Categories
News

Harvest Moon: Mad Dash Demo Arrives!

If you haven’t already taken the dive into the world of frantic farming, now is the perfect time to take our newest puzzling addition to the Harvest Moon franchise for a spin!

That’s right – a new demo has arrived for Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, exclusively on Nintendo Switch!

You can download this demo beginning today right from the eShop on your Switch. Search for Mad Dash by name, or check out the list of games with demos.

Happy dashing!

Categories
Cosmic Defenders Natsume Indies News

Cosmic Defenders Release Date

Are you ready to save the universe? We hope so, because Cosmic Defenders now has an official release date of April 28th!

Our first title under the Natsume Indie Program, which partners the company with independent developers around the world to introduce creative, innovative games to a wider audience!

Cosmic Defenders is a 2D fast-paced revolving shooter about a group of unconventional heroes using the power of nature to stop chaotic aliens from taking over the universe. Cooperate with other guardians, protect the galaxy from the wicked, and restore peace in three game modes: story mode, survival mode, and versus mode.

Did you know?  Cosmic Defenders comes from a one-man dev hailing from Venezuela! We’re also launching the game worldwide – North America, PAL territories, and Japan too~

MULTIPLE GAMEPLAY MODS

  • Story mode introduces the Cosmic Defenders as they fight against a group of aliens that want to steal the Tree of Life, a sacred tree that maintains the balance in the universe. Players can advance through over 96 levels, each with unique challenges and ways to play.
  • Survival mode lets players enjoy new levels every time they play to collect coins to purchase outfits with skill buffs.
  • Versus mode lets players compete against each other, rather than aliens, because Defenders need to train too!

We’ll be revealing plenty of info and screenshots for Cosmic Defenders prior to its launch next month on April 28th! Be sure you’re watching Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and right here on our Community blog for plenty of sneak peeks.

Interested in learning more about the Natsume Indies program? Click here!

Categories
News

Natsume and COVID-19

Hello to all our fans all around the world!

We know you’re probably a little tired of hearing what companies are doing in regards to the current world health situation, so we’ll keep this short and sweet (and include a lot of cat pics) 😉

First and foremost, all the Natsume staff is healthy and working from home, though sometimes having fuzzy coworkers can be a little troublesome!

California is currently under shelter-in-place, but this will not drastically affect our work, and we continue to commit to our motto of “Make Everyone Happy!” even in sad times.

Our coworkers are a little furrier, but they’re oh, SO helpful in helping us get done everything we’d normally do at the office!

While we’re supportive of the cancellation of many industry events like E3 and other conventions, we’re sad not to connect fans and the press from far and wide who come to see our booth every year. But we’re also looking forward to many exciting announcements in the coming months.

If you haven’t heard the news, Harvest Moon: Mad Dash has arrived on iOS and Android!

We’re also excited for fans to get to play Cosmic Defenders when it launches in the near future on Nintendo Switch.

We’ll be updating our Community site with all sorts of interesting news, screenshots, announcements, and trivia! We wish everyone the best of health during this stressful time, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts on our upcoming 2020 lineup.

PS: These aren’t multiple photos of the same kitty. Between all the Natsume staffers, we have four black cats!

We hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures of all our adorable bewhiskered co-workers.

Categories
News

Retail Release Dates

We know our fans are amazing — you can’t wait to hear all the exciting news for an upcoming title or pre-order a game releasing in the near future.

This is just a little reminder that unless a release date comes from us (that is, right here on our Community blog, or on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts), it is not an official date.

Retailers use filler dates, or guesstimates, to list upcoming titles — this is why you see many games as releasing on December 31st, 2020, but other times they’ll simply pick the first Tuesday of a month and use that.

So remember, if you see a date on a website, double check with us! We only announce release dates close to a title’s actual launch. This is especially true during the current global health crisis, as we truly do not enjoy having to push back a release date due to the additional time required for ratings and game approval.

Categories
News

Wikipedia: A Confusing Source of Info

We see a lot of mix-ups around this, so here’s a quick PSA:

There are THREE companies named Natsume.
They are ALL lumped together on Wikipedia.
But they’re not all the same company.

  1. Natsume Co Ltd (Natsume-Atari) is a company distinct and separate. They used to make solely console games; Natsume Inc localized some of them. They develop a lot of licensed titles for other companies, such as Bandai Namco.
  2. Natsume Inc USA (Natsume) is a company distinct and separate from Natsume-Atari. It is not the US branch of Natsume Co Ltd; it is independently owned and operated.
  3. Natsume Inc Japan (Natsume Japan) is owned by Natsume Inc USA. Yes, you read that right – a US company owns a Japanese branch 🙂 This is where games like Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing are made.
Categories
News

RT to Win! Official Rules

1. Contests open with the first “Follow us and RT this” posting, and end when each tweet notes.  Times are always indicated in the Pacific Time Zone (GMT-8) unless explicitly noted.  Late, misdirected, and ineligible entries are not accepted.

2. Winners will be contacted within 24 hours of each “RT to win” end time.  Winners must be following the @Natsume_Inc Twitter and be capable of receiving a Direct Message (DM); entrants who do not automatically, without notification, forfeit their prize and it will be re-distributed.  Digital prize winners must respond within two (2) days or the prize will be forfeit and redistributed; physical prize winners must respond within seven (7) days or the prize will be forfeit and redistributed.

3. RT to win contests are open to individuals 16 or older except where prohibited by law; the onus is on the entrant to know local regulations, but this generally excludes any region or country which requires a skill-testing question to receive a prize or other qualification (including Québec and Puerto Rico).  Sorry, bug your lawmakers!

4. Prizes will be awarded as-is; no substitutes will be offered. No delivery estimate is guaranteed.  Prizes will be restricted to specific regions as follows:

  • For Nintendo Switch games, including eShop: USA & Canada, unless specifically noted otherwise, such as “Open to Europe and Australia/New Zealand”
  • For PSN games: Owners of a US PSN Account, unless otherwise noted, such as “Open to both North America and Europe” 
  • For Steam games: Owners of a Steam Account.
  • For physical prizes, including plushies: USA & Canada, unless otherwise noted.

5. All contest decisions are at the discretion of Natsume Inc., and are final.  Contest rules may be edited at any time at the discretion of Natsume Inc.

6. Employees of Natsume, their partners and their families, are not eligible for a prize.