Kotaro Uchikoshi: canceled game project after 1.5 years costs him his job
Kotaro Uchikoshi says on X that a game his team worked on for about 1.5 years was suddenly canceled, costing him his job.
- In the same post, he says he lost his job “overnight.”
- Kotaku reports that Uchikoshi founded studio Crash Keys in March 2025, focused on game design, direction, and narrative writing.
What happened
Kotaro Uchikoshi, known for Zero Escape and The Hundred Line, posted on X on October 14, 2026 that an unreleased game his entire team had been working on for about 1.5 years had been canceled. In the post cited by Kotaku, he says he is “not doing well at all” and that he lost his job “overnight.” The available sources do not name the project, the publisher, or the reason for the cancellation.
The tweet came from his English-language account, @Uchikoshi_Eng. In it, Uchikoshi describes the cancellation as a “bolt from the blue.” That makes clear he is directly linking the fallout to the scrapped project, but it remains unclear whether he was formally employed, how large the team was, or what studio structure was behind it.
Kotaku previously reported that Uchikoshi founded a new studio called Crash Keys in March 2025. According to that report, the studio was meant to focus on game design, direction, and narrative writing. Kotaku also said the original plan was to announce the studio alongside the canceled game in 2027.
Timeline
March 2025 — Kotaku reports that Kotaro Uchikoshi founded Crash Keys.
March 2025 — According to Kotaku, Crash Keys focuses on game design, direction, and narrative writing.
October 14, 2026 — Uchikoshi posts on X that a game was canceled after about 1.5 years of development.
October 14, 2026 — In the same post, Uchikoshi says he lost his job because of the cancellation.
October 14, 2026 — Kotaku reports that the studio and the game were originally planned to be announced together in 2027.
2025-03 — Kotaku reports the founding of Crash Keys by Kotaro Uchikoshi.
2026-10-14 — Uchikoshi says on X that a game from his team was canceled after about 1.5 years of development.
2026-10-14 — Uchikoshi says he lost his job because of the cancellation.
2027 — According to Kotaku, the plan was to announce Crash Keys and the game in this year.
Background
Kotaro Uchikoshi is a Japanese game director and writer best known for story-driven games and visual novels. In the provided context, he is linked to the Infinity and Zero Escape series, as well as The Hundred Line. The sources do not name the canceled project or provide a platform, publisher, or genre.
The available information does confirm that Crash Keys was founded in March 2025 and that, according to Kotaku, the studio was looking for work or investment opportunities. It is not confirmed whether the studio has a new project now. It also remains unclear how many people were directly affected by the cancellation, since Uchikoshi only refers to “our whole team” without giving a number.