Capcom surprised us all in today’s Sony State of Play by showing off footage of PRAGMATA, a game originally announced in 2020. After several delays into 2023, it was eventually put on indefinite hiatus—or so we thought. The trailer revealed today was absolutely gorgeous. But the most shocking thing is that this game still exists, is being worked on, and presumably will be released in 2026.
I never thought I had a good grasp of what PRAGMATA was, and the new trailer certainly doesn’t help. It looks like a third-person shooter with a small child giving you extra powers by hanging onto your back and hacking robots remotely. Did, am I close? Well, if we go by the press release…
Set in a vision of the near future, PRAGMATA transports players to the moon. After a chance meeting aboard a seemingly lifeless lunar research station, spacefarer Hugh and android Diana find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a hostile AI in control of the station. Stranded and surrounded by enemies, only together can they hope to survive.
Dang, prescient. AI being the bad guy is about as fun as Nazis being bad guys, they’re just objectively horrible and no one would ever want to associate with them. Players will control both characters at the same time. Boasting hacking as a way to enrich the game’s combat by adding a strategic element to PRAGMATA’s gameplay, Capcom hopes.
PRAGMATA Delays, Delays, Delays
I can’t say I have a lot of hope for games that get delayed this much. It’s one thing to be delayed into the following year, but generally, multiple long delays are a bad sign. PRAGMATA was originally announced in 2020 with a bizarre trailer that takes place in what looks like New York City. In a truly bizarre twist, more bizarre than a man in a space suit standing with a robot child and a holographic cat, a satellite crashes through the city sky and sucks the man and child out onto the moon.
The differences between the two trailers are stark to say the least. Needless to say, the game looks a little different here in 2025 than it did in 2020. My brain is essentially Swiss cheese at this point, so I don’t remember much from the original trailer, but that’s the earliest one I could find. It seems like a lot of the original idea is intact. We now know the protagonist’s name is Hugh and the little girl’s name is Diana. Rather, she’s given the name Diana by Hugh.
It would appear they cleaned up Diana’s voice, making her sound less robotic and more child-like. Notably, the original trailer from 2022 didn’t show any combat or anything, and the new trailer at least gives us an idea on how some of the game play will work.
I really hope Capcom gets this one over the finish line. Capcom has been revitalizing their business significantly over the past decade and their portfolio of games has become very impressive, moreso than it already was. And really, I just want more weird titles, please let this see the light of day. And please, bring us new Mega Man.
PRAGMATA has no official release date other than Capcom hoping to have the title out in 2026. PRAGMATA is also aiming for a PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S release. Interestingly enough, the press release comments that there will be full language support for:
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean, plus subtitles for Polish, Arabic, and Simplified Chinese.
Stay tuned to MonsterVine for more news regarding PRAGMATA, Capcom, and third-person action-adventure games.
