State of Drillimation: Winter 2026

2025 was a year filled with challenge for not only ourselves at home, but the rest of the world. We had a significant misstep that spring, but we will nonetheless continue with perseverance.

Monthly Update Cards of 2025

The above gallery shows all the Monthly Update cards from every month in 2025. Things are changing at Drillimation again and below is each card explained:

• January: Same as last year but used the Sugimori-inspired art direction.
• February: Chinese New Year did not fall in February that year, so it was Driller and Kagami back to formal attire. This was also the last card to use VRoid for the character models.
• March: Same as last year but again used the Sugimori-inspired art direction. This is also the last one to use said style.
• April: Moved away from using that art style in favor of a ZUN-inspired one.
• May: Same thing as last year but this time using the ZUN-inspired one.
• June: Took a different approach. Went back to using a 90s-inspired look. Driller and Kagami were put in racing suits because Mario Kart World, along with the Nintendo Switch 2, launched that month.
• July: Driller was given a happi. Was inspired to do it after seeing Mario in such costume in Mario Kart World.
• August: Driller and Kagami in their regular outfits in what appears to be an empty conference room where Anime Fest is generally held. I only got to exhibit at one Anime Fest that year because it was replaced with Pokékon. The same could be said for March and August of this year.
• September: Returned to ZUN-inspired looks.
• October: Went a different route by putting Driller and Kagami in Rococo-inspired outfits. This was to commemorate the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which launched that month.
• November: Same thing as last year, but this time they’re now in Paris. Also adopted a new color palette.
• December: Same thing as last year, but now in ZUN-style. Driller also received a new outfit.

What Were Your Achievements in 2025, and What are Your Goals for 2026?

Greetings to you all. I do have to say that time flies by fast, and we’ve already entered yet another year. Over the past year, we have journeyed through four seasons. From winter at the start and end, to the summer in the middle, every touching and unforgettable moment showed how extraordinary of a year we’ve had.

We have proactively responded to the impacts that the worldwide tariffs have had on us at home and abroad. We adopted a full change to make sure we have solid gains in pursuing our development plans. We’re currently in the process of trying to rebound after the disastrous launch of Touhou Chouhatsuyou ~ Burgeoning Tresses of Longevity back in March. Coordinated development across different landscapes has allowed us to find the solutions for what we did wrong. If we wanted a more beautiful future to unfold, we had to make some changes to character designs.

We fostered new ideas to create a game in a genre we had never explored extensively. New ideas and characters have kept emerging. For the first time in five years, we produced a spiritual successor to our most popular game, the Touhou 1: The Highly Responsive to Prayers NES Demake. Despite what the critics may say, artificial intelligence has become our friend when we need ideas to use as a basis for creating a new work. AI-generated images won’t make our skills any better. Shining Shattering Sky ~ Reverie of Breaking Unreality was developed to revive a project that had been on the shelves for four and a half years. The Kirisame Dynasty Saga of Mythos of Phantasmagoria has already been completed, concluding the Chuhou Joutai origin story.

Over the past year, we visited multiple locations across America, including the Midwest, the deserts of New Mexico, and of course, the deep south tropical lands of Florida. Across the country and globe, I’ve seen how our players enjoy our games. We’ve passed our passions from generation to generation, and saw how everyone in America, regardless of their ancestral origins, lives in harmony as one family. The concerns about our jobs and wages, caring for our kids and the elderly, education, and health are always on our minds.

Over the summer, we were greeted with a brand new game console from Nintendo, and we raced to the return of Rainbow Road by demonstrating our performance, vigor, and confidence. And then that autumn, we Pokémon trainers returned to Paris for a new Legends adventure. Outside of that, when floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters strike, we step forward in our relief efforts by sticking to one mind and helping out the victims. People in all fields, including workers, builders, entrepreneurs, and others work hard to fulfill their dreams. These honors are handed to every hard-working person who lives up to their responsibilities.

In a constantly transforming world, every major country is responsible for actively promoting development, solidarity, and cooperation. For us, we want to make deeper and substantive advances in our projects. With deep affection, we look back at every change that occurs to us ever since the birth of Drillimation. I engrave myself in the hearts of all of our players. We will march forward in great strides to advance our reform and open up as new trends take hold this year. There are broader prospects we will surely embrace.

In 2026, we will develop a new Touhou Project fangame that will hopefully be the best it can be and not a retelling of what we made last year. We will implement more proactive plans as we pursue its development by promoting greater self-reliance in the technology we use. We face some new challenges including uncertainties in what will be in the game. Our external environments and pressure from external factors can transform old growth into new ones.

Out of everything that’s in front of us, we want to ensure a happy life is important. Every family hopes their children can have a good and successful education, their seniors can enjoy what is left on the table, and foster the opportunities for the youngsters. Every wish confers aspiration for a traditional life. We will work together to improve social undertakings and governance, build a harmonious and inclusive atmosphere, and settle the biggest problems, big or small. This year, we must bring more smiles to our players and greater warmth to their hearts.

When Studio Emiko debuted Ciel Chandelleur, Emiko Hosokawa made progress and new changes in how we develop our games. Despite the setbacks from Burgeoning Tresses of Longevity, we will unswervingly find a way to new directorial opportunities in the future and not repeat the same mistakes from over the past few years. We will surely maintain long-term prosperity and stability. We players on both hemispheres of the globe belong to one family. We will never allow anyone to sever that bond between us, which is a trend of our times.

As these unseen changes unfolded last year, it became important to rise above estrangement and conflict with a broad vision, and care for the future of ourselves with great passion. We will continue to work with all doujin groups and developers across the globe to promote friendship and cooperation, enhance our learning of their cultures, and jointly build a shared community for the future.

Dreams and wishes can only travel short distances, but they can travel farther if you pursue them. On a new journey for this year, everyone’s efforts will count. The first sunrise has greeted this year with hope, and we shall enjoy harmony and prosperity. We hope to fulfill our dreams this year. Let us persevere with happiness and peace.

Oh, and if you this was over, I just want to announce one more thing: I’m going to be going to two outside Anime Fests in the first quarter of 2026. I will be at the Pittsburgh Anime Fest next month on February 1, and the Niagara Falls Anime Fest on March 8, so if you’re going, don’t forget to stop by my booth.

Have a Good 2026

Did you see my video about my goals for the first quarter of 2026? Here it is below:

Good luck in 2026.