- UPDATE: Fixing a background image - 20 July 2026
Today's update fixes the level select background image for chapter 6 so that the driveway is marked correctly for driving on the left side of the road.
- Kaizen: A Factory Story is 50% off! (Also, we made a new game!) - 4 May 2026
For the next week, Kaizen: A Factory Story is 50% off on Steam!Design production lines to create the iconic products of 1980s Japan. Flip, weld, and cut blocks to build products, with classic features like histograms and new features like rewinding and real-time editing. When you need a break, there's even a pachinko-themed solitaire!We're also releasing a new game today, U.V.S. Nirmana!Set off on the Unreturning Void Ship Nirmana as it continues a journey of uncountable eons toward the edge of the universe. Stop by distant worlds and ancient civilizations, helping them as part of your pilgrimage with your companions, the Renunciants.
- The 2025 Steam Awards - 30 November 2025
The Steam Awards 2025 are open for nominations, and with your help, we think Kaizen: A Factory Story could win this year's Best Game You Suck At award.Not that you suck at it. It's more about how bafflement can turn into feeling brilliant in a single moment. How an idea coalesces into a complex machine that miraculously does exactly what you wanted it to do. And then seeing your friend beat your score.So if Kaizen has ever made you feel proud, frustrated, confused, delighted, or all of the above in the same five minutes, we would be honored to have your nomination. A Steam nomination (and reviews!) does more than earn us bragging rights as a newly formed co-op studio -- it boosts visibility and helps more folks join in the fun of thinking there's something wrong with the game and e-mailing Zach about it before realizing there really is a solution out there, waiting to be found.Thanks fo…
- UPDATE: New achievement - 21 October 2025
Today's update adds a new achievement for solving every puzzle in the game.
- UPDATE: Variants tutorial fixes - 22 September 2025
Today's update localizes the variants tutorial images and fixes a bug where the variants tutorial was not automatically opened when opening a puzzle using that mechanic.
- Bonus Puzzle #10: Designer's Notebook - 22 September 2025
Today's update adds our final weekly bonus puzzle, the DESIGNER'S NOTEBOOK, which is actually not a puzzle but a collection of TWELVE new puzzles based on existing puzzles. What? During development, I had originally imagined that about 1/3 of the puzzles in the game would be variant puzzles, which required the player to conditionally build one of two different products, in the spirit of the just-in-time manufacturing revolution that inspired the game. One of my favorite examples of this was the "video recorder" puzzle, which originally required you to build both VHS and Betamax variants: (Traces of this remain in the story, where we learn that Ozeki-san is a devoted Betamax fan.) We prototyped but quickly cut this feature, as I felt it was too confusing for a game whose entire point was to minimize the "unnecessary complexity" of my previous games. After we released the game, however, I…
- Bonus Puzzle #9: Toy Cash Register - 15 September 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the TOY CASH REGISTER! "Get kids started early on understanding the transactional nature of modern life! This toy cash register includes a light-up display and drawers to enable buying, selling, and giving change. It's all about the Yukichis (Benjamins)!"
- UPDATE: Puzzle story portrait fixes - 12 September 2025
Today's update fixes some puzzle story portraits in chapter 5 that didn't match the primary art.
- UPDATE: Slot car track symmetry fix - 9 September 2025
Today's update fixes a small bug in the "slot car track" puzzle where the front of the "jump" part was incorrectly tagged as rotationally symmetric. Histograms and leaderboards for the puzzle have been reset.
- Bonus Puzzle #8: Slot Car Track - 8 September 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the SLOT CAR TRACK! "Even though it was clear by the late 80s that video game racing would gain popularity over the old hobby of slot cars, someone at Matsuzawa apparently had enough of a soft spot for it to approve the release of this entry level track."
- UPDATE: Dollhouse kitchen art fix - 3 September 2025
Today's update fixes the art for the "dollhouse kitchen" bonus puzzle to be less ambiguous.
- Bonus Puzzle #7: Dollhouse Kitchen - 1 September 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the DOLLHOUSE KITCHEN! "This kids' kitchen playset originally included real heating elements along with realistic flame and smoke effects, but those features were nixed before it went into production due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, the product was a hit!" This is one of my favorite puzzles that I've made for the game so far. It's quite challenging!
- Bonus Puzzle #6: Boombox - 25 August 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the BOOMBOX! "Bring the beats with Matsuzawa's biggest boom box to date! The whopping twelve "D" batteries it requires will definitely set you back some cash, but the volume that enables will guarantee you never lose another boom box battle!"
- UPDATE: Cut/copy/paste for instructions - 20 August 2025
Today's update adds keyboard shortcuts to cut (Ctrl+X), copy (Ctrl+C), and paste (Ctrl+V) instructions.
- Bonus Puzzle #5: Chess Computer - 18 August 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the CHESS COMPUTER! "The Matsuzawa ENDGAME was an entry-level chess computer intended to introduce children and neophytes to the world of chess. But sales faced headwinds because nobody could beat it, even when set to the lowest difficulty."
- UPDATE: File format changes - 15 August 2025
Today's update contains some small file format changes to support a future update. Nothing fun, unfortunately.
- UPDATE: Bidet seat acceptance bug - 14 August 2025
Today's update fixes a minor issue where some solutions for the "bidet seat" puzzle were not accepted.
- Bonus Puzzle #4: Electric Guitar - 12 August 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the ELECTRIC GUITAR! "Combining the best of analog and digital into a single instrument, the Matsuzawa Grendel MaxTar included a built-in amplifier and effects unit. Plans to add oscillators and a fully functional step sequencer were shelved, however."
- Bonus Puzzle #3: Archery Target - 4 August 2025
Today's update adds a new weekly bonus puzzle, the ARCHERY TARGET! "After an unsuccessful foray into developing new building materials, the Matsuzawa team realized its wood fiber composite was perfect for use in archery targets and dart boards. Thus, the sporting goods division was born!"
- UPDATE: Rather glaring simulation bug fix - 29 July 2025
Today's update fixes a bug where you could move products through tools (?!) under certain circumstances.
