The long-delayed shooter may have a second chance despite its cancellation at M2.
Ikaruga creator Hiroshi Iuchi says development on his long-awaited shooter Ubusuna isn’t over despite its recent cancellation at M2, revealing that discussions with other companies are already underway to continue development.
In a July 8 update posted to his personal website, Iuchi confirmed his departure from M2 and shared details about what led to Ubusuna leaving the studio after more than 12 years in development.
The update comes shortly after M2 announced that Iuchi would be leaving the company and that Ubusuna would no longer be developed there. However, Iuchi says he wished the announcement had been delayed.
According to Iuchi, his departure had already been finalized by the end of 2025, and discussions with other companies about Ubusuna’s future had already begun. While no agreement had been reached at the time, he felt there was little need to announce the project’s cancellation before a new development path had been secured, suggesting M2 may have wanted to address the situation before upcoming events.
Fortunately for fans, Iuchi hasn’t given up on Ubusuna.
Because the game’s original concept and system design were created by Iuchi before being brought to M2, he personally retains ownership of those elements. This means the core concept behind Ubusuna can continue elsewhere, even though the assets created during M2’s development belong to the company.
Those assets, including artwork and other production materials, would need to be properly licensed or recreated if development resumes under a new arrangement.
According to Iuchi, this is actually the third or fourth time Ubusuna has stalled since he originally conceived the project around 2006. However, this is the first time development has stopped after the game had progressed this far.
He also addressed speculation that surfaced following the cancellation. Contrary to claims that Ubusuna suffered from fundamental design issues or pressure from following Ikaruga, Iuchi says the biggest challenge was the lack of consistent development time.
The team was frequently pulled away to help with other projects, causing work on Ubusuna to stop for extended periods. Each time development resumed, additional time was needed to rebuild momentum.
Iuchi also acknowledged that the team’s approach to quality contributed to the lengthy development. After being encouraged to take the time necessary to create the game he wanted, he admits he continued pushing for improvements without establishing a clear endpoint.
After years of interruptions, he compared the situation to a small team attempting to create a large-scale 3D shooter without the usual resources or experience required for that type of project.
Even so, Iuchi remains confident in Ubusuna itself.
He said the game’s core concept has not changed since 2006 and that, after playing the current build, he believes it is enjoyable and potentially more approachable than Ikaruga.
Following the cancellation, external graphics artist Kususaga Rin suggested seeking outside funding to continue development. Kususaga also offered to handle the business side of those efforts, and Iuchi says additional people have stepped forward to help keep the project alive.
Iuchi had also considered continuing development independently with his wife, who serves as Ubusuna’s main programmer, saying the two had reached a point where they had the skills and environment needed to create games on their own.
Thanks to Kususaga’s efforts, discussions with interested companies are now underway, though Iuchi cautions that nothing has been finalized yet.
For now, Ubusuna remains in an uncertain position—but unlike just a few days ago, its future no longer looks quite as bleak.