{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d2eb5356b5301fc2dfa1e7e9","clusterId":"c_087d24fba43c5f76a45d0a45","slug":"ball-retrieval-simulator-store-page-goes-live-on-steam","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Ball Retrieval Simulator Store Page Goes Live on Steam","summary":"EBA GAME published the Steam store page for Ball Retrieval Simulator, a first-person game set in a Japanese high school baseball club. The player, a junior ordered to find missing balls, explores the field and school grounds. The game is described as psychological horror based on the creator's real experiences. Release is planned for August 2026 with Japanese and English support.","whyItMatters":"The game reframes a mundane high school baseball chore as psychological horror, using real-life experiences of oppression and irrationality to create a nostalgic but bitter tone.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eEBA GAME, known for the horror novel Kaibetsu Bangō ~20××~, opened the Steam store page for Ball Retrieval Simulator on July 2. The game casts the player as a junior ordered by a senior to retrieve balls after practice, with only the word \u0026#39;yes\u0026#39; available as a response. Exploration is first-person across the field, school building, and club room. The store page labels the work \u0026#39;psychological horror\u0026#39; and says it depicts oppression and irrationality based on the creator\u0026#39;s real experiences. Balls collected beyond the required number carry over to later stages. The planned release is August 2026, supporting Japanese and English.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Ball Retrieval Simulator frames high school baseball club duties as psychological horror. The game's horror comes not from monsters but from the social dynamics and arbitrary orders the creator experienced.","twitterPost":"Ball Retrieval Simulator's horror is not supernatural. It is the arbitrary authority and isolation of a high school baseball club.","threadsPost":"Ball Retrieval Simulator labels itself psychological horror, but its monsters are not ghosts. The threats are arbitrary orders from seniors, the isolation of a junior left alone on a field, and the quiet dread of having to find balls that may not exist. The creator based it on real experiences.","newsletterBlurb":"EBA GAME published the Steam store page for Ball Retrieval Simulator, a first-person game set in a Japanese high school baseball club. The player, a junior ordered to find missing balls, explores the field and school grounds. The game is described as psychological horror based on the creator's real experiences. Release is planned for August 2026 with Japanese and English support.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/022/G102251/20260702038/\",\"title\":\"Japanese high school baseball ball retrieval simulator 'Ball Retrieval Simulator' store page published. A 'psychological horror' depicting past oppression and irrationality based on real experiences.\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3890,"outputTokens":567,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783007104,"createdAt":"2026-07-02T15:37:54.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-02T15:39:50.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T15:39:50.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_087d24fba43c5f76a45d0a45","canonicalTitle":"日本の高校野球部で球を拾う「球ひろいSimulator」，ストアページを公開。かつての抑圧や理不尽さを，実体験をもとに描く“心理的ホラー”","representativeArticleId":"a_d55826564d693c62f429291d","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"球ひろいSimulator\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-02T14:07:40.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-02T14:07:40.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T15:39:52.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/022/G102251/20260702038/","title":"日本の高校野球部で球を拾う「球ひろいSimulator」，ストアページを公開。かつての抑圧や理不尽さを，実体験をもとに描く“心理的ホラー”"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["球ひろいSimulator"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["EBA GAME opened the Steam store page for Ball Retrieval Simulator on July 2.","The game is a first-person psychological horror title set in a Japanese high school baseball club.","The player character is a junior who can only respond with 'yes' when ordered by a senior to retrieve missing balls.","The store page says the game depicts oppression and irrationality based on the creator's real experiences.","Ball Retrieval Simulator is planned for release in August 2026 with Japanese and English language support."]}