Keita Takahashi's new game failed to meet sales expectations and has affected the developer's personal life.
Keita Takahashi, the creator of the cult classic Katamari Damacy, has admitted that his recent project, to a T, was a commercial failure. According to the developer, weak sales were one of the reasons he had to leave California and return to Japan after many years of living and working in the United States.
to a T is a small-scale and intentionally unconventional game about a child stuck in a perpetual T-pose. The project touches on themes of physical disability, self-identity, and attempts to adapt to society when one's appearance falls outside the norm.
Takahashi notes that the game was not initially aimed at a broad market and was conceived as a personal creative statement. However, as he told GamesRadar in an interview, the reason for the failure was not its niche appeal, but the lack of sufficient interest from players. Takahashi believes that players simply didn't like the project.
At the same time, the game received 87% positive reviews on Steam, but there are too few of them — only 168 since its release in May 2025. According to analytical services, PC sales amounted to between five and eleven thousand copies. The project was also released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, but the total sales were still clearly insufficient.
Takahashi said that his primary task now is to provide for his family, support his children, and find a school for them in Japan. Only after that does he plan to think about his professional future and whether he feels part of the gaming industry. If the answer is negative, the developer does not rule out looking for a new path in another field.
