Kotaro Uchikoshi’s New Game Canceled, Studio’s Future Uncertain
- Kotaro Uchikoshi’s game, developed over 18 months, has been canceled unexpectedly.
- His new studio, Crash Keys, is seeking investment and support to remain viable.
- Uchikoshi is known for the Zero Escape trilogy and has faced uncertainty since the game’s cancellation.
Kotaro Uchikoshi, renowned for his work on the Zero Escape series and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, announced the cancellation of a new game from his studio, Crash Keys. This news has left the future of the studio uncertain.
Uchikoshi gained popularity as the writer and director of the Zero Escape trilogy, a beloved series of locked-room puzzles initially released on the Nintendo DS and later made available on modern platforms. He recently introduced Crash Keys online and sought assistance for his studio.
In a tweet earlier today, Uchikoshi expressed his difficulties, stating, “Honestly, I’m not doing well at all… Why, you ask…? Because the game our whole team had poured our hearts and souls into for about a year and a half was suddenly canceled. I mean, I lost my job overnight. Talk about a bolt from the blue.” [source]
Crash Keys officially opened in March 2025, with plans to unveil the studio and its first game later. However, the unexpected cancellation forced Uchikoshi to go public ahead of schedule. The studio is actively looking for individuals interested in working with them or investing in their projects.
Uchikoshi humorously warned that without investment, the studio might not survive, saying, “Please give us some work! At this rate, our company might literally crash into a million pieces. My team and I may be forced to survive on nothing but cicada shells collected from a run-down park. So please, help us! You’re our only hope!”
The official Crash Keys website currently lists two additional team members: Akira Mine, a writer credited with work on Hundred Line and the upcoming Danganronpa 2×2, and Muri Sasaki, who has contributed to both Zero Escape and AI: The Somnium Files. Notably, Crash Keys shares its name with a significant organization in the Zero Escape trilogy, stirring curiosity among fans of the series.
Following his tenure on the Zero Escape series, Uchikoshi co-founded TooKyo Games with fellow visual novel creator Kazutaka Kodaka, known for Danganronpa. Their previous release, The Hundred Line, was a highly ambitious strategy game launched last year. It remains unclear if Uchikoshi is currently involved with TooKyo Games.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
