Promise Mascot has just announced its voice cast, which includes a number of surprises from the world of video game development.
Kaizen Game Works’ narrative open-world adventure allows players to explore a cursed Japanese city and recruit mascot friends. You even aid a living finger deal with anger issues.
Where the Promise Mascot Agency punches above its weight is in the voice casting department. PlayStation developer legend Shuhei Yoshida has been signed to voice a video game for the first time ever, and the announcement comes on the heels of Yoshida’s final day at Sony.
At yesterday’s farewell party 😆 pic.twitter.com/hpiPWQIO1z
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) January 14, 2025
Shuhei Yoshida has worked on PlayStation since its inception, playing a key role in the success of the original console since 1993. As president of SIE Worldwide Studios from 2008 to 2019, he was one of PlayStation’s most high-profile executives, championing indie and VR success in a concrete way. Yoshida announced his departure from Sony in November, during his 31st year at PlayStation.
“When I turned 30, I thought, hmm, maybe it’s time for me to move on,” he explained at the time. “You know, the company is doing great. I love PS5, I love the games that come out on this platform. We also have new generations of managers whom I respect and admire. I’m looking forward to the future of PlayStation.”
While Yoshida’s long-term plan remains uncertain, he has turned to voice acting in video games for the near future, and that’s where Promise Mascot Agency comes into play. Yoshida plays Monouge, a strange-looking green-skinned former mascot who opens his own gaming center.
Yoshida isn’t the only big star to join the Promise Mascot Agency voice cast. Yakuza: Takaya Kuroda from Like A Dragon, who plays series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, and Ayano Shibuya from Legend of Zelda, as well as Eri Saito (Chainsaw Man, Metal Gear Solid 4, Way of the Samurai 3) and Swery, creator of Deadly Premonition, The Good Life and Spy Fiction.
Below, you can see what Yoshida and company sound like in-game in an exclusive trailer.
“We can’t believe our strange game has managed to attract such a strong voice cast,” said game director Oli Clarke Smith.
“When our lead Japanese localizer, Roppyaku Tsurumi, told us that Kuroda-san was auditioning, we almost lost our minds. The entire cast wonderfully brought our group of misfits to life. After four years of working on these characters, they have become like friends to us and we are very happy that they all got a voice. The team at Xenorex recording studio did an amazing job.”
Here is the official note:
Takaya Kuroda voices disgraced former yakuza Michi, exiled to the forgotten (and definitely cursed) Japanese city of Kaso-Machi with two goals: to pay off her debt and restore the glory of the city’s now-defunct mascot agency! Recruit weird and wonderful mascots throughout the city with the help of the severed-finger assistant manager and chaos goblin, Pinky☆ – voiced by Ayana Shibuya, negotiate contracts with them and give them jobs they love.
Promise Mascot Agency will be available on PC and consoles in early 2025.
Photo: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for the BAFTA Awards.
Wesley is the UK news editor at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
