The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother Was Pitched to Developers as 'Atelier Maomao'

How the Game Adaptation of the Popular Universe Was Born

Recently, KOEI TECMO and Gust, in collaboration with TOHO, announced The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, the first console game based on the extremely popular franchise The Apothecary Diaries. The project is scheduled for release in early 2027 for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

As revealed in an interview with Push Square, the adaptation idea arose thanks to an unusual pitch to the developers of the Atelier series. Toho producer Takayuki Onishi shared the story behind the game's creation:

"Working at Toho, I had countless thoughts about how to make a game based on The Apothecary Diaries, but not all of those ideas worked out. And then I thought of the 'Atelier Maomao' concept—and that's how it all began! I met with Koei Tecmo and realized that the Atelier series and The Apothecary Diaries were a perfect match for each other. That's how this project came to life."

What Will the New Game Be About?

In The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother, players will control Maomao—a clever herbalist from the pleasure district who serves in the emperor's inner palace. She faces an investigation into a series of mysterious events:

• Five Mysteries and Five Curses: a chain of strange phenomena and conspiracies that have engulfed the palace, the capital, and the pleasure district.
• Mysterious masked suspect: a man posing as the emperor's younger brother.
• Original story: a completely new plot and characters created by the series author, Hyuganatsu.

The game's release promises to combine thrilling detective intrigue and signature alchemy gameplay from the masters at Gust.