Game creator Kotaro Uchikoshi, who has produced numerous adventure games such as the “ZERO ESCAPE” series and the “AI: Somnium Files” series.On October 15, 2026, he announced his new company, “CRASH KEYS,” but behind this announcement lay the difficult circumstances of the sudden cancellation of a project he had been working on.
The company itself was established in March 2025, and it was originally planned to be unveiled alongside the new game in 2027. However, the cancellation of development completely changed those plans. Looking back on that time, Mr. Uchikoshi revealed that he found himself in such a difficult situation that he “was bedridden for three days and three nights.”
Why did he launch his own company while still employed at ToTokyo Games? And now that he’s facing these challenges, what kind of games is he aiming to create?Game*Spark recently interviewed Mr. Uchikoshi. He spoke candidly about his true intentions behind founding the new company, his relationship with Kazutake Odaka and others, the changes generative AI is bringing to game development, and his future outlook.
The Background Behind the Founding of CRASH KEYS and the Agony of Project Cancellation
――First, please introduce yourself and tell us about your current position and role.
Kotaro Uchikoshi (hereinafter, Uchikoshi): I’m Uchikoshi from CRASH KEYS. At CRASH KEYS, I handle game planning, direction, scenario development, and writing—work I’ve been involved in for nearly 30 years.
――I understand that CRASH KEYS was established in March 2025. Could you tell us what prompted you to launch the company at that time and the background behind it?
Uchikoshi: I’m currently employed at Tokyo Games, the company run by Kazutake Kodaka—who worked on the *Danganronpa* series—and my position there hasn’t changed. Tokyo Games is a truly great company and a comfortable place to work, but it inevitably carries a strong impression of being “Kodaka’s company.”Of course, Kodaka himself says it’s “everyone’s company,” but when we receive work requests from outside, they’re mostly from people who want to work with Kodaka. For those who want to work with me, the “Tokyo Games” name makes it harder to secure projects, so I decided I wanted to start my own company to manage my work independently.
Another reason is that Tokyo Games is truly full of geniuses. Led by Kodaka, there’s Rui Komatsuzaki and Masafumi Takada—and Kodaka, in particular, works in the same fields as me, such as direction and scenario writing.Having such a genius so close by really brought me down. Even though he’s younger than me, it felt like having a talented older brother constantly by my side. Being in that kind of environment made me grow weary of life; the brilliance of the geniuses around me was blinding, so I felt like I had to escape into the darkness.I chose March 2025 as the launch date because development of *HUNDRED LINE -Final Defense Academy-* (hereinafter *HUNDRED LINE*), which was released the following month (April 2025), had all wrapped up and things had settled down, and since the next project was just getting started, I thought it was the perfect timing to launch the company.
――You had previously posted that you originally planned to unveil the company in 2027 alongside the announcement of a new title. Could you explain the circumstances that led you to bring forward the announcement following the cancellation of the project?
Uchikoshi: As we’ve stated in our press release, on X, and in the announcement on our company website, it’s true that the project was canceled, and the revenue we were expecting a few months later has now dropped to zero. We realized we had to secure work in some form, so we wanted to announce our situation to be able to consult with acquaintances, widely solicit work opportunities, and discuss potential funding options.Since the company itself had already been established, we felt that bringing forward the announcement would, in a sense, create an impact, so we decided to make the announcement at this time.
――Regarding the canceled project, could you tell us—to the extent possible—what kind of project it was and how the cancellation affected the team?
Uchikoshi: I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss the details of the canceled project. On the day we found out it had been canceled, the core members went out for drinks. Since we didn’t know the specific circumstances, we listened to the explanation and discussed what had happened and where the problems lay. At first, including myself, we couldn’t quite accept it as reality; rather than feeling down, the atmosphere was one of mutual encouragement.
All I know firsthand is what happened at that moment; I don’t know exactly how the entire team took the news. However, from what I heard later, it seems everyone was quite downcast. The cancellation of this project was partly due to my own lack of planning skills, and I feel terribly sorry toward the team members.
――The official website lists three members, including Mr. Uchikoshi. How did Akira Mine and Muri Sasaki come to join CRASH KEYS?
Uchikoshi: First, regarding Akira Mine, we’ve known each other for over 10 years and had a relationship similar to that of drinking buddies or fellow writers. We’d also worked together on *HUNDRED LINE*, so I reached out to him when I started my company.I was the only one at the start, but Akira Mine joined later. As for Ms. Sasaki, since she’s here with us, let’s have her explain it herself.
Muri Sasaki: I started working with Mr. Uchikoshi after I was in charge of planning the escape segments for *ZERO ESCAPE: The Dilemma of Time*.Since then, I’ve been involved in planning the Somnium segments for every title in the *AI: Somnium Files* series. After going through some challenges at my previous job, I was thinking about my future when I consulted Mr. Uchikoshi—he invited me to join CRASH KEYS, and that’s how I came to be part of the team.
――Let’s dig a little deeper into the company. The name “CRASH KEYS” brings to mind the *Extreme Escape* series—could you tell us why you chose this name and what meaning you’ve imbued it with?
Uchikoshi: There are three main reasons. First, “CRASH KEYS” is the name of the organization founded by Akane Kurashiki, a character in the “ZERO ESCAPE” series. Personally, I think the Japanese title “Gokugen Datsushutsu” is kind of cheesy, so I’d prefer it to be called the “ZERO ESCAPE” series (laughs).I’ve long wanted to name my company after a fictional organization from one of my works, so I adopted it when I launched the company.
Second, it conveys the idea of breaking with convention—a concept that ties into our tagline, “There are doors that won’t open unless you use a broken key.” Third, it also carries the meaning of writing scenarios with such intensity that it’s like smashing a keyboard—much like the “Keyboard Crusher” internet meme from back in the day.
—Could you tell us a little more about the thoughts and vision behind the tagline, “There are doors that won’t open unless you use a broken key”?
Uchikoshi: To be precise, it means “There are locks that won’t open unless you use a broken key.” However, expressing it literally in Japanese isn’t part of everyday language and sounds a bit awkward, so for the tagline, we went with “There are doors that won’t open unless you use a broken key.”
As the phrase suggests, there are many doors in the world that cannot be opened by conventional means, and many problems that cannot be solved. Through creating games and stories, we want to confront these issues in our own unique way and open new doors.
――After seeing the announcement, some people might have thought you’d left Tokyo Games, Mr. Uchikoshi. I understand you actually launched the new company while still employed at Tokyo Games—could you tell us about your relationship with Mr. Odaka and the others, as well as how the two companies will coexist?
Uchikoshi: Odaka and I are still on great terms—we’re even close enough to have pajama parties together and drink bubble tea.Since I’m still with Tokyo Games, there’s a very good chance we’ll continue working together in the future—just because I’ve started my own company doesn’t mean our relationship is over. I launched CRASH KEYS while remaining at Tokyo Games, and I hope we can collaborate and work in a way that benefits both of us.
Mr. Uchikoshi’s Vision for New Game Development and the Potential of Generative AI
――You mentioned that you’ll be working on ideas and original works that aren’t bound by existing frameworks. What direction do you envision for these projects at this point, and how do you plan to bring your unique style to them?
Uchikoshi: Now that I’ve started my own company, I want to fully express my originality. At the same time, the game industry is undergoing major changes, and the way games are made will likely evolve, particularly due to advancements in AI. For example, while I’ve mainly created adventure games up until now, I think we’ll see an increase in titles made using methods different from traditional ones.We might see adventure games where players converse with AI, the AI thinks for itself, and players use verbal prompts to advance the story. If that happens, the way we write scenarios will naturally have to adapt to those new mechanics. No matter how games evolve, I want to take on new titles while still leveraging my signature strengths—such as clever twists and complex structures.
—Specifically, what kinds of titles would you like to take on?
Uchikoshi: For one thing, I’d like to return to my roots—not by discarding what I’ve cultivated so far, but by selecting the best elements as a culmination of my work and refining them further.I want to refine my existing techniques and develop them further to suit the modern era. At the same time, I’ve always had a desire to take on completely different challenges, such as pure love stories, gal games, or coming-of-age romance stories. In a sense, this might be a return to my roots, and I’d also like to create works focused on human drama—ones that have nothing to do with sci-fi or plot twists.
――You also mentioned AI earlier. What are your thoughts on the use of generative AI in game development?
Uchikoshi: This might come as a bombshell in the game industry, but I take a positive stance on generative AI. Some people have misinterpreted my post on X as me being against AI, but that’s not the case. Rather, what I meant to say was that if we’d been able to use AI, the situation might have been different.
Right now, there’s an atmosphere across the entire game industry that suggests we shouldn’t use AI at all, but in reality, there are situations where it’s appropriate to use it, and many people are already doing so. That’s why I think framing it as a simple binary choice—use it or don’t—is far too extreme. For example, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with humans coming up with the initial design or story concept, and then using AI as part of the process to bring it to life.It allows us to streamline production while maintaining originality, and if that efficiency leads to a shorter production cycle, it benefits players as well.
Suppose a creator releases a game only once every five years—users would surely be happy if it came out in half the time. Of course, this is on the condition that it’s not something the AI created on its own, but rather that it accurately recreates the world the creator envisioned… With that in mind, my view is that instead of reflexively rejecting AI, we should discuss the matter a bit more. I’d like for us all to think about this together.
CRASH KEYS’ Future and a Message to Fans
――Next, regarding funding, what kind of partners is CRASH KEYS looking for? Is there anything you’d like to convey to potential investors?
Uchikoshi: I feel a bit hesitant to be the one soliciting investors, but I really want to work with people who love Uchikoshi’s works. If there are people who say they like our games, we can move forward with development as a team—through repeated meetings and refinements—and I believe we can create an interesting game. Ideally, I’m looking for partners who can actually work with us to create the game, not just provide funding.
――You’ve been actively seeking work on X as well. Are there any specific types of projects or collaborations you’d particularly welcome? Are you considering work other than major titles to help sustain your team?
Uchikoshi: Thankfully, we’ve been receiving job offers from a variety of sources. While we’re moving forward with those projects, our long-term goal is to create original works.You could say this is a time for us to persevere—a run-up period to take a big leap forward. Regardless of the project’s nature, I hope to bring our ideas together with those who commission us and create works while elevating each other. I believe this will result in projects with a synergistic effect, so please feel free to reach out.
――The official website features text and ciphered messages reminiscent of the “ZERO ESCAPE” series, and some fans speculated right after its launch that these might be puzzle elements. Was this included just for fun? Or is there a connection to your future projects?
Uchikoshi: The story on the site about the project being canceled and the fact that we’re looking for work are both true, but I’m not really sure about the cipher myself. Maybe someone hacked the site. Or maybe it was hacked during the PHP incident? (laughs)
――You mentioned that CRASH KEYS’ next projects will be announced sequentially as preparations are finalized. When do you anticipate that will be?
Uchikoshi: I think it’ll be around next spring. Depending on the situation, we might be able to unveil it even sooner.
—I imagine many fans were surprised by the sudden announcement of CRASH KEYS’ formation and the project’s cancellation. Finally, could you share a message for those fans and tell them what they can look forward to in the future?
Uchikoshi: Honestly, it was one of the three toughest situations I’ve ever faced in my life.Since announcing the formation of CRASH KEYS, I’ve been receiving work offers, but when the decision to cancel the project was made, I was bedridden for three days and three nights—I couldn’t bring myself to do anything, and I was so depressed that the world seemed to turn black and white. However, thanks to the warm words of encouragement from all of you fans, I was somehow able to pull myself together. I’m truly grateful.
Next, I hope to show you a “Kotaro Uchikoshi” who has grown and matured, and I have a strong desire to create new works together with all of you. It’s not confirmed yet, but we’re considering a crowdfunding campaign, and if it happens, I think it will take the form of creating the game together with our fans, so I’d be happy if you could look forward to that.
――Thank you very much.
