# Shizuku: Japanese myth — Development History

How Shizuku: Japanese myth came to be. From the first commit in 2019 through Digital Games Expo, Tokyo Game Show, and Steam Early Access, with photos.

From the first test map in 2019, through founding Rabbitly Entertainment, our first show, Early Access on Steam, and Tokyo Game Show every year since. This is how Shizuku has come together, kept here with photos.

## 2017.12　The Shizuku project begins

[Development]

After the response to SushiVR, we committed to making a new game and drew up the plan for Shizuku. Back then it was a smartphone game, and the project team was about four people.

## 2018.03　A research trip to Kyoto

[Development]

To make Shizuku, we decided to start with research in Kyoto, and six of us went to Kyoto to do it.

## 2018.05　The smartphone prototype is finished

[Development]

We finished a prototype as a smartphone game, for the time being.

## 2018.06　Turning toward controller-based action

[Development]

Real action was impossible on a smartphone, and we wanted this game to put action first, so we shifted to a game built around a proper controller.

## 2019.11　Our first Digital Games Expo, 2019

[Exhibition]

Our first Digital Games Expo, in 2019. At the time we thought the quality was about four stars; looking back now, it was one. You cannot see what you cannot see, we feel now. We were saying it would come out in 2020.

![The build we showed at Digital Games Expo 2019](/assets/img/history-2019-11-prototype-2.webp)

![Our booth at Digital Games Expo 2019](/assets/img/history-2019-11-digigame-booth.webp)

## 2021.01　Rabbitly Entertainment LLC is founded

[Company]

We founded Rabbitly Entertainment LLC to develop the game in earnest.

## 2021.09　Forming a graphics team to raise the quality

[Development]

To raise the quality, we put a budget of several million yen into the game and formed a graphics team.

## 2021.11　Digital Games Expo 2021

[Exhibition]

Digital Games Expo. We sold several times more than we expected. The design quality that had been pointed out in August had improved enormously in just two months. We decided to keep working at that level of quality.

The schedule, however, had slipped badly.

## 2022.05.29　New trailer released

[Release]

Transform, talk, push forward. The first video to show the whole shape of the game.

## 2022.06.29　Early Access begins on Steam

[Release]

After a long stretch of development, the game was shown to the public for the first time as a Steam Early Access title.

## 2022.09.15　Tokyo Game Show 2022

[Exhibition]

Our first Tokyo Game Show. With a scroll-shaped how-to-play sheet in hand, visitors tried the game in the Indie Game Corner at Makuhari Messe.

## 2023.09.21　Tokyo Game Show 2023

[Exhibition]

Our second Tokyo Game Show, with a demo that ran up to the fight against the Onipan.

## 2024.09.26　Tokyo Game Show 2024 (Indie Game Corner 09-C27)

[Exhibition]

Visitors played the latest demo and took home stickers, fox masks, and ema plaques. The Steam Early Access build was refreshed to coincide with the show.

## 2024.09.28　Early Access: Chapter 1

[Release]

Chapter 1, playable as Fox, Human, and Red Oni, up to defeating the first Red Oni. The current Early Access build continues from here.

## 2025.09.25　Tokyo Game Show 2025

[Exhibition]

Our fourth Tokyo Game Show in a row. We were finishing sound effects, the fox's footsteps and howls among them, right up until the show.

## 2026.09.17　Tokyo Game Show 2026 (Indie Game Corner 09-C70)

[Exhibition]

Our fifth Tokyo Game Show in a row. The booth front carried a large graphic of the game's world, with a real torii gate to welcome visitors. The latest demo was playable, and novelties were handed out.

![The booth](/assets/img/history-tgs2026-booth-view.webp)