Earlier this week, the video game developer Meteorise (the company that owns Alfa System) announced it has received a transfer of intellectual property rights for the cult classic Japanese horror RPG Linda Cube from the internet service provider BIGLOBE, reigniting hopes that a modern remaster of the game could potentially be on the cards (h/t: keke_094/@denfaminicogame!).
In the past, the rights for the game were shared between BIGLOBE, the game’s publisher Mars Corporation, and KADOKAWA Inc., with BIGLOBE inheriting its rights through its prior connection to NEC (the manufacturer of the PC Engine). But from this point forward, Meteorise will now assume responsibility for BIGLOBE’s share of the rights, with the game company again splitting them with the aforementioned companies.
In addition to this, it has also been announced that Meteorise has made a formal agreement with those who were involved in the production of the original PC Engine CD title, including Linda Cube’s composer Ryoko Kihara, and the game’s producer Tatsuyuki Tanaka, to establish a smooth management system for legal and commercial matters related to the IP.
Linda Cube was initially released for the PC Engine CD in 1995. It was later remade in 1997 for the PlayStation as Linda Cube Again (a fanmade translation of which is available here), before being ported over to the Sega Saturn in 1998 under the name Linda Cube Kanzenban.
A pop-up shop based on the game will be held at the Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store in Tokyo. This will be open from December 24th, 2024 through to January 15th, 2024.
Go on.... treat yourself to a new game.
