Overview
- Project Phoenix backers received a private update from director Hiroaki Yura on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, marking the first message from the team since 2019 and the first substantial update since the Kickstarter raised over $1 million in 2013.
- Yura set a new production target of "end of 2031" and said a formal release date will be announced after that milestone is reached.
- The update included a fully recorded but rough-mix main theme by composer Nobuo Uematsu and a two-minute gameplay prototype video that the developer and Video Games Chronicle have shown to the press as evidence of ongoing work.
- Yura acknowledged long silence, admitted some spending inefficiencies, and told backers that Kickstarter funds remained with Project Phoenix while revenue from other games he worked on was used to fund continued development.
- The update has not satisfied many backers who remain skeptical after years of missed deadlines and sparse communication, and it raises broader questions about transparency and accountability for crowdfunded game projects.