NIPPON NEWS DAIJOUBU」ISSUE #1 - Breakfast is Served!

18 hours ago
3 min read

Man in a blue suit holding a pointer stands by Japanese text on a news-themed background. Bold colors and fonts create a dynamic scene.

Welcome to the first edition of 「NIPPON NEWS DAIJOUBU」where we'll be sharing all the latest NM2 related news with you. My name is Reiwa Man and I'll be filling in until Wedy's game model has been completed by the developers (what the heck does that mean??).

Animated man in a blue suit and yellow tie swings a baton. Text reads "Reiwa Man" with Japanese characters. Energetic and dynamic mood.

Without further ado, here's all the latest news!

HERE COMES A NEW CONTESTANT!

EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT MISTER BREAKFAST!

How long has it been since the last time a new contestant entered the marathon? By my calculations it's been 5 years! Well the wait is almost over, check out this slick, professionally edited video to for the low-down on the latest contestant - MISTER BREAKFAST!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA5O_wgdz1U

MISTER BREAKFAST will be available as a main contestant in the next update (planned for release on 30th April 2026). He's voiced by the super talented voice actor Kinaoshita Alvin who has delivered some wonderfully expressive dialogue and has really helped the new character stand out in an already outrageous crowd!

A SNEAK PEEK AT THE SOUNDTRACK

Everyone loves the Nippon Marathon soundtrack, and so they should! We're all hoping that Nippon Marathon 2: DAIJOUBU has a soundtrack equal to or greater than the original. Today I can reveal that the NM2 OST will be available for purchase from Steam SOON and that it will be continuously updated as the game's music library continues to grow!

Here's the cover artwork... sweet huh?

Colorful "Nippon Marathon 2" soundtrack cover with quirky characters, including a dog and humans in eccentric outfits, set against a vibrant backdrop.

NORWICH DEBUG GAMES FESTIVAL #DGF26

Over the weekend gamers from around the UK attended the Debug Games Festival in Norwich and so did we! It was great fun to see players jump straight into the action!

Gaming setup featuring a monitor displaying a colorful game with "1-4 Player Madness" text, controllers, and "Nippon Marathon 2" poster.

Hopefully we converted some gamers into Nippon Marathon fans... that would be pretty DAIJOUBU, right?

SENSATIONAL SCREENSHOTS

The photo mode in NM2 is possibly our favourite feature and it looks like others are enjoying it too, here's some of my favourite screenshots so far:

Character in glasses, green shirt reading "Narbucks Coffee," raises arms while running on a bridge at night. Others chase behind, amid neon signs.

"Irony: Double peace signs with huge sword!" Screenshot by Salvor

Bald man with glasses and gray beard lying on the wooden floor, wearing a blue sailor outfit with pink bow. Text above reads "ZENBEI".

"Let's have a nice lie down" - Screenshot by at1000

A character in a tiger-striped suit and large orange mask floats in a cloudy sky, trailing colorful confetti, with a surprised expression.

"Weeee!" - Screenshot by Bones.JPEG

BUGS OR FEATURES?

Thankfully the vast majority of players are playing without issue, but there's been a couple of showstoppers that we're working on.

A few people have reported receiving a game-sound but with a black screen and some others have had the game crash immediately on launch, thankfully Onion Soup has managed to fix both of these issues, they'll be rolling out the fixes with next week's update but if you can't wait then simply switch your game from the default branch to the beta branch (right click Nippon Marathon 2: Daijoubu in Steam and go to Version & Betas).

Game menu screen listing "Game Versions & Betas." Options include "Default Public Version" and "beta," with update dates in April 2026.

Please check the Known Issues discussion forum before posting any requests for help to see if it's already been logged, Onion Soup is keeping it up to date as and when new issues are discovered.

POLL COMING SOON

I heard a rumour that the developers will run a poll soon to see which of the NM1 contestants should be brought back first... isn't that exciting? I'm voting for SUPERFAN!

FORUM FOCUS

You already know that the Steam discussion forums are a pretty good place for getting info, help and opinions. Well Onion Soup aims to make full use of the forums to discuss the current state of the game and future development. Each time we publish a new NIPPON NEWS DAIJOUBU we'll focus on some of the stuff that's happening in the discussion forums. So, let's take a look at the Roadmap / Planned Features post.

Roadmap / Planned features: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3358880/discussions/0/604168007382579933/

Listed in this post are all of the features Onion Soup plan on developing between now and full release. That's not to say they dont't have some secrets in store. If you want to check out what they're planning on including and you want to have some input then jump on in and get posting!

DISCORD DRAMA

Before I go, I wanted to remind you that Onion Soup Interactive have a really lovely Discord community. Lots of fun things get discussed and shared along with plenty of Nippon Marathon stuff too.

Anime character in a pink hoodie with a unicorn horn, set against a pink background. Text: "#TeamNishibori Join us on Discord."

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/SpsyEHs

Right now they're getting excited for the next Grand Sumo Tournament which starts on May 10th! They'll be engaging in some fantasy sumo via https://kachiclash.com/ and hoping to beat their scores from last time. Come on Atamifuji! YOU CAN DO IT!

Thanks for reading 「NIPPON NEWS DAIJOUBU」 and check back for issue 2 where we'll have loads more news about upcoming content for NM2!

Until next time, stay DAIJOUBU! - Reiwa Man