Good Smile Company started streaming a trailer for it and developer Chime Corporation's Patlabor the Case Files, a new 3D action game based on the iconic Patlabor franchise, revealing a September 17 release date.
The game will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, supporting Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean languages. International pre-orders are currently available.
The game's official Steam page describes the premise: 'Labors. The generic term for robots developed for industrial use. Widely adopted in construction and civil engineering, crimes involving Labors rapidly increased. The Metropolitan Police Department established the Special Vehicle Section 2 Patrol Labor Squadron to counter this threat. Thus the "Patlabor" was born.'
The title features multiple missions and side missions told from both hero and adversary perspectives, featuring over 20 distinct Labors with scenes directly inspired by the anime. Significantly, three members of the franchise's creative unit HEADGEAR supervised core elements: Yutaka Izubuchi for mecha mechanics, Kazunori Itō for the script, and Akemi Takada for character animation.
The original HEADGEAR creative team consists of director Mamoru Oshii, scriptwriter Kazunori Itō, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Akemi Takada, and manga creator Masami Yuuki. The legendary franchise has spanned multiple OVAs, television series, and theatrical films, with the upcoming Patlabor EZY anime project also scheduled for theatrical releases running through March 2027.
