{"rewrite":{"id":"r_b3da9dec27b8a39d757dc0cd","clusterId":"c_c488009e250c20fd7d167798","slug":"halloween-the-game-silently-removes-closet-minigame-ahead-of-launch","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Halloween: The Game Silently Removes Closet Minigame Ahead of Launch","summary":"IllFonic's asymmetric horror game Halloween: The Game dropped its closet minigame in a hotfix delivered September 6, the day after early access began. The minigame let two players enter a closet and complete a timing game with heart marks for a buff. The patch notes do not mention the change, and IllFonic has not explained it. The game launches September 9 on PC and Xbox Series X|S.","whyItMatters":"The studio removed the minigame without a patch note, and the community speculates it was tied to the minigame being usable by older characters in a game with minor characters, though IllFonic has not confirmed a reason.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe patch notes for Early Access Hotfix 1 list crash fixes, challenge corrections, and an offline play login queue issue, plus a fix for Michael\u0026#39;s downed display and an Xbox Series S performance mode rendering problem. The closet minigame is not among them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlayers who died could rejoin a match as a police officer or Dr. Loomis, and those older characters could use the minigame. The game includes minor characters, which the community has flagged as a possible reason for the removal. IllFonic has not said whether the minigame is temporarily pulled or gone for good. The PS5 version was canceled in Japan after failing to obtain a CERO rating.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Halloween: The Game quietly dropped its closet minigame in a hotfix the day after early access began. The patch notes don't mention it, and IllFonic hasn't said why. Players who died could rejoin as older characters and use it. Launch is September 9.","twitterPost":"Halloween: The Game removed its closet minigame in a hotfix with no patch note. IllFonic hasn't explained. Players who died could rejoin as older characters and use it. Launch is September 9.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"IllFonic removed the closet minigame from Halloween: The Game in a hotfix the day after early access began, with no mention in the patch notes. The community speculates it was tied to older characters using the minigame in a game with minors. The studio has not explained the change.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260907-465489/\",\"title\":\"Halloween: The Game Silently Removes Its Closet Minigame Ahead of Launch\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5176,"outputTokens":1919,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788750876,"createdAt":"2026-09-07T03:09:33.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-07T03:13:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-07T03:13:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c488009e250c20fd7d167798","canonicalTitle":"新たな殺人鬼PvPホラー『Halloween: The Game』発売目前で“ちょっとエッチな協力要素”がひっそり削除。幻の極限状況イチャイチャ","representativeArticleId":"a_575f135100341d856bc2d058","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Halloween: The Game\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-07T02:11:12.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-07T02:11:12.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-07T03:13:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260907-465489/","title":"新たな殺人鬼PvPホラー『Halloween: The Game』発売目前で“ちょっとエッチな協力要素”がひっそり削除。幻の極限状況イチャイチャ"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Halloween: The Game"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}