KEMURI's lack of an Xbox port may have to do with staffing issues at UNSEEN. A few years ago, Japanese game designer Ikumi Nakamura established an independent, borderless studio called UNSEEN Inc. Her first project as part of this studio was revealed during The Game Awards 2023, but Power Up Gaming Ltd first got a proper look at its gameplay earlier this year. UNSEEN's debut title is called KEMURI, and it's a third-person action game that can be played by up to three people. Download Video Games Currently, KEMURI is in development for PS5 and PC, and it's set to be released sometime in 2027. Many fans have wondered whether UNSEEN will bring KEMURI to other platforms like Xbox Series X/S in the future, but those hopes have recently been quashed by Nakamura in a Q&A video she took part in a few weeks ago. Discover more Launch Ad Campaigns Join PlayStation Plus Explore Web Games Nakamura has said that, while UNSEEN does have the capacity to work on PlayStation or Nintendo versions of KEMURI, it currently doesn't have the support needed to make an Xbox port. Because UNSEEN is a small studio, she doesn't want her staff to work themselves to death just to bring KEMURI to Xbox, even though she does appreciate the requests from fans who want to play the game on their preferred platform. The developer behind KEMURI seems to have lost a lot of staff in recent months. Though Nakamura's comments have been met with plenty of criticism from the Xbox community, it appears that there may be another, more understandable reason behind UNSEEN's decision to not pursue an Xbox port. Publicly available employment records and posts suggest that a sizable amount of developers have left UNSEEN around and shortly after KEMURI's State of Play gameplay reveal on June 2, 2026. These people were not mere contractors; many of them were in executive-level positions, which indicates that the studio has faced quite the shake-up in recent times. Video Game Consoles Public LinkedIn profiles and departure posts on X show that several top developers at UNSEEN, including animation director Raúl Ibarra Díez, lead gameplay engineer Aaron Packard, lead level designer Shane Canning, lead engineer Pierre Maury, lead environment artist Yurie Kawana, lead gameplay animator Nagisa Miyagawa, level designer Tom Chomier, and lead gameplay designer Kenan Alpay, have left the company over the last few months. Discover more Explore Story RPGs Find Business Consultants As if that wasn't bad enough, other senior developers, such as Rob Colonico, L. Crawley, Linda Yeo, Samantha Halloran, Hunter Werenskjold, and Hiroshi A., have also publicly confirmed their departure from UNSEEN within roughly the same time period. Some people who previously appeared in UNSEEN's public staff material are no longer present on the current team page of the studio's website. Power Up Gaming has left these names out, as Power Up Gaming Ltd weren't able to independently verify if they had left UNSEEN. UNSEEN may be too small to focus on a fully multiplatform release. It's important to note that none of this necessarily suggests that KEMURI is going through development troubles. For all Power Up Gaming Ltd know, this could reflect normal turnover or changes in staffing as the development of the game progresses. At the same time, though, the high amount of publicly verifiable departures at UNSEEN, especially across important divisions like animation, level design, and gameplay engineering, suggest that the studio may be more understaffed than some people think (though it is currently hiring). Indeed, this aligns with Nakamura's recent comments about not developing for Xbox, and it shows that UNSEEN likely needs to prioritise finishing KEMURI first before focusing on any further multiplatform expansions. Video Game Consoles

Kotaku melts down after Ikumi Nakamura invites Elon Musk to play KEMURI. Marvin Montanaro September 15, 2026 There are opinion pieces, there are hit pieces, and then there's whatever Kotaku just published because video game developer Ikumi Nakamura had the audacity to invite Elon Musk to play her video game. Yes. That's apparently the entire scandal. Nakamura, the CEO and creative director of independent Japanese studio UNSEEN and the developer behind the upcoming KEMURI, publicly invited Musk to visit the studio during Tokyo Game Show. "Hello @elonmusk," Nakamura wrote on X. "A bit nervous to ask this publicly, but - 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." Nakamura added that there was something concerning UNSEEN that she wanted to discuss privately with Musk. That was apparently enough to send Kotaku into a full-blown meltdown. In an article headlined "Ikumi Nakamura Breaks Fans' Hearts By Asking Elon Musk To Play Her Demon-Hunting Action Game," Kotaku writer Ash Parrish didn't merely criticize Nakamura's decision or explain why some people might object to Musk. Instead, the article immediately descended into political invective. Kotaku doesn't even pretend this is straight reporting. The subheadline beneath Parrish's story reads: "Her studio's hosting a closed testing event for Kemuri at Tokyo Game Show and she wants the Na*i to try it out I guess." That is something Kotaku actually published beneath the headline of what is ostensibly a gaming news article. The opening sentence isn't much better. "What a terrible day to love quirky Japanese video game developers and have eyes," it says. Parrish then describes Musk as a "fraudulent gamer" before explaining the completely unremarkable event supposedly necessitating this tirade: Nakamura invited Musk to visit her studio and play her game. This isn't reporting on backlash surrounding Nakamura's invitation. It's just the writer actively participating in - and seemingly attempting to amplify - that backlash. And it gets considerably worse. Kotaku makes extraordinary claims about Elon Musk. Parrish later attempts to explain why Nakamura might remember Musk differently from Kotaku's current characterization of him. The pair had previously crossed paths at The Game Awards in 2019, something Nakamura referenced with a small comic accompanying her invitation. Parrish writes: "It's worth noting that 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." Kotaku isn't quoting somebody accusing Musk of being a white supremacist. Parrish isn't writing that critics have described him that way. The article simply declares Musk a "full-blown white supremacist." There is not "opinion" tag associated with the article that Geeks and Gamers, LLC could find. Shortly afterward, Parrish writes that commenters attempted to warn Nakamura that she was "asking for help from a documented racist." Again, this characterization is simply presented as fact. Whatever anyone thinks about Elon Musk, calling someone a "Na*i," "full-blown white supremacist," and "documented racist" represents an extraordinary escalation beyond reporting that people disagree with his politics. Kotaku should be prepared to substantiate those assertions. The article itself certainly doesn't do much of that work. Nakamura's actual response makes Kotaku's meltdown look even more ridiculous. Nakamura wasn't announcing Musk as the creative director of KEMURI. She wasn't endorsing his political views. She wasn't campaigning for him. She invited a famous technology executive who has repeatedly and publicly discussed video games to play her video game. When one disappointed commenter responded to Nakamura, she explained why she was interested in meeting him. "Aww, that's disappointing. I was actually planning to find out whether he's genuinely the same kind of 'OTAKU' as us...," Nakamura wrote. That's it. Apparently, even curiosity is unacceptable now. Parrish responds to Nakamura's explanation by writing: "It doesn't matter if he is; leave that man alone, please, we're begging you sis." This is supposed to be journalism? Nakamura doesn't need Kotaku's permission. There's another element of this story worth considering. Nakamura is a Japanese developer running an independent Tokyo-based game studio. UNSEEN describes itself as a studio built around pursuing ideas outside the traditional boundaries of the industry. Nakamura has worked on games including Ōkami, Bayonetta, The Evil Within, and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Now Nakamura is leading an independent studio attempting to launch its first major original project. Why, exactly, should Nakamura's professional relationships be dictated by the political sensibilities of a Kotaku writer? That's the strange entitlement sitting underneath the entire article. Parrish isn't merely telling readers that some fans are disappointed. The writer personally declares Nakamura's decision "troubling," lectures the developer about Musk, and ultimately tells Nakamura to "leave that man alone." It's ideological gatekeeping masquerading as video game coverage. The implication is unmistakable: there are people Nakamura is permitted to associate with and people Nakamura isn't, and Kotaku apparently believes it has standing to help determine the difference. This is what Kotaku has become. There was an actual gaming story here. Ikumi Nakamura invited Elon Musk to visit UNSEEN during Tokyo Game Show and potentially play KEMURI. Given Musk's enormous public profile and his highly publicized interest in gaming, that could have been covered as an interesting industry interaction. Kotaku instead transformed it into an excuse for a political tantrum. The resulting article calls Musk a "Na*i," a "full-blown white supremacist," a "documented racist," and a "fraudulent gamer," while treating Nakamura's willingness to interact with him as some heartbreaking betrayal requiring intervention. Readers can decide what they think of Elon Musk and whether Nakamura inviting him was a smart promotional move. They can even decide they don't want to purchase KEMURI because of it. That's their prerogative. But journalists are supposed to provide readers with information necessary to reach those conclusions themselves. What Kotaku published instead is a writer reaching the conclusion first, treating that conclusion as unquestionable fact, and scolding a Japanese game developer for failing to share it. How do you feel about this Kotaku meltdown about Elon Musk? Sound off and let Geeks and Gamers, LLC know! Marvin Montanaro is the Managing Editor of Geeks + Gamers and the Editor-in-Chief of That Park Place. He's a seasoned entertainment journalist with nearly two decades of experience across multiple digital media outlets and print publications whose work has been cited in Forbes, Breitbart, and by the U.S. Federal Government.He joined That Park Place in 2024 and Geeks + Gamers in 2025, bringing with him a passion for theme parks, pop culture, and film commentary.Based in Orlando, Florida, Marvin is the creative force behind the Tooney Town TV YouTube channel, where he appears as his satirical alter ego, Marvin the Movie Monster.Montanaro's insights are rooted in years of real-world reporting and editorial leadership.He can be reached via email at [email protected] SOCIAL MEDIA: X: http://x.com/marvinmontanaro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvinmontanaro Facebook: https://facebook.com/marvinmontanaroEmail: [email protected]