LogInEmio the smiling man is staring at you.
Nintendo set the gaming community abuzz with the release of a cryptic teaser titled "Emio." The fifteen-second clip, which features a person wearing a paper bag mask and includes a Mature 17+ ESRB rating at the bottom, hints at a potential horror game in the works.
The title translates to "smiling man" from Japanese, and the "bag guy" presented in the clip has two faces: both displaying eerily exaggerated smiles. The official page for the project can be found here, but it offers little information beyond what is seen in the teaser video.
Given the game's official Nintendo website, it's plausible that this could be a first-party game. The immediate reaction for many was: a Nintendo first-party horror game?
Nintendo
One theory circulating among players is that this could possibly be the codenamed "Project M," being developed by Bloober Team, the developer behind the Silent Hill 2 remake. This speculation is further fueled by news from the Bloober Team that they are currently working on a new project for "Nintendo platforms". Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno was quoted by Nintendo Life saying:
"Project M, although its budget is significantly smaller than the games we are working on at Bloober Team, is extremely important due to our long-term plans. In addition, we are working on it in cooperation with the world's best game creators for Nintendo platforms, so we cannot afford to create just a decent game."
Nintendo
However, it would be premature to definitively link "Emio" to "Project M" based solely on the involvement of Nintendo platforms.
As for the intensity of the horror in the project, the trailer, released by Nintendo Australia, displayed rating information including the MA 15+ and Restricted 13 labels. The rating information revealed that the game could potentially contain strong themes, violence, suicidal tendencies/themes, abuse, and domestic violence, among other elements. These elements align with the PEGI 17+ rating.
As speculations continue to fly, it seems patience will be key as we wait for more official information on this mysterious project. This could potentially be a moment for data miners, insiders, and informants to shine.
You can refer to the report on this news from Games Radar+ here and don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.