The creative team behind Dark Machine the Animation—the original anime series tied to the multi-platform Dark Machine gaming and anime franchise—released its second official promotional video. The latest preview reveals a scheduled television premiere for October, introduces new voice cast members, and offers a first listen to the opening theme song, “Sonzai Riyū Kai” (Reason to Live, Renewed) performed by BUCK-TICK.
The newly announced cast members portray rival e-sports competitors who face off against Kairi’s Carbuncle team:
Ryūnosuke Watanuki as Nyūdō (Great Cluster team)
Jun Kousaka as Hachiman (Great Cluster team)
Minori Suzuki as Bianca (Esmeralda team)
Rikuya Yasuda as Weiss (Esmeralda team)
Set in the not-too-distant future, the anime introduces a distinct universe centered around a popular gaming metaverse known as Dark Machine. The series is planned for a worldwide release, with broadcasts and streaming handled via Fuji TV.
The core production crew responsible for the project’s pilot trailer—which debuted at Comic-Con International in July 2024—returns for the television series. Kazumi Terada directs the animation at Production +h.. The broader franchise features Code Geass director Gorō Taniguchi as creative producer and Macross artist Hidetaka Tenjin as chief mechanical designer. Keiichi Yano serves as the project creator. The “Team Carbuncle” writing unit—comprising Takaaki Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Urahata, and Atsuo Ishino—collaborates with Satohito Sata on the series scripts.
The broader Dark Machine franchise stems from an asynchronous 7v7 team arena shooter mecha game announced in 2023, which entered Early Access in 2024.
The game’s background story is officially described as follows:
The year is 2079.
Humanity subsists inside an energy bubble following Dr. Robert Palmer’s discovery of the Palmer crystal, a limitless source of power. However, access to this hyper-energy is unevenly distributed, sparking clandestine, global-scale underground conflicts. Industrial factory robots once used to cultivate this power have been repurposed into heavily staked combat mechs.
Rumors suggest trace amounts of dark energy linger within the Palmer crystal. In an attempt to gain a tactical edge, researchers deployed advanced hyper-AIs to harness this dark force—though whether this volatile energy can truly be controlled remains uncertain…
Alongside Taniguchi and Tenjin, the game development team includes director Yuya Saito and producer Koji Hakuta, utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
The project successfully raised over $8.7 million from more than 6,000 investors, including Tencent, the web3 platform Immutable, and blockchain firm Sui. The game integrates the blockchain-based in-game currency MACHINA ($MXNA) alongside NFT asset ownership and a dedicated marketplace for direct sales and peer-to-peer trading. While blockchain features are integrated, users can download and play without purchasing NFTs, and newcomers receive complimentary NFTs to begin playing. Decentralized tournaments also serve as a core element of the gameplay experience.