A new study suggests that alien civilizations destroyed themselves through progress, meaning our galaxy could be full of dead alien civilizations. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology researchers believe that the galaxy might be home to alien civilizations that destroyed themselves through technological advances that eventually "lead to complete destruction and biological degeneration," as reported by the NY Post. This theory posits that any intelligent life that lived in the Milky Way before us has likely already killed itself off. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "If intelligent life is likely to destroy themselves, it is not surprising that there is little or no intelligent life elsewhere," the researchers state in a paper detailing their theory. If you're wondering why we might still be alive, it's because humans are billions of years behind these now-dead civilizations. The aliens in question probably saw life form around 8 billion years after the formation of the Milky Way whereas we didn't arrive until 13.5 billion years after its formation, meaning we are about 5.5 billion years behind. "Since Carl Sagan's time, there's been lots of research," NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist, Jonathan H. Jiang, said, as reported by LiveScience. "Especially since the Hubble Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope, we have lots of knowledge about the densities in the Milky Way galaxy and star formation rates and exoplanet formation...and the occurrence rate of supernova explosions. We actually know some of the numbers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/27/pentagon-officially-declassifies-and-releases-3-navy-videos-purportedly-showing-ufos"] The numbers Jiang is referring to is the mystery variables Sagan referred to in his Cosmos miniseries where he discussed the Drake equation. This equation comes from Frank Drake in 1961 and is an equation used to estimate the number of active alien civilizations in the Milky Way. Due to the limitations of their time, Drake and Sagan had to include variables that couldn't be identified more precisely. Jiang and the team of researchers they worked with have learned some of those numbers that Sagan and Drake couldn't identify. No single factor is more important than the idea that intelligent creatures generally have a tendency that leans toward self-annihilation, according to LiveScience. The theory also includes factors like the prevalence of sun-like stars harboring Earth-like plants, the number of deadly supernovas near the alien civilizations, the probability of intelligent life evolving, and the tendency of advanced civilizations to destroy themselves through progress. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] All of these factors and more come together to lead Jiang and the other researchers to believe that advanced alien civilizations did exist at one point, but likely lead themselves to destruction by way of progress. We might not be the sole civilization that exists as living in the galaxy though, as a some scientists theorize there might be 36 extraterrestrial races among the stars, as reported by SyFy Wire. This isn't the first time researchers have theorized that our galaxy might be home to the remains of now-dead alien civilizations. Back in 2018, researchers arrived to this same theory, but it wasn't progress that lead to their civilization-wide annihilation — it was climate change, according to this report from Forbes. Regardless of the reasoning, Earth and the human race sound about 5.5 billion years late to the party of progress-related annihilation, but if it turns out climate change is the reason, we might be closer to our end than 5.5 billion years. While waiting to find out what our fate is, read about possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how according to a former Israeli government official, the United States and Israel are in contact with a galactic federation of aliens. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who became increasingly more existential while writing this story. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

A new study suggests that alien civilizations destroyed themselves through progress, meaning our galaxy could be full of dead alien civilizations. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology researchers believe that the galaxy might be home to alien civilizations that destroyed themselves through technological advances that eventually "lead to complete destruction and biological degeneration," as reported by the NY Post. This theory posits that any intelligent life that lived in the Milky Way before us has likely already killed itself off. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "If intelligent life is likely to destroy themselves, it is not surprising that there is little or no intelligent life elsewhere," the researchers state in a paper detailing their theory. If you're wondering why we might still be alive, it's because humans are billions of years behind these now-dead civilizations. The aliens in question probably saw life form around 8 billion years after the formation of the Milky Way whereas we didn't arrive until 13.5 billion years after its formation, meaning we are about 5.5 billion years behind. "Since Carl Sagan's time, there's been lots of research," NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist, Jonathan H. Jiang, said, as reported by LiveScience. "Especially since the Hubble Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope, we have lots of knowledge about the densities in the Milky Way galaxy and star formation rates and exoplanet formation...and the occurrence rate of supernova explosions. We actually know some of the numbers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/27/pentagon-officially-declassifies-and-releases-3-navy-videos-purportedly-showing-ufos"] The numbers Jiang is referring to is the mystery variables Sagan referred to in his Cosmos miniseries where he discussed the Drake equation. This equation comes from Frank Drake in 1961 and is an equation used to estimate the number of active alien civilizations in the Milky Way. Due to the limitations of their time, Drake and Sagan had to include variables that couldn't be identified more precisely. Jiang and the team of researchers they worked with have learned some of those numbers that Sagan and Drake couldn't identify. No single factor is more important than the idea that intelligent creatures generally have a tendency that leans toward self-annihilation, according to LiveScience. The theory also includes factors like the prevalence of sun-like stars harboring Earth-like plants, the number of deadly supernovas near the alien civilizations, the probability of intelligent life evolving, and the tendency of advanced civilizations to destroy themselves through progress. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] All of these factors and more come together to lead Jiang and the other researchers to believe that advanced alien civilizations did exist at one point, but likely lead themselves to destruction by way of progress. We might not be the sole civilization that exists as living in the galaxy though, as a some scientists theorize there might be 36 extraterrestrial races among the stars, as reported by SyFy Wire. This isn't the first time researchers have theorized that our galaxy might be home to the remains of now-dead alien civilizations. Back in 2018, researchers arrived to this same theory, but it wasn't progress that lead to their civilization-wide annihilation — it was climate change, according to this report from Forbes. Regardless of the reasoning, Earth and the human race sound about 5.5 billion years late to the party of progress-related annihilation, but if it turns out climate change is the reason, we might be closer to our end than 5.5 billion years. While waiting to find out what our fate is, read about possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how according to a former Israeli government official, the United States and Israel are in contact with a galactic federation of aliens. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who became increasingly more existential while writing this story. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Among Us was allegedly played by roughly half a billion players in November, making it "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players." As reported by SuperData, Among Us' earnings figures are comparatively smaller than other titles with as a similar amount of active players considering it isn't heavily monetized. The PC version, which costs $5 USD, was responsible for 64% of the revenue from August to November despite only accounting for 3% of the player base. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/among-us-review"] SuperData also revealed that the launch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands led to the highest monthly revenue for the MMO since 2008 and highest player count since 2010. Additionally, Assassin's Creed Valhalla sold 1.7 million units digitally and performed 50% better than Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even though Among Us was originally released in 2018, 2020 is the year it found incredible success and popularity thanks to top streamers around the world playing it. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even played Among Us on Twitch to encourage voting and drew in over 430,000 viewers. In our Among Us review, we said it "lives up to the hype created by its delayed explosion in popularity, for the most part. It's a style of intense, refreshing multiplayer experience that simply didn't catch on digitally before recently. Its well-earned following speaks to just how enticing murdering and deceiving your friends can be, as well as Innersloth's endearing art, approachability, and clever minigame design." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/among-us-toppat-airship-map-reveal-trailer"] For more on Among us, which is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass for PC, check out its upcoming map called The Airship and our look at how Among Us came back from the brink of obscurity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Among Us was allegedly played by roughly half a billion players in November, making it "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players." As reported by SuperData, Among Us' earnings figures are comparatively smaller than other titles with as a similar amount of active players considering it isn't heavily monetized. The PC version, which costs $5 USD, was responsible for 64% of the revenue from August to November despite only accounting for 3% of the player base. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/among-us-review"] SuperData also revealed that the launch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands led to the highest monthly revenue for the MMO since 2008 and highest player count since 2010. Additionally, Assassin's Creed Valhalla sold 1.7 million units digitally and performed 50% better than Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even though Among Us was originally released in 2018, 2020 is the year it found incredible success and popularity thanks to top streamers around the world playing it. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even played Among Us on Twitch to encourage voting and drew in over 430,000 viewers. In our Among Us review, we said it "lives up to the hype created by its delayed explosion in popularity, for the most part. It's a style of intense, refreshing multiplayer experience that simply didn't catch on digitally before recently. Its well-earned following speaks to just how enticing murdering and deceiving your friends can be, as well as Innersloth's endearing art, approachability, and clever minigame design." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/among-us-toppat-airship-map-reveal-trailer"] For more on Among us, which is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass for PC, check out its upcoming map called The Airship and our look at how Among Us came back from the brink of obscurity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Archaeologists have discovered that a 3,300-year-old baboon skull may tease a fabled land said to have been visited often by Egyptians, according to a report from ScienceMag. This fabled land is known as Punt, or "God's Land," and according to hieroglyphics, is a land first visited by Egyptians 4500 years ago. Egyptians continued to visit Punt for more than 1000 years, bringing back goods like hardwoods, metals, resins, and exotic animals — like baboons — but until now, archaeologists didn't have evidence that these goods ever made their way back to Egypt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/24/the-history-behind-assassins-creed-origins"] "It's an extremely important step in better understanding this mysterious land that we still don't fully grasp," American Center of Oriental Research archaeologist, Pearce Paul Creasman, said. The skull in question belongs to that of a hamadryas baboon and dates back to 3,300 years ago. It was discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, according to Science Mag, and it was stored away in the British Museum. Dartmouth College primatologist, Nathaniel Dominy, recently discovered this skull archived at the museum and it might be the hard evidence archaeologists have been looking for to prove the existence of Punt. Egyptians saw hamadryas baboons as the embodiment of Thoth, a god of wisdom, and connected the baboons to Amun-Ra, which is the Egyptian sun god. One of the reasons scientists believe this baboon skull to be from Punt is because the hamadryas baboon is not native to Egypt, meaning whoever had the skull in Thebes 3,300 years ago obtained the primate, or at least its skull, from somewhere else. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-shows-potential-trex-fight"] Dominy and his team studied chemical isotopes in the skull's tooth enamel for clues of the baboon's birthplace because a region's soil and water has a distinct ratio of strontium isotopes, which are locked into the enamel in the first few years of a baboon's life. This is key because even if an animal like the baboon in question was moved from its birthplace, the isotope signature of its birthplace would still be present in the tooth enamel. The strontium ratio in the skull's enamel confirms that the baboon was not born in Egypt and instead provides evidence for somewhere in modern-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, or northwest Somalia, as the birthplace of this primate, according to Dominy and his team's report on eLife. That region of the world is where most archaeologists think Punt was located, according to ScienceMag, and this skull implies that this baboon is one of the exotic animals Egyptian hieroglyphics talk about coming from Punt. Boston University archaeologist, Kathryn Bard, told ScienceMag that she believes Punt's ports were probably in Eritrea or along the coast of eastern Sudan. Bard believes this because she and late archaeologist, Rodolfo Fattovich, excavated a site on Egypt's Red Sea coast from 2001 to 2011 and discovered a 2,800-year-old stone inscription documenting a voyage to Punt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/26/the-first-18-minutes-of-assassins-creed-origins-in-4k"] They also discovered pottery fragments similar to those found in the Sudanese-Eritrean lowlands, presumably from Punt, ScienceMag says. Bard says this 3,300-year-old baboon skull provides "another piece of evidence on where Punt was located," although she says it's not the first Puntite treasure as her excavation with Fattovich uncovered obsidian and ebony she believes to be from Punt. Dominy argues that might not be the case due to the wide distribution of ebony across Africa in the continent's history. Someone should ask famed assassin, Bayek of Siwa, if he knows anything of Punt in the meantime. If you're looking for a way to explore ancient Egypt, check out Assassin's Creed Origins, which features Bayek, and is a game IGN called amazing in its 9 out of 10 review. For more science, read about how Punt, baboon skulls, and Assassin's Creed might not even matter because some scientists believe there's a 50-50 chance we live in a simulation. Check out this story about how we all might evolve into crabs one day after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who believes Assassin's Creed Origins to be one of the best in the series. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Archaeologists have discovered that a 3,300-year-old baboon skull may tease a fabled land said to have been visited often by Egyptians, according to a report from ScienceMag. This fabled land is known as Punt, or "God's Land," and according to hieroglyphics, is a land first visited by Egyptians 4500 years ago. Egyptians continued to visit Punt for more than 1000 years, bringing back goods like hardwoods, metals, resins, and exotic animals — like baboons — but until now, archaeologists didn't have evidence that these goods ever made their way back to Egypt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/24/the-history-behind-assassins-creed-origins"] "It's an extremely important step in better understanding this mysterious land that we still don't fully grasp," American Center of Oriental Research archaeologist, Pearce Paul Creasman, said. The skull in question belongs to that of a hamadryas baboon and dates back to 3,300 years ago. It was discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, according to Science Mag, and it was stored away in the British Museum. Dartmouth College primatologist, Nathaniel Dominy, recently discovered this skull archived at the museum and it might be the hard evidence archaeologists have been looking for to prove the existence of Punt. Egyptians saw hamadryas baboons as the embodiment of Thoth, a god of wisdom, and connected the baboons to Amun-Ra, which is the Egyptian sun god. One of the reasons scientists believe this baboon skull to be from Punt is because the hamadryas baboon is not native to Egypt, meaning whoever had the skull in Thebes 3,300 years ago obtained the primate, or at least its skull, from somewhere else. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-shows-potential-trex-fight"] Dominy and his team studied chemical isotopes in the skull's tooth enamel for clues of the baboon's birthplace because a region's soil and water has a distinct ratio of strontium isotopes, which are locked into the enamel in the first few years of a baboon's life. This is key because even if an animal like the baboon in question was moved from its birthplace, the isotope signature of its birthplace would still be present in the tooth enamel. The strontium ratio in the skull's enamel confirms that the baboon was not born in Egypt and instead provides evidence for somewhere in modern-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, or northwest Somalia, as the birthplace of this primate, according to Dominy and his team's report on eLife. That region of the world is where most archaeologists think Punt was located, according to ScienceMag, and this skull implies that this baboon is one of the exotic animals Egyptian hieroglyphics talk about coming from Punt. Boston University archaeologist, Kathryn Bard, told ScienceMag that she believes Punt's ports were probably in Eritrea or along the coast of eastern Sudan. Bard believes this because she and late archaeologist, Rodolfo Fattovich, excavated a site on Egypt's Red Sea coast from 2001 to 2011 and discovered a 2,800-year-old stone inscription documenting a voyage to Punt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/26/the-first-18-minutes-of-assassins-creed-origins-in-4k"] They also discovered pottery fragments similar to those found in the Sudanese-Eritrean lowlands, presumably from Punt, ScienceMag says. Bard says this 3,300-year-old baboon skull provides "another piece of evidence on where Punt was located," although she says it's not the first Puntite treasure as her excavation with Fattovich uncovered obsidian and ebony she believes to be from Punt. Dominy argues that might not be the case due to the wide distribution of ebony across Africa in the continent's history. Someone should ask famed assassin, Bayek of Siwa, if he knows anything of Punt in the meantime. If you're looking for a way to explore ancient Egypt, check out Assassin's Creed Origins, which features Bayek, and is a game IGN called amazing in its 9 out of 10 review. For more science, read about how Punt, baboon skulls, and Assassin's Creed might not even matter because some scientists believe there's a 50-50 chance we live in a simulation. Check out this story about how we all might evolve into crabs one day after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who believes Assassin's Creed Origins to be one of the best in the series. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Universal Studios Japan has released an area map for its forthcoming Super Nintendo World area, themed around characters from the Mario games and their universe of spinoffs. Starting today, the park has been inviting selected Club Universal members and annual pass holders to experience the new area firsthand ahead of its February 4 2021 opening.

Super Nintendo World is the most complex area at USJ to date. We had already seen glimpses of the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi's Adventure rides (and IGN Japan previously published a video showing the inside of Bowser’s Castle); now USJ has shared some details of the menu at the Kinopio Cafe (Kinopio is the Japanese name for Toad), which includes a Bacon & Cheese Mario Burger, Piranha Plant Caprese and Question Block Tiramisu. Merchandise to be sold at the 1Up Factory Shop includes Mario themed hoodies, moustachioed glasses and gloves, as well as the cute Tokotoko Mario toy shown off by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto during his video tour of the park released last weekend. Check out images of some of the food dishes and merchandise below.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-nintendo-world-area-map-merchandise-and-cafe-items&captions=true"]

* Images provided by Universal Studios Japan, ©Nintendo

In addition to the large-scale facilities and attractions, there will be activities where guests can collect virtual coins and play against enemy characters using a Power Up Band (3,200 yen including tax, or about $31/£23) that can be linked to a smartphone app. These will include activities and challenges whose Japanese names translate to “Aim! Koopa Troopa POW Block Punch” and “Stop! Piranha Plant Alarm Panic”.

There will also be a Meet & Greet photo spot, where visitors can meet Mario and Luigi, take photos together with them and even engage them in conversation.

Japanese superstar YouTuber Hikakin was appointed a partner of USJ, and he has published a sponsored video of his experience at Super Nintendo World on his channel that shows a little more detail.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/30/super-nintendo-world-reveal-trailer"]

Universal Studios Japan is located in Osaka, Japan. Super Mario World was originally slated to open last summer, but was delayed to its current February 4 2021 opening date in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan is currently not granting entry to foreign tourists until further notice, so Nintendo fans outside of Japan will have to wait before they can visit – though a Super Nintendo World area will eventually be added to Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood, Florida and Singapore.

For more on USJ’s collaboration with Nintendo, check out our report from the Mario Cafe & Store in the main area of the park, which is already open, selling specially designed exclusive snacks and goods themed on Mario and friends; and a look around Bowser’s Castle and a sneak peek at the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge ride.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter for all your Japan gaming theme park tokotoko needs.

Universal Studios Japan has released an area map for its forthcoming Super Nintendo World area, themed around characters from the Mario games and their universe of spinoffs. Starting today, the park has been inviting selected Club Universal members and annual pass holders to experience the new area firsthand ahead of its February 4 2021 opening.

Super Nintendo World is the most complex area at USJ to date. We had already seen glimpses of the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi's Adventure rides (and IGN Japan previously published a video showing the inside of Bowser’s Castle); now USJ has shared some details of the menu at the Kinopio Cafe (Kinopio is the Japanese name for Toad), which includes a Bacon & Cheese Mario Burger, Piranha Plant Caprese and Question Block Tiramisu. Merchandise to be sold at the 1Up Factory Shop includes Mario themed hoodies, moustachioed glasses and gloves, as well as the cute Tokotoko Mario toy shown off by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto during his video tour of the park released last weekend. Check out images of some of the food dishes and merchandise below.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-nintendo-world-area-map-merchandise-and-cafe-items&captions=true"]

* Images provided by Universal Studios Japan, ©Nintendo

In addition to the large-scale facilities and attractions, there will be activities where guests can collect virtual coins and play against enemy characters using a Power Up Band (3,200 yen including tax, or about $31/£23) that can be linked to a smartphone app. These will include activities and challenges whose Japanese names translate to “Aim! Koopa Troopa POW Block Punch” and “Stop! Piranha Plant Alarm Panic”.

There will also be a Meet & Greet photo spot, where visitors can meet Mario and Luigi, take photos together with them and even engage them in conversation.

Japanese superstar YouTuber Hikakin was appointed a partner of USJ, and he has published a sponsored video of his experience at Super Nintendo World on his channel that shows a little more detail.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/30/super-nintendo-world-reveal-trailer"]

Universal Studios Japan is located in Osaka, Japan. Super Mario World was originally slated to open last summer, but was delayed to its current February 4 2021 opening date in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan is currently not granting entry to foreign tourists until further notice, so Nintendo fans outside of Japan will have to wait before they can visit – though a Super Nintendo World area will eventually be added to Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood, Florida and Singapore.

For more on USJ’s collaboration with Nintendo, check out our report from the Mario Cafe & Store in the main area of the park, which is already open, selling specially designed exclusive snacks and goods themed on Mario and friends; and a look around Bowser’s Castle and a sneak peek at the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge ride.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter for all your Japan gaming theme park tokotoko needs.

Silent Hill and Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama has shared some details of the upcoming debut game from his new studio, which will be a horror-themed action-adventure, aiming for a 2023 release, that will appeal to Toyama's fans.

Toyama's Bokeh Game Studio was founded on August 13 and announced publicly in December. Speaking with IGN Japan, the acclaimed developer explained that he is working on “an action-adventure game that will appeal to fans of my previous work”. He explained that the game will include “battles and story elements” in the kind of richly authored worlds you might recognize from his games at Sony’s Japan Studio and Konami.

When pressed on whether this new title will lean more toward the horror themes of Silent Hill and Siren or the cuter anime-styled paranormal setting of Gravity Rush, he explained, “If anything, this will be more of a horror-oriented game. But we will focus on making this a broader entertainment experience, rather than a hardcore horror game.”

While Toyama has been a first-party Sony developer for the past 20 years or so, he said that this new game will be a multi-platform release. “We are developing with PC as the lead platform, but we hope to release the game on as many console platforms as possible,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_2456458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bokeh Game Studio founders Junya Okura, Keiichiro Toyama, and Kazunobu Sato.[/caption]

The new title is being developed by a “fairly large” team, and Bokeh cofounder and producer Kazunobu Sato explained that they are still in the early stages of development, with an estimated target release date of 2023. “We’re just entering prototype development, and development will probably take nearly three years. So we hope to get this game into your hands in about three years from now.”

Regarding the studio’s foundation, Toyama explained that a combination of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and turning 50 prompted him to think about his future, and to answer the beckoning call of independence. He turned to longtime collaborators Sato (producer on the Siren series and The Last Guardian) and Junya Okura (lead level designer on the Siren and Gravity Rush series, whom Toyama credits with giving shape to his gameplay ideas), and the three Japan Studio colleagues set up Bokeh Game Studio together, with Toyama as Creator, Sato as Producer and Okura as Game Director. They initially considered creating smaller mobile games, before eventually building up a team of “mostly veterans” to increase the scale of their ambitions.

“I took a lot of inspiration from genDESIGN,” said Toyama, referring to the studio founded by Ico creator Fumito Ueda, who was yet another Japan Studio alumnus. “Ueda told me so much about his experiences that it inspired me to follow suit.”

While Bokeh’s first game may be a way off, Sato and business development manager Yohei Hart (also ex-Japan Studio) promised that the studio’s newly launched Twitter account and Facebook account will show peeks behind the curtain as the team progresses with development. “When you work at a major studio like Japan Studio, there is a limit to what you can share publicly, so now that we are free from those restraints, we’d like to take the opportunity to share as much as we can … so that the audience can see how the game comes together over time,” explained Sato. “We hope it might help people to not forget about us.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps1-games-ever&captions=true"]

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan – and (full disclosure) also worked for a spell at Sony’s Japan Studio. Follow him on Twitter here.

Silent Hill and Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama has shared some details of the upcoming debut game from his new studio, which will be a horror-themed action-adventure, aiming for a 2023 release, that will appeal to Toyama's fans.

Toyama's Bokeh Game Studio was founded on August 13 and announced publicly in December. Speaking with IGN Japan, the acclaimed developer explained that he is working on “an action-adventure game that will appeal to fans of my previous work”. He explained that the game will include “battles and story elements” in the kind of richly authored worlds you might recognize from his games at Sony’s Japan Studio and Konami.

When pressed on whether this new title will lean more toward the horror themes of Silent Hill and Siren or the cuter anime-styled paranormal setting of Gravity Rush, he explained, “If anything, this will be more of a horror-oriented game. But we will focus on making this a broader entertainment experience, rather than a hardcore horror game.”

While Toyama has been a first-party Sony developer for the past 20 years or so, he said that this new game will be a multi-platform release. “We are developing with PC as the lead platform, but we hope to release the game on as many console platforms as possible,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_2456458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bokeh Game Studio founders Junya Okura, Keiichiro Toyama, and Kazunobu Sato.[/caption]

The new title is being developed by a “fairly large” team, and Bokeh cofounder and producer Kazunobu Sato explained that they are still in the early stages of development, with an estimated target release date of 2023. “We’re just entering prototype development, and development will probably take nearly three years. So we hope to get this game into your hands in about three years from now.”

Regarding the studio’s foundation, Toyama explained that a combination of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and turning 50 prompted him to think about his future, and to answer the beckoning call of independence. He turned to longtime collaborators Sato (producer on the Siren series and The Last Guardian) and Junya Okura (lead level designer on the Siren and Gravity Rush series, whom Toyama credits with giving shape to his gameplay ideas), and the three Japan Studio colleagues set up Bokeh Game Studio together, with Toyama as Creator, Sato as Producer and Okura as Game Director. They initially considered creating smaller mobile games, before eventually building up a team of “mostly veterans” to increase the scale of their ambitions.

“I took a lot of inspiration from genDESIGN,” said Toyama, referring to the studio founded by Ico creator Fumito Ueda, who was yet another Japan Studio alumnus. “Ueda told me so much about his experiences that it inspired me to follow suit.”

While Bokeh’s first game may be a way off, Sato and business development manager Yohei Hart (also ex-Japan Studio) promised that the studio’s newly launched Twitter account and Facebook account will show peeks behind the curtain as the team progresses with development. “When you work at a major studio like Japan Studio, there is a limit to what you can share publicly, so now that we are free from those restraints, we’d like to take the opportunity to share as much as we can … so that the audience can see how the game comes together over time,” explained Sato. “We hope it might help people to not forget about us.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps1-games-ever&captions=true"]

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan – and (full disclosure) also worked for a spell at Sony’s Japan Studio. Follow him on Twitter here.