the genderbent version of a 7th century diplomat, announced for Steam and Switch
In Nara☆Koi, the player gets to be romantically involved with historical figures like Prince Shotoku and Otomo no Yakamochi.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
New Shinobi Nexus: Senran Kagura trailer showcases story prologue and new and returning characters. Gameplay reveal slated for November automaton-media.com/en/news/new-...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
PC-98 cult classic horror game Dead of the Brain is coming to Steam on October 30, with English support for the first time automaton-media.com/en/news/pc-98-c…
automaton-media.com
PC-98 cult classic horror game Dead of the Brain is coming to Steam on October 30, with English support for the first time
Dead of the Brain is a cult classic zombie game by eroge developer FairyTale.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The Nakano Laboratory is a time-loop mystery game with a “personality transplantation” mechanic, coming to Steam in 2027 automaton-media.com/en/news/the-...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yoko Taro says he already achieved his game development dreams with Drakengard, and now works “to prevent dementia” automaton-media.com/en/news/yoko-ta…
automaton-media.com
Yoko Taro says he already achieved his game development dreams with Drakengard, and now works “to prevent dementia”
In a recent discussion panel with Keisuke Okabe, NieR and Drakengard creator Yoko Taro talked about his plans for the future.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Diss Diss Discussion, an ensemble drama VN that pits opinionated students against each other in heated school policy debates, gets Steam…
automaton-media.com
Diss Diss Discussion, an ensemble drama VN that pits opinionated students against each other in heated school policy debates, gets Steam demo
Diss Diss Discussion is an upcoming coming-of-age visual novel by Frontwing and Bushiroad.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Transport Fever 3 developers sit down with the creators of the A-Train series for a railway geek-out: “Japan is the real-life Transport Fever” automaton-media.com/en/interviews/t…
automaton-media.com
Transport Fever 3 developers sit down with the creators of the A-Train series for a railway geek-out: “Japan is the real-life Transport Fever”
Roundtable interview between the developers of Transport Fever and the A-Train series.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Nihon Falcom significantly revises yearly earnings forecast as Kyoto Xanadu, Trails in the Sky remakes perform strongly automaton-media.com/en/news/nihon-f…
automaton-media.com
Nihon Falcom significantly revises yearly earnings forecast as Kyoto Xanadu, Trails in the Sky remakes perform strongly
Nihon Falcom has revised its earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending September 2026.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Japanese publishers reportedly outraged after domestic company admits to selling large volumes of books to AI developer Anthropic automaton-media.com/en/news/japanes…
automaton-media.com
Japanese publishers reportedly outraged after domestic company admits to selling large volumes of books to AI developer Anthropic
Nippan reportedly admitted to selling books, but said it had not understood the purchases to be for the purpose of AI training.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Arknights: Endfield comes to Steam on October 15. Cross platform saves supported automaton-media.com/en/news/arknigh…
automaton-media.com
Arknights: Endfield comes to Steam on October 15. Cross platform saves supported
GRYPHLINE announced that Arknights: Endfield would come to Steam on October 15 alongside the new Sanctuary of Ink update.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Former Capcom developer says years of extreme crunch culture are part of why Japan’s game industry has so few female directors automaton-media.com/en/news/former-…
automaton-media.com
Former Capcom developer says years of extreme crunch culture are part of why Japan’s game industry has so few female directors
Masakazu Sugimori, known for his work on Ace Attorney and Viewtiful Joe's music, recently talked about the lack of female directors in Japan's game industry.
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Reposted by AUTOMATON WEST
AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Japanese developer alleges unpaid outsourcing fees for 4 games drove his company into financial ruin, with 70 employees laid off The CEO of Tokyo-based developer OGIX recently blew the whistle on domestic game company Poppin Games automaton-media.com/en/news/japa...
automaton-media.com
Japanese developer alleges unpaid outsourcing fees for 4 games drove his company into financial ruin, with 70 employees laid off - AUTOMATON WEST
The CEO of Tokyo-based software developer OGIX recently blew the whistle on domestic mobile game company Poppin Games over unpaid dev fees.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
90s anime-inspired survival horror game Signal Veil announced. Navigate a haunted school with the help of a cursed flip phone The game makes use of fixed camera sections with a focus on "psychological terror" automaton-media.com/en/news/90s-...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Dual blade-wielding catgirl roguelite Eternal Palace Sakura crowdfunds 200% of its original goal automaton-media.com/en/news/dual-bl…
automaton-media.com
Dual blade-wielding catgirl roguelite Eternal Palace Sakura crowdfunds 200% of its original goal
Eternal Palace Sakura developer Denneko Yuugi announced that the game has crowdfunded over 1 million yen via its recent Campfire campaign.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Japanese developer alleges unpaid outsourcing fees for 4 games drove his company into financial ruin, with 70 employees laid off The CEO of Tokyo-based developer OGIX recently blew the whistle on domestic game company Poppin Games automaton-media.com/en/news/japa...
automaton-media.com
Japanese developer alleges unpaid outsourcing fees for 4 games drove his company into financial ruin, with 70 employees laid off - AUTOMATON WEST
The CEO of Tokyo-based software developer OGIX recently blew the whistle on domestic mobile game company Poppin Games over unpaid dev fees.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Hideo Kojima says it’s not that OD isn’t progressing, he’s just being mysterious about it on purpose. Shooting and some post-production to be done by next…
automaton-media.com
Hideo Kojima says it’s not that OD isn’t progressing, he’s just being mysterious about it on purpose. Shooting and some post-production to be done by next year
In the recent episode of the KOJI10 radio program, Hideo Kojima talked about the development of his upcoming horror game OD.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
CyberConnect2 CEO says the shift from physical to digital-only games is “nothing but a positive thing” for developers automaton-media.com/en/news/cyberco…
automaton-media.com
CyberConnect2 CEO says the shift from physical to digital-only games is “nothing but a positive thing” for developers
CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama talks about what the shift from physical to digital games means for developers.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Yuri visual novel Watamari Part 2: A Fake Marriage? development resumes after developer's debanking ordeal. The dev was forced to give up “adult content patches” for their past games automaton-media.com/en/news/yuri...
automaton-media.com
Yuri visual novel Watamari Part 2: A Fake Marriage? development resumes after bank blocks Steam revenue. Developer gives up “adult content patches” for past games - AUTOMATON WEST
Takii Noame recently wrote about their "debanking" ordeal over yuri games.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Momodora creator announces new project Record of Dorathia, a turn-based dungeon crawler RPG inspired by gamebooks automaton-media.com/en/news/momodor…
automaton-media.com
Momodora creator announces new project Record of Dorathia, a turn-based dungeon crawler RPG inspired by gamebooks
Tthe game focuses on the magi, twelve weavers of fate who were briefly mentioned in Momodora: Moonlit Farewell.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Upcoming indie racing RPG Ghosts of the Mountain Pass looks like Initial D set in 90s Italy automaton-media.com/en/news/upco...
automaton-media.com
Upcoming indie racing RPG Ghosts of the Mountain Pass looks like Initial D set in 90s Italy - AUTOMATON WEST
Ghosts of the Mountain Pass is currently in development for PC (Steam),
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Psychological thriller visual novel Anti-Anti gets Steam demo. A locked-room mystery at a dubious idol audition automaton-media.com/en/news/psyc...
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Cosmoship Yamato √2199, a new anime film directed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno announced. The first joint production between Production I.G and Studio Khara automaton-media.com/en/news/cosmosh…
automaton-media.com
Cosmoship Yamato √2199, a new anime film directed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno announced. The first joint production between Production I.G and Studio Khara
Acclaimed mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi serves as co-director.
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AUTOMATON WEST @automatonwest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Happy Propaganda is a “censorship simulator” in which you play as a chat mod for a totalitarian state-run broadcast automaton-media.com/en/news/happy-p…
automaton-media.com
Happy Propaganda is a “censorship simulator” in which you play as a chat mod for a totalitarian state-run broadcast
Developed by Not a Dog, Happy Propaganda lets you become a chat moderator for a broadcast run by the fictional totalitarian state of Vesna.
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