Word has come in over the past few days that new game projects are in the works from three of the artists featured previously here at HD: Happoubi Jin, Sano Toshihide, and INO. The first news is an update to the G.J? official site, with a teaser page online for the next Sano Toshihide designed game. The teaser page is modeled after a Nico Video entry and doesn’t give away much in terms of content, though this looks to be a lighter-themed title than much of the brand’s recent fare. The page is scheduled for another update on the 25th, and a full scoop will be coming in Dengeki Hime, released on the 30th. News regarding the new INO and Happoubi Jin titles comes from the cover of the March ’08 issue of Tech Gian, set for release tomorrow (January 21st); there’s not much to go on yet, but apparently the INO game is a collaboration with Yukiyoshi, the current sole proprietor of Mu Soft and creator of several very highly successful doujin games. Odds are that the new Happoubi title will be from Crossnet; we’ll bring more detailed info on both titles following the release of the March issue of Tech Gian. Updated with additional information and images from Tech Gian below:

The official Tech Gian site was updated yesterday evening with information on the contents of the current issue, on sale today. After looking the magazine over, further details are available regarding both the new INO game and the new Happoubi Jin game announced within its pages:

The Ino-designed, Yukiyoshi directed game is tentatively entitled Otome Function, and will be coming from newly established brand Skyrockets/mu. It features a real time, interactive “osawari” ADV system where you can mouse over and manipulate various aspects of the game characters, and will be animated using Adobe After Effects. In this respect the system will be similar to that used in Hizashi no Naka no Real.

The game’s four heroines are not only designed by INO but colored by him as well, in a style similar to that most recently shown on the cover of his artbook Velvet Skin. The Tech Gian article contains much more information on topics related to the game which I haven’t had time to read yet, but overall this is looking like a very exciting project that the creators are quite excited about as well – we’ll be keeping close watch on it as development moves forward.

The Happoubi Jin-designed game is called Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo ~San Shimai to no Doki-doki Kyoudou Seikatsu~ (“exciting co-ed life with three sisters”), and is coming not from Crossnet but from a new brand called “ωstar” (that first letter is a lower-case Omega). The scenario is a tag team effort from Izumi Banya and a newcomer called Neko Kosume; given the range of titles Izumi has worked on it’s hard to say how this one will turn out, but it’s described as an “ero-moe ADV” and it seems likely that’s what we’ll get. I’m really liking the look of the purple-haired sister… the game has a release window of “spring 2008”, but no website as of yet. We’ll be tracking this just as eagerly as Otome Function in the coming days.

Stay tuned for further information on the new Sano Toshihide G.J? title, as well as other promising prospects for 2008 eroge, coming soon!