Nintendo just dropped a super creepy teaser for a new M-rated horror game: Who is Emio?
By Mads Lennon
![In this photo illustration, the Japanese multinational video... In this photo illustration, the Japanese multinational video...](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5000,h_2812,x_0,y_511/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/304/01j2f3ssh9q308vcm5h1.jpg)
Nintendo just dropped one of the creepiest and most cryptic video game teasers I've seen in a while, though perhaps it would have been less shocking if it had been released by any other video game company.
As the home of colorful and beloved characters like Mario, Kirby, and countless Animal Crossing villagers, it's slightly jarring to see a video that would appear more at home in the recent Longlegs marketing campaign with a smiling Mario icon in the corner.
A trenchcoat-clad figure stands against a blank, dirty backdrop in the found-footage style clip, wearing a bag adorned with a smiley face over his head. An eerie instrumental, akin to something from a music box, plays in the background.
There are virtually no details about the game, simply titled Emio on the Nintendo YouTube page. The official Japanese website features even less, showing the ominous figure glitching into different positions. According to several fans, the Japanese characters in the teaser and on the website spell "The Smiling Man," which makes sense since the word "emio" roughly translates to laughter or smiling.
Even more shocking is the official M rating nestled in the left corner of the video, meaning the game will be rated Mature. It's not that Nintendo has never released mature content or horror games before, but they're very few and far between, and usually they're third-party releases. But given the website creation and Nintendo branding on the video, it looks like this is going to be an original IP from the company.
#WhoIsEmio? https://t.co/997pVDrIDL pic.twitter.com/BiNKcCpISe
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 10, 2024
Previously, Nintendo helped co-develop some of the games in the popular Japanese horror franchise Fatal Frame and they published the Famicom Detective Club games, which, while not horror, can get pretty grim.
The fact Emio already has an official rating from the ESRB suggests that the game might be released sooner than we think.
Stay tuned to 1428 Elm for more information on the upcoming Nintendo release and all things horror.
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