Latest news with #KotakeCreate
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NEON Picks Up Movie Based on Surreal Japanese Horror Game
NEON Picks Up Movie Based on Surreal Japanese Horror Game originally appeared on GameDaily. The Exit 8 might not be a game that's widely known to gaming fans, but it is beloved by gamers who have played it. It's from Japanese development Kotake Create and is essentially a walking simulator about being trapped in an underground passageway and trying to figure out how to escape by observing your surroundings. The game is very surreal and features elements of horror. This led to Genki Kawamura directing a feature film version of the game. The film is set to release in Japan on August 29. Luckily, American fans will eventually get a chance to see the film. NEON, the studio behind Parasite and Longlegs, has acquired the North American distribution rights for Exit 8. There isn't a set release date for the film in North America, but it is said to be coming out early next year. NEON has a fantastic track record when it comes to horror movies, so Exit 8 might be one of the better video game adaptations to come out. Exit 8 may not have been one of the games that translated well to film, but the fact that NEON is involved bodes well for the movie's quality. Here's hoping it can be better than the disappointing Until Dawn movie we got this year. This story was originally reported by GameDaily on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Time Out
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Film adaptation of cult indie game ‘The Exit 8' due for release in late August
Gamers and horror movie buffs alike are gearing up for the release of one of this summer's most interesting-looking Japanese flicks: Exit 8, the film adaptation of the cult indie game The Exit 8. The original game, released in May 2023, quickly developed a huge following. Transcending language barriers with its use of psychological tension and the liminal space aesthetic, it's since received millions of downloads globally as well as numerous awards, and spawned a genre of 'Exit 8-likes'. For the uninitiated, here's a quick intro. In The Exit 8, players must navigate their way through a seemingly endless Tokyo subway corridor, spotting 'anomalies' along the way. As the rules of the game state, 'Do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you see an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don't, continue forward. Only leave through Exit 8.' Armed with a simple premise and minimalist gameplay, the game has enthralled a legion of fans for its ability to incite paranoia, claustrophobia and introspection. Its creator, the enigmatic Kotake Create, has since gone on to become a freelance developer and produce a popular sequel entitled Platform 8. Typically straying from public attention, Kotake Create has remained fairly stoic about his success, but has admitted that he's happy his idea has pioneered a genre. The film adaptation has already garnered rave reviews from critics. Screened to a sold-out crowd of 2,300 during the Cannes Festival's coveted Midnight Screening programme in May, it received a – perhaps not coincidental – eight-minute standing ovation. Genki Kawamura oversaw the writing, production and direction of the film, which was shot primarily on set in Tokyo. Perhaps best known for his novel If Cats Disappeared from the World, Kawamura has also produced a number of films, including Monster (2023) and animated features like Your Name (2016), Weathering With You (2019) and Suzume (2022). Exit 8 's protagonist, Lost Man, is played by Kazunari Ninomiya, at 42 still going strong as a member of the boy band Arashi while continuing an acting career that includes films such as Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Gantz (2010) and Assassination Classroom (2015). Nana Komatsu (The World of Kanako (2014), Destruction Babies (2016), Silence (2016) and Drowning Love (2016)) will costar, while the breakout fan favourite from the videogame, Walking Man, will be played by Yamato Kochi, known mainly for minor roles in Japanese television series such as Kyo Kara Hittoman, Vivant and Antiohero. Despite its relatively minimalist source material, the film has in early reviews been praised for its creativity and complexity, with some critics already calling it 'possibly the best video game adaptation ever made' (Josh Korngut, Dread Central). The film's poster also won the Prix Luciole Award for best poster design at Cannes. Exit 8 is due for release in Japan on August 29, with an international release set to follow in September. Toho Cinemas will be hosting a special pre-release IMAX screening in Hibiya on August 8, complete with a live post-screening greeting from Kazunari Ninomiya. In addition, advance screenings featuring a live broadcast of Ninomiya's greeting will take place simultaneously in eight other cinemas across the country. You can check out the latest teaser below and follow the film's official website and Instagram for updates. More from Time Out Tokyo
Tokyo Weekender
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Horror Game Exit 8's Movie Adaptation Becomes Cannes Film Festival Hit
What started as a viral indie game with 1.4 million downloads worldwide has transformed into one of the most talked-about films at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Exit 8 , a Japanese horror film adaptation, was officially selected for the prestigious Midnight Screening section and received an eight-minute standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of 2,300 viewers. From Indie Game to Cannes-worthy Cinema The original 'The Exit 8' game, created by Kotake Create, presents players with a deceptively simple premise: navigate an endless underground passage in Japan while following cryptic guidance to detect 'abnormalities.' If you spot something wrong, turn back. If everything seems normal, keep moving toward the elusive 8th exit. The game's genius lies in its psychological tension — each loop through the mundane subway corridor becomes increasingly unsettling as players question their own perception, all while stuck in an infinite loop riddled with danger at every corner. But rather than relying on jumpscares, the game instills fear by slowly suffocating the player in a looping, liminal space, lined with endless subway advertisements and haunted by the fleeting presence of a strange passerby who lingers disturbingly in the uncanny valley. Starring Kazunari Ninomiya from the soon-to-disband group Arashi and co-star Nana Komatsu, the Japanese game was transformed into a film under Genki Kawamura, renowned for writing the novels and directing the film adaptation s for If Cats Disappeared From The World and Okuotoko . The award-winning poster for the Exit 8 film depicts star Kazunari Ninomiya overlayed by the number '8' The Midnight Screening Cannes section, traditionally reserved for genre-bending and experimental films, provided the perfect platform for this unique adaptation, while the movie's poster even won the 'Prix Luciole' award for best poster design among Cannes submissions. An alternate poster for the film adaptation of Exit 8, starring Kochi Yamato as the eerie passerby Coming to Screens This Summer Exit 8 will be released in Japanese theaters on August 29, 2025, following its successful Cannes premiere. If you can't wait for the film release, you can experience the original game on Steam , the Android and Apple app stores, or through various gaming platforms like Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out the Exit 8 Official Japanese website and follow the film's official Instagram account at @exit8_movie for more updates. Related Posts 6 Japanese and Japan-inspired Indie Horror Games to Spook Out To Japan's Golden Legacy at the Cannes Film Festival Chie Hayakawa's Renoir Competes for Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival 2025
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Exit 8's director and star on turning the video game into a thrilling film
When Japanese video game company Kotake Create published The Exit 8 in 2023, it became an instant cult hit. Initially released on Steam, and later on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S, Android and iOS, this walking simulator was an utter original. Players find themselves in a Japanese metro subway passageway stuck in an endless loop as they try to figure out clues on how to remove themselves from the hellish trap. It is hard to imagine how this might be adapted into a movie. But that did not stop director Genki Kawamura, whose adaptation of the game has just premiered in the Midnight Screenings strand at the Cannes Film Festival, ahead of a planned August Director Genki Kawamura attends the photocall for Exit 8 at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: EPA-EFE
Tatler Asia
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
5 Asian films making their debut at Cannes Film Festival 2025
'A Pale View of Hills' (Ishikawa Kei) Above A still from 'A Pale View of Hills' (Photo: IMDB) Kei Ishikawa brings to life the first novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro; the film is the third of Ishiguro's books to be adapted for the screen, joining The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go . The story focuses on Japanese widow Etsuko, who is shown as living in England and navigating her experience of loss and war after leaving a shattered post-war Nagasaki. Ishiguro is an executive producer on the film and has publicly praised Ishikawa's poignant screenplay. The piece will premiere in the Un Certain Regard section this week and is set for wider release in the summer, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. 'Homebound' (Neeraj Ghaywan) Above Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter plays a lead role in 'Homebound' Ten years after his Cannes debut with the award-winning Masaan, filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan is returning to the French film festival. Homebound tells the story of childhood friends who pursue a police job that they believe will provide them with an essential sense of dignity and status. The narrative explores themes of friendship and survival, when the pair's bond is threatened as they inevitably clash due to their own desperation. Martin Scorsese joined the movie as an executive producer and went on to say that Ghaywan had crafted a significant contribution to Indian cinema. The piece will premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. 'Resurrection' (Bi Gan) Above Chinese star Jackson Yee stars in Bi Gan's 'Resurrection' Resurrection marks Gan's first entry into the festival's Official Competition, after his feature Long Day's Journey into Night premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in 2018. The film is set in 2068 and follows the life of a woman who becomes trapped in a surreal state, in which she stumbles upon the remains of an android. After developing a connection with the android through storytelling, she must decide whether to return to the real world or stay with her newfound companion. The piece will premiere in the Official Competition and is set for wider release later this year by early 2026. 'The Exit 8' (Genki Kawamura) Above Kazunari Ninomiya in 'The Exit 8' Renowned Japanese filmmaker Genki Kawamura takes a step further into the world of psychological storytelling in his latest venture. The Exit 8 is a live-action adaptation of the 2023 horror game The Exit 8 by Kotake Create; the game features looping corridors and a series of subtle differences. The movie will continue with this story, in which a trapped man will have to navigate through what appears to be an endless tunnel in order to find 'Exit 8', and must return back to the beginning should he spot any anomalies. The surreal piece is highly anticipated by the game's users looking forward to a new take on the game's intense premise. The piece will premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival and is set for wider release from August 29, 2025.
