Fan Meeting Report for "Shibuya Scramble Stories": Two New Cast Members Announced as Surprise, Plus Q&A Session from the "Accomplices"
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/905/G090534/20251015041/
Writer: Inomoto Tetsuya | 2025/10/15 10:41 (UTC)
Storytelling held a fan meeting for the currently in-development adventure game [Shibuya Scramble Stories] on October 13, 2025, at Kokoro Goto Cafe in Shibuya.
Official Website for “Shibuya Scramble Stories”
This game, created by game designer Jirou Ishii, is the latest adventure title set in Shibuya and heavily uses live-action imagery. It launched a crowdfunding campaign in May 2025, successfully raising approximately 54 million yen—1095% of its target—by July’s end. The project has since officially begun development with Tokyu Real Estate and Skeleton Crew Studio joining as partner companies.
The event was held on October 13, the third day within the in-universe timeframe of “Street,” the original work that inspired this game—the dates being October 11 to 15. Thirty backers, referred to as “co-conspirators,” were selected via lottery to attend. The event featured talks by director Jirou Ishii, writer Yukitaka Kitajima, and cast members who are set to appear in the new game.
Director Jirou Ishii of “Shibuya Scramble Stories” Image Gallery No.002 thumbnail / “Shibuya Scramble Stories” Fan Meeting Report. Two new cast members revealed as surprise announcements. Q&A session with “Co-conspirators”
The event featured Ishii, Kitajima, and cast members Masakazu Arai and Yuu Matsuda, both of whom have appeared in “Street” and are set to reprise their roles. Additionally, surprise guest Sao Ito, who played Miko Hosoi in the original “Street,” was introduced as a new addition to the cast—prompting an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
Sao Ito, the surprise guest unknown to attendees (left)
From left: Kitajima, Matsuda, Arai, Ito, and Ishii on stage
Ito expressed joy that she had been cast as Miko in “Street” 27 years ago during her early days as a comedian, when she lived in an apartment without money or even a bath. She still receives many messages from fans of “Street” and felt it was time to return the favor in some way.
She only learned about this crowdfunding campaign after its conclusion and remarked that if she had known earlier, she would have contributed under her real name.
Ishii then explained the background of the crowdfunding process to Ito, who wasn’t familiar with such matters, before revealing another surprise cast member: Kouta Sano, who played one of “Street”’s protagonists, Shoji Shinoda.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Sano appeared via video message and shared a heartfelt note saying, “I really want to meet everyone again in Shibuya.”
When Sano’s photo was shown, the audience erupted into applause Image Gallery No.005 thumbnail / “Shibuya Scramble Stories” Fan Meeting Report. Two new cast members revealed as surprise announcements. Q&A session with “Co-conspirators”
Video message from Kouta Sano. #ShibuyaADV #SSS #ShibuyaScrambleStories pic.twitter.com/BsnnNguZ8i
— Jirou Ishii (@jiro_ishii) October 13, 2025
In response to Sano’s comment that he couldn’t immediately confirm his participation, veteran actor Arai joked: “If Matsuda goes and asks him directly—‘Are you in? Are you out?’—he’ll say yes right away (laughs).” He added playfully, “We’ll expose some dark secrets (laughs),” sending the audience into laughter.
Still, since filming is scheduled for 2027—two years from now—the exact schedules of currently announced cast members remain uncertain. Ishii emphasized that all individuals listed so far are only “planned participants.”
Given that all guests had previously appeared in “Street,” the event included nostalgic anecdotes. Ito recalled being newly formed as a comedy duo under the name “Hokyo,” living in an apartment with no money and no bath. She was persuaded by her manager to audition for the role—her first ever.
She described how, during the audition, she was told to “make your eyes squint,” which became the deciding factor in her casting. Indeed, her character Miko frequently appears squinting throughout “Street.”
Ito also recalled the physically demanding filming: wearing sumo mawashi as clothing, struggling with a wedding dress that wouldn’t close and requiring duct tape for fixing, and even fighting a large fake crocodile in a pool during cold weather. She noted she had no other jobs at the time, so she gave it her all—and ultimately found it enjoyable.
Arai, who played detective Keima Amamiya in “Street,” recalled that being able to drink coffee milk on set was one of the conditions for passing the audition. Even though still photography doesn’t require actual drinking, he believed actors should truly perform such actions and thus drank coffee milk nearly every day during filming.
Matsuda, meanwhile, was not auditioned but received a direct offer to play the game’s lead in two roles. Her manager didn’t understand either—she had to personally meet with the director and confirm her participation.
Filming lasted nearly one month without breaks. She found it strange at first: shooting still images instead of dialogue scenes, playing two characters (Gyōji Masami and Bata Shintaro) in identical costumes and expressions—but later, due to Matsuda’s request, the performance shifted to include movement. This enhanced the acting’s impact; even fans of yakuza films approached her during filming.
All cast members were given thick scripts before shooting began, but these differed dramatically from typical drama or film screenplays—containing complexly interwoven multiple scenes that made them difficult to understand at first glance. Still, actors Matsuda and Arai tackled the material as they normally would, reading through it diligently until filming commenced.
Additionally, all three guests remembered having filmed in pools and fountains during “Street” production. They asked Ishii and Kitajima whether similar scenes would appear in “Shibuya Scramble Stories,” with Ito declaring emphatically: “I’ll go into the water—I’m ready!”
As for Kitajima’s script, he is currently on schedule to complete the plot by year-end and finish writing the full work by 2026. Assuming five main protagonists, they’ve just completed plotting the fifth character.
The reveal of characters set to be played by guests is being scheduled for April 28, 2026. However, as “428 – Shibuya Scramble” featured some characters whose presence only became known mid-game, Ishii acknowledges that even if a cast member has been confirmed, their role might not always be revealed in advance—so he is currently considering how to best communicate such information.
After a break, the second half of the talk featured answers to questions from attendees. A few highlights follow:
— How do you feel about being compared to “Street” and “428”?
Ishii:
When “428” was first announced, it was often described as “a new Street,” but once released, people realized it was different. Now, two decades later, fans of both “Street” and “428” are helping bring this game to life. So while we’re aware of the legacy of those titles, our goal is to create something completely fresh that honors their fans.
Kitajima:
I’m writing a story enjoyable for fans of either “Street” or “428,” or even just one of them. You’ll understand what I mean when the game launches—so please stay tuned!
— Does this new scenario include anything like the scary “Kibi Hōkaku” episode?
Kitajima:
Among the five scenarios, maybe one has a creepy, mystery-like vibe… that’s all I can say before Ishii gets mad (laughs).
— What do you think awaits Kyoma, Miko, and Gyōji & Shintaro after the game’s ending?
Arai:
Kyoma loves being on-site, so probably not promoted much (laughs). I’d love to see him pressured into marriage by his kind-hearted colleague Shiho.
Ito:
Miko had a happy marriage afterward and four kids. She gained weight during childbirth but then started gaining it back again—just that image.
Matsuda:
For Shintaro, he’s probably still performing in the tough world of acting, content with memories from “Street.”
Gyōji might have retired from gang life and become a good old man. In stories featuring anti-heroes like these, characters who were wild in their youth usually end up either lonely or gray-haired, enjoying grandchildren by the seaside—so Gyōji likely is too.
— Since you’re a movie lover, Ishii: What films would you recommend to someone who enjoyed “Street” and “428”?
Ishii:
For fans of “Street,” I’d suggest She’s Just Not That Into You and Magnolia. Both are structurally different from “Street” in that their narratives don’t converge—so these should be enjoyable.
If you liked “428,” try Banzai Point, which came out after it—was truly shocking to me.
Also, Kenji Ueda’s Japanese films—I especially love Not the Fate and recommend it to many people.
Kitajima:
I actually recommended Not the Fate to Ishii (laughs). I first saw it because director Ueda mentioned “Street” in an interview. I found it so amazing that I immediately told Ishii about it (laughs).
— How would you recommend introducing “Shibuya Scramble Stories” to someone who hasn’t played “Street” or “428”?
Kitajima:
If even one of these resonates with them—“It’s live-action,” “It’s an adventure game,” or “It’s a cast ensemble”—I’d strongly encourage them to try it. Other good entry points could be loving reading, or enjoying puzzle-based adventure games.
Ishii:
This comes from my time at Chunsoft when Koichi Nakamura said he created Kodoku Sō for people who couldn’t play Dragon Quest. Even if you don’t understand battles or magic in DQ, just pressing buttons and choosing options moves the story forward—this is where sound novels originated. That’s why our game design focuses on accessibility: anyone should be able to find it enjoyable.
Also, many modern games are hard to afford at full price—but after half a year to a year, their prices drop. It’s great when you can introduce someone to a new experience by inviting them to play during such times.
We’d also like cast members who might attract newcomers—people who haven’t played “Street” or “428”—to join us. We’re exploring opportunities beyond acting and music. But rather than asking people unfamiliar with the game, “Hey, what’s that?” we want to actively seek out those who already know “Street” and “428,” appreciate their charm—and are willing to help.
— Is there any plan for international release of “Shibuya Scramble Stories”?
Ishii:
We’ve received inquiries from English- and Chinese-speaking regions, as well as offers from companies asking if we’d consider porting it. Realistically, live-action games have become popular in China recently, and “428” is highly regarded there. But our infrastructure isn’t ready yet—we can’t respond specifically at this time. Please wait a little longer.
Practically speaking, the game’s text volume is enormous—about 700,000 characters for “428.” Adding another language could easily exceed 10 million yen in translation costs alone. We may consider an overseas crowdfunding campaign or apply for government grants to promote Japanese entertainment globally—we’ll do our best.
— Recent visual novels include voice acting. Are you considering adding voices?
Ishii:
That’s a straightforward answer: no, we won’t add voice acting. The reason is that we’re aiming to maximize the game’s overall content volume. Future tuning will be essential—but recording voice actors would make such adjustments difficult. Please understand this decision as part of our commitment to quality.
That said, we plan to include behind-the-scenes footage with cast members’ voices in some form—so fans can hear them and rediscover enjoyment when playing.
— “Shibuya Scramble Stories” is already being referred to informally as “SSS” or “Shibusuko.” Can you suggest an official abbreviation?
Ishii:
I’ve been pondering this myself. “SSS” has a good ring and matches the name of Tokyu Real Estate’s “Shibuya Sakura Stage,” which is nice. Meanwhile, “Shibusuko” is gradually gaining traction too. Just like how Final Fantasy was once called both “FF” and “Fai Fani,” I think either will eventually become dominant—so for now, feel free to use whichever you prefer. Both are officially recognized.
The fan meeting concluded with great excitement after the surprise announcement of two new cast members. The game is currently in development, aiming for a 2028 release. Recently, its official website and X account were launched.
On the website, all crowdfunding backers’ credits have already been displayed—these will also be included in the final game version. If any errors are found, corrections can still be made before the product launch upon prior notice.
The official X account will share future updates—so whether you’re a “co-conspirator” or simply curious about “Shibuya Scramble Stories,” please consider following along.