The Apothecary Diaries Gets Its First Console Game for Early 2027

Maomao’s next mystery will not be told as another anime episode. On September 10, 2026, the official The Apothecary Diaries portal announced The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, the franchise’s first console game. Koei Tecmo’s English announcement describes an original investigation adventure planned for early 2027, with English text and releases planned for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

What Was Announced

The announcement comes from a partnership between Koei Tecmo, Gust, and TOHO. The game is in development as a brand-new story conceptualized by series author Natsu Hyuganatsu, rather than a direct game version of a previously published anime episode. The official materials do not announce a final release date, price, edition breakdown, or a claim that this story is part of the light novel’s canon, so those points remain open.

The English title is The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother. Maomao is still the central investigator, but the case reaches beyond the rear palace. The official story describes two connected chains of trouble: the “Five Mysteries” in the rear palace and the “Five Curses” spreading through the pleasure district and the capital. A masked man calling himself the “imperial younger brother” becomes the apparent center of the rumors, while Jinshi denies that he is involved.

Gust is building the game around investigation. Players can explore locations, interview witnesses, collect clues, organize evidence, and present a theory during deduction sequences. Maomao can also gather ingredients outside the city and concoct medicines that help with investigations or allow her to assist other characters. Familiar figures such as Jinshi return, while Guanyu, a travelling actor, is introduced as a new character in the game’s story.

The Japanese anime portal published an announcement trailer and package artwork alongside the news. Its notice also includes a comment from Hyuganatsu, who says the development materials showed him how much enthusiasm the team brought to expanding the world. That is a creator comment about the production process, not a promise about the game’s final quality or scope.

Why It Matters

This is a meaningful expansion because the game’s core loop is closely matched to Maomao’s established strengths: observation, pharmacology, practical experimentation, and an unwillingness to accept an easy explanation. A combat-focused spin-off could have used the franchise’s setting as decoration. The announced structure instead makes the palace, the city, the pleasure district, and the evidence notebook part of the play itself. That could give fans a more active way to inhabit the series’ social and medical mysteries, although the final balance between exploration, dialogue, and deduction has not yet been shown in detail.

The choice of an original story also gives the project room to welcome viewers who know the anime without asking them to replay a familiar arc. At the same time, it creates a useful boundary for expectations: the official announcement confirms Hyuganatsu’s story concept and the returning cast of characters, but it does not say where the game sits in the larger chronology or how closely every new event will connect to the novels and manga adaptations.

Context for International Fans

The clearest international-facing detail is the language specification. Koei Tecmo America confirms Japanese voices with English text. The announcement is therefore more specific than a simple “worldwide” tease, but it does not list every supported subtitle language or give a separate release date for North America, Europe, or other regions. Fans outside Japan should treat early 2027 as the current target window, not as a launch day.

The platform list is broad: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Steam on PC. The official English product page includes a wishlist option, which is the most practical way to monitor storefront availability as regional pages become more complete. Pricing, physical distribution, age ratings, pre-order timing, and whether the different platform versions share the same content are not yet confirmed.

There is also a near-term opportunity for viewers who want to see more before deciding whether the game is for them. Koei Tecmo says the project will receive a special presentation from its Tokyo Game Show 2026 stage on September 20, featuring Aoi Yuki as Maomao, Takeo Otsuka as Jinshi, and Yohei Azakami as Guanyu. The announcement does not yet provide a start time in the English release, so international fans should check the official event schedule and the publisher’s channels for the stream details.

What Happens Next

The September 20 Tokyo Game Show presentation is the next confirmed milestone. The most useful details to watch for are an exact release date, regional storefront pages, pricing, pre-order information, additional language support, and a longer look at the investigation and deduction systems. A fuller explanation of Guanyu’s role and the relationship between the Five Mysteries and Five Curses would also help clarify how much new story the game is adding.

Until those details arrive, fans can use the official English product page to wishlist the game and use the official trailer as the first look at its tone and systems. The safest current summary is simple: The False Imperial Brother is a new Maomao-led mystery adventure, planned for early 2027 across four platforms, with Japanese audio and English text confirmed.

Sources

• Koei Tecmo America announcement — confirms the first console adaptation, platforms, English text, gameplay outline, and September 20 Tokyo Game Show presentation.
• Official English game site — provides the English title, early 2027 window, original-story premise, characters, and wishlist entry point.
• Official anime portal announcement — records the September 10, 2026 announcement, trailer, creator comment, and Japanese platform list.
• Official announcement trailer — the trailer linked by Koei Tecmo America for the new game.

Information was checked on September 10, 2026, at 18:48 JST.

Editorial note: This report is based on the primary sources linked above. Availability, schedules, and announcements can change; verify the latest details with the official source.