Dawngazer, a new action RPG from Unicorn Overlord director Takafumi Noma, is planned for 2028 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, Monochrome Corp. and Good Smile Company announced on September 25, 2026 in a joint press release and a teaser video. It is the first game in Ignisphere, a new fantasy universe that also names Noma’s studio inside Monochrome, with Good Smile Company publishing. Noma added more detail in on-record interviews with Famitsu and Dengeki Online.
What Was Announced
Noma left Vanillaware in March 2025, according to his profile in an interview he gave jointly to Dengeki Online and Famitsu, which the press release points to. The name joins the Latin “ignis” (fire) with “sphere,” and in the interview he describes a world of 12 nations, each with its own race and its own “fire,” from a harpy nation to a sea kingdom with jellyfish girls and a shrimp martial artist.
The release also confirms:
- Music by Yoshimi Kudo, whose credits include Unicorn Overlord and Elden Ring. Kudo composed the teaser’s theme.
- Languages: Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
- More than games. Good Smile Company handles merchandise such as figures, and several light novels are in development with KADOKAWA’s Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint.
- News channel: the official Ignisphere account on X opened on announcement day. There is no store page or official website yet.
What Noma Said About Dawngazer
The hero is a man who failed to protect the royal family of Pyros, the nation at the center of the map that shares its fire with the others. Noma told Famitsu and Dengeki that each run is fairly short and that there are many endings: party members change the story, and only the hero can use the power of fire to repeat the fight, gathering information to get closer to the truth.
He said most of the more than 20 characters in the teaser can join your party, and that he chose action over Unicorn Overlord’s strategy format partly because animating that game’s huge cast was so demanding. The art is 2D, which he called a deliberate strength of a team that has worked in 2D for years.
What This Means for Players
This is a long wait, and plans this early can change, so treat the details above as intentions rather than promises. If you loved Unicorn Overlord, the closest thing you can play now is Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Our best RPGs of 2026 and best Switch 2 games of 2026 lists cover what to play in the meantime, and Atlus, Unicorn Overlord’s publisher, has Persona 4 Revival on the way.
Source: Monochrome Corp. and Good Smile Company, joint press release and teaser video, September 25, 2026; director Takafumi Noma, interviewed by Dengeki Online and Famitsu, September 25, 2026.