Author:News DeskCategory:News, Date: 16th September, 2026
UNSEEN has published a new trailer for its yokai-hunting action game Kemuri ahead of Tokyo Game Show 2026, titled “Welcome Back to the Chaos,” The clip lands just as TGS 2026 prepares to open its doors at Chiba’s Makuhari Messe, where the show is marking its 30th anniversary with its first-ever five-day run
Kemuri, led by former Ghostwire: Tokyo creative director Ikumi Nakamura, first broke cover as a cinematic teaser at The Game Awards in 2023 before getting its proper gameplay debut at Sony’s June 2026 State of Play. The TGS trailer is the latest step in what has been a slow-burn rollout for one of the more distinctive-looking original titles on Sony’s 2027 release slate.
Fox Window, Possession Apparel and the Streets of Kemuri City
At its core, Kemuri casts players as Yokai Hunters roaming a “sprawling vertical city” caught between the living and supernatural worlds. Players will confront the paranormal as they explore a sprawling vertical city, traversing rooftops, back alleys, and hidden ruins alone or in online co-op with up to two other players.
The signature mechanic is the Fox Window, described by the studio as a technique that lets hunters see what ordinary people cannot. At the core of Kemuri’s gameplay is the “Foxwindow.” By forming a hand gesture and peering through the gap between your fingers, hidden fractures between worlds begin to emerge. Once a yokai is defeated, its power can be worn as what the developer calls Possession Apparel, transforming a hunter’s look, movement and combat style on the fly.
The setting itself, Kemuri City, is framed as a liminal tourist destination rather than a straightforward horror backdrop. Kemuri City is a place said to be “where you may encounter something you once lost again.” It exists on the boundary between life and death. Dangerous, yet strangely alluring, the city has become an unusual tourist destination visited by people from around the world. Cooperative play remains central to the pitch, with the studio pairing solo runs against AI-controlled allies with online squads of up to three. Together, players dive into the city as one discovers, one guides, and one strikes the final blow. And somewhere within that cooperation, you may begin to notice something strange: Even when looking at the same world, each player may see it just a little differently.
From Okami and Bayonetta to Ghostwire: Tokyo, Nakamura’s Own Studio
Nakamura’s résumé stretches back well before her Ghostwire: Tokyo fame. Nakamura worked on CAPCOM’s Okami as an environment artist and on Platinum Games’ Bayonetta as a concept artist. Nakamura then worked as creative director, art director, and concept artist at Tango Gameworks and Zenimax for nine years. She served as a concept artist on Tango Gameworks’ The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2 games. Nakamura wrote the story, scenario, and character settings for Ghostwire: Tokyo. She left Tango Gameworks before Ghostwire: Tokyo shipped to found UNSEEN, and Kemuri is her first project as lead director rather than concept artist.
A Closed-Door TGS Showcase — and an Invitation to Elon Musk
The TGS trailer arrives alongside a smaller, more unusual piece of Kemuri news. Days before the show, Nakamura publicly invited Elon Musk to visit UNSEEN’s Tokyo studio during the event, writing on social media that “we’re hosting a small experimental closed event for KEMURI at our UNSEEN studio in Tokyo during TGS. If you’re around, I’d love to invite you. I also have something I’d like to talk with you about regarding UNSEEN.”
According to Kotaku, the post drew a mixed reaction from fans given Musk’s polarising public profile, even though the encounter depicted in her comic took place in 2019—three years before Musk bought Twitter when his public image hadn’t quite made the jump to full-blown white supremacist. Nakamura, described by the outlet as having a demon-hunting action game in which players absorb the powers of the demons they hunt, manifested as cool outfits, and known for her bubbly, wholesome attitude, has become a beloved figure among video game developers, has not walked back the invitation, and it remains unclear whether Musk attended any TGS showcase for the title.
What This Means Heading Into 2027
Kemuri’s release window remains unchanged for now, with the game the 2023-announced yokai possession action game from Ikumi Nakamura-led studio UNSEEN, will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC in 2027. No firm date or regional pricing has been confirmed, so Australian and New Zealand players will need to keep an eye on the PlayStation Store listing and UNSEEN’s own channels as TGS 2026 unfolds this week in Chiba.
For a studio built without a traditional publisher deal, the TGS spotlight matters: with the show’s organisers projecting record scale this year, a well-timed trailer and a headline-grabbing social post are both ways for a small independent team to keep Kemuri in the conversation a full year out from launch.
Read also:Street Fighter 6’s Arjun: TGS Demo, Dhalsim Rival and Design Backlash Before Oct. 13
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