After years of waiting and wondering if they’d ever actually come out, Pragmata and Romeo is a Dead Man have reportedly been rated by game classification boards. Both games were announced with vague 2026 release windows earlier this year, and rating submissions typically happen when a game is nearing completion and publishers are preparing for launch. This could mean we’re finally getting real release dates for two of the most intriguing projects in development.
Pragmata’s Long Journey
Pragmata has become legendary for its troubled development cycle. Capcom first revealed the game at the PlayStation 5 showcase event in June 2020 with a cryptic cinematic trailer featuring an astronaut, a mysterious girl with glowing eyes, and a shattering sky. The initial release target was 2022, which came and went without the game materializing. Capcom then pushed it to 2023, then went completely silent for years.
Many assumed the project had been quietly cancelled until it suddenly reappeared at Sony’s State of Play in June 2025. The new trailer finally showed actual gameplay, revealing Pragmata as a unique hybrid of third-person shooter and real-time puzzle solving. You play as Hugh Williams, an astronaut stranded on a lunar research station with an android companion named Diana. The twist is you control both characters simultaneously, with Diana riding on Hugh’s back and initiating hacks while you’re dodging and shooting hostile robots.
The Hacking Mechanic
What makes Pragmata stand out is its combat system. When you aim at an enemy, Diana automatically starts a hacking minigame that appears as a grid overlay on your screen. While still aiming and shooting with the triggers, you use the face buttons to quickly trace a path through this grid, connecting nodes to complete the hack. Successfully hacking an enemy strips their armor and reveals glowing weak points for massive damage.
Journalists who played preview builds at Summer Game Fest and Gamescom 2025 came away impressed. The initial learning curve is steep since you’re juggling shooting, dodging, movement, and puzzle solving all at once, but once it clicks, the system feels surprisingly natural. Special power-up nodes can appear in the hacking grid, providing buffs like increased damage or reduced enemy defenses. The whole setup has been compared to Vanquish’s frenetic action combined with Watch Dogs’ hacking theme.
Romeo is a Dead Man’s Chaos
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum sits Romeo is a Dead Man, the latest project from Grasshopper Manufacture and legendary director Goichi Suda, better known as Suda51. Announced at the same June 2025 State of Play that brought Pragmata back from the dead, Romeo is described by its own developers as their bloodiest, most violent game yet, which is saying something from the studio behind No More Heroes and Killer7.
The premise is pure Suda51 insanity. Romeo Stargazer, a man who was seconds away from death, got saved by a time paradox that shattered the space-time continuum courtesy of a genius scientist messing around. Now Romeo is an FBI Space-Time special agent called Dead Man, sporting a rad mask called Dead Gear, and he’s hunting the most wanted fugitives across multiple universes. The violence is described as the main feature, with players swapping between guns and swords to unleash waves of blood and hyper-stimulating action.
The Gamescom Demo
Journalists who played Romeo is a Dead Man at Gamescom 2025 came away blown away by how bizarre and ambitious it is. The game constantly shifts between different art styles, gameplay mechanics, and even genres. What starts as a straightforward zombie slaughter-fest suddenly becomes something completely different with mini-games, visual style changes, and gameplay twists that make it nearly impossible to pin down what kind of game it actually is.
One preview described it as exceptionally well written, genuinely hilarious, and full of clever level design. The section they played featured ridiculously over-the-top battles with enough blood and chaos to collapse the universe itself. This is vintage Grasshopper Manufacture pushing boundaries and refusing to conform to standard action game templates. Whether mainstream audiences will embrace that weirdness or bounce off it remains to be seen.
The GTA 6 Problem
Both games are targeting 2026 releases, but there’s one massive complication. Grand Theft Auto 6 launches in fall 2026, and every publisher in the industry is terrified of releasing anything near that date. Suda51 himself joked about this during Romeo is a Dead Man’s announcement, saying every publisher wants to steer clear of that one game’s release date and that even thinking about launching the same day is way too scary.
This means both Pragmata and Romeo is a Dead Man will likely aim for the first half of 2026, giving them several months of breathing room before GTA 6 sucks all the oxygen out of the gaming market. Getting rated in November 2025 fits that timeline perfectly. Rating submissions typically happen three to six months before release, putting both games on track for late winter or spring 2026 launches.
Capcom and Grasshopper’s Stakes
For Capcom, Pragmata represents a risk in an era where the company has been incredibly successful by sticking to established franchises. Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil remakes, Monster Hunter, and Devil May Cry have all performed well commercially and critically. Pragmata is a brand new IP with unusual gameplay mechanics that might not appeal to mainstream audiences the way Capcom’s proven franchises do.
That said, Capcom has shown willingness to experiment with titles like Exoprimal and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, even if those games didn’t become massive hits. The company seems confident enough in Pragmata to give it a serious marketing push and a 2026 launch window alongside major releases like Monster Hunter Wilds. If the game finds an audience, it could become a new franchise. If it doesn’t, Capcom can afford the loss.
For Grasshopper Manufacture, the stakes are arguably higher. The studio hasn’t released a major new game since No More Heroes 3 in 2021, and before that, there was a significant gap back to 2019’s Travis Strikes Again. Suda51 has mentioned that development is in the final stretch with the team working at full force, though he emphasized they’re making sure everyone gets proper rest unlike the old days of sleeping in the studio.
What Ratings Mean
When games get rated by classification boards in different regions, it signals that the content is essentially locked and the publisher is preparing for release. You can’t submit a game for rating if major systems are still being developed or significant content is still being created. The rating process involves providing detailed information about violence, language, sexual content, and other elements that determine age ratings.
For Pragmata, which appears to be a T-rated experience based on its tone and content, the rating process is relatively straightforward. For Romeo is a Dead Man, which Grasshopper is marketing as ultra-violent with blood as a main feature, the rating will almost certainly be M for Mature. These ratings need to be finalized before console manufacturers will approve games for their platforms and before physical copies can be manufactured.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Pragmata be released?
Pragmata is scheduled for release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Capcom hasn’t announced a specific date yet, but the recent rating suggests a release in the first half of 2026 is likely.
What is Pragmata’s gameplay like?
Pragmata is a unique hybrid of third-person shooter and real-time puzzle solving. You control astronaut Hugh Williams and android Diana simultaneously, with Diana hacking enemies while you shoot, dodge, and navigate through a hostile lunar research station.
When will Romeo is a Dead Man be released?
Romeo is a Dead Man is targeting a 2026 release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. Director Suda51 has indicated the team is avoiding GTA 6’s fall 2026 release window.
What kind of game is Romeo is a Dead Man?
Romeo is a Dead Man is an ultra-violent sci-fi action game where you play as FBI Space-Time agent Romeo Stargazer hunting fugitives across multiple universes. The game features extreme violence, constantly shifting art styles, and gameplay that changes between different genres.
Why were these games rated?
Games are submitted to rating boards when they’re nearing completion and publishers are preparing for launch. Rating typically happens three to six months before release, suggesting both games are on track for early to mid-2026 launches.
Was Pragmata cancelled?
No, though many people thought so. Pragmata was announced in 2020 for a 2022 release, then went silent for years. It reappeared at Sony’s June 2025 State of Play with extensive gameplay footage and a 2026 release window.
Who is developing these games?
Pragmata is being developed by Capcom using the RE Engine. Romeo is a Dead Man is being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture under the direction of Goichi Suda (Suda51), known for No More Heroes and Killer7.
Conclusion
The rating submissions for both Pragmata and Romeo is a Dead Man represent significant milestones for two games that have been in development for years. Pragmata’s journey from mysterious 2020 announcement to actual playable 2026 release has been long and uncertain, but the game that’s emerged looks genuinely innovative with its dual-character control scheme and real-time hacking combat. Romeo is a Dead Man promises the kind of unhinged creativity that only Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture can deliver, with violence and weirdness turned up to maximum. Both games arriving in early 2026, well ahead of GTA 6’s fall launch, gives them the best possible chance to find their audiences without getting completely overshadowed. Whether these experimental titles can break through in a crowded market remains to be seen, but at least they’re finally, actually coming out.