During a Nintendo Direct broadcast in late March, fans of the AI: The Somnium Files series were surprised by the announcement of a new game: No Sleep for Kaname Date. No Sleep is the third game published in Spike Chunsoft’s puzzle mystery series, following the original AI: The Somnium Files in 2019 and AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative in 2022. However, it will not be the third game in the timeline. Instead, No Sleep for Kaname Date is a “mid-quel,” taking place between the two games. It also may reference “Hidden Bats,” an online ARG run by Spike Chunsoft prior to nirvanA Initiative’s launch.
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No Sleep For Kaname Date Takes Place Between The First Two Games
A press release from publisher Spike Chunsoft revealed that No Sleep for Kaname Date will take place “one day after the New Cyclops Serial Killings was resolved.” The New Cyclops Serial Killings is the case investigated by Date in the original AI: The Somnium Files, in which multiple victims were found with their eyes removed. The title No Sleep For Kaname Date may reference the fact that Date has to begin investigating a new case one day after closing his previous assignment.
In No Sleep for Kaname Date, the idol Iris Sagan, also known as A-set, finds herself kidnapped by a UFO and forced to participate in an escape game that seems to take place in space. Date must team up with his AI-ball partner Aiba to find and rescue Iris in time. The game will include both the return of Somniums, puzzle segments in which Date explores a person’s memories and mental landscape to uncover secrets, and the addition of escape room-like segments similar to those featured in series director Kotaro Uchikoshi’s previous Zero Escape games.
It Is Unclear If nirvanA Initiative Characters Will Appear
AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative takes place in two timelines: one happens a few months after the events of the first game and the other happens six years later. Because No Sleep takes place between the two games, characters from the second game, such as new protagonist Kuruto Ryuki and his AI-Ball Tama, may not appear. However, one key nirvanA Initiative character, the waitress Amame Doi, appeared in the first trailer for No Sleep for Kaname Date, hinting that there may be some connection to the second game.
No Sleep For Kaname Date May Cover The Events of The “Hidden Bats” ARG
“Hidden Bats” was an alternate reality game (ARG) conducted over Twitter in early 2022, with the goal of generating hype for nirvanA Initiative. Three pairs of characters were kidnapped by a mysterious organization, and forced to solve puzzles with the help of Twitter users. Ultimately, Twitter users participating in the game got to determine whether each character lived or died. Iris was part of the third pair of kidnapped individuals, leading fans to theorize that No Sleep For Kaname Date might cover these events.
Fans were somewhat surprised when the events of “Hidden Bats” were not referenced during nirvanA Initiative, and theorized that it may have been because Twitter users voted to kill returning character Iris, who was already confirmed to appear in the game. No Sleep for Kaname Date’s place in the timeline and inclusion of escape room-themed puzzles hint that “Hidden Bats” might actually have happened in-universe after all. The ARG featured a dark story, with multiple characters dying in a “deadly game” that was compared to the Danganronpa series or the Saw movies, so it would be fascinating to see in game form if it is indeed the subject of No Sleep For Kaname Date.
Adventure
Puzzle
Mystery
Visual Novel
- Released
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July 25, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol