April 8, 2026 (Tokyo, Japan) – Rice Games Inc. is pleased to announce two new milestones for Shujinkou™, reflecting the franchise’s growing momentum across both academic and video game spaces.
Shujinkou @ Waseda University
On April 7, 2026, Rice Games founder and director Julian Rice delivered a lecture at Waseda University (早稲田大学) in collaboration with Waseda Game Lab. The presentation, titled “Shujinkou™, JRPGs, and Innovative Language Acquisition Elements in Video Games,” explored both the game design ambitions behind Shujinkou as a deep JRPG and the educational foundation that distinguishes the franchise within the broader games and JRPG landscape.
For Rice Games, the opportunity to present at Waseda carried particular significance. Widely recognized as one of Japan’s most prestigious private universities, Waseda provided a respected academic setting in which to discuss Shujinkou not only as an ambitious commercial game, but also as a work of art built on meaningful, effective language-learning design through interactive media.
This lecture represents an important step in Rice Games’ long-term vision for the Shujinkou franchise. The studio continues to advance the series on two fronts: first, as a rich and substantial JRPG experience for players around the world, and second, as a thoughtfully designed creative IP with a strong educational foundation (including language learning tools and so forth). Rice Games was honored by the opportunity to connect with students, professors, and researchers, and to share the creative and academic ideas behind the project in such an esteemed environment.
Shujinkou @ GDC 2026
Rice Games is also proud to highlight Shujinkou’s recent recognition at GDC 2026 (Game Developer Conference). As announced by the studio on March 17, 2026, themes from Shujinkou were featured in the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming Concert Medley in San Francisco. The performance was presented before several thousand developers attending GDC, with additional viewers watching online, and included music performed alongside themes from titles such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Peak, Indiana Jones, Ghost of Yōtei, DOOM, and more.
The studio extends its special thanks to Brian LaGuardia, lead composer of Shujinkou, for his outstanding arrangement work and his major creative contribution to the game’s 158-track original soundtrack. Rice Games also expresses its gratitude to Austin Wintory for including Shujinkou in the medley and helping bring the game’s music to one of the industry’s most visible stages.
Together, these milestones reflect the breadth and potential behind what Rice Games is building with Shujinkou: an IP & franchise with both unyielding game design ambitions and meaningful educational relevance. The studio looks forward to sharing more exciting news in the near future!
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