BODY: Inti Creates dropped a double-barreled surprise on the BitSummit main stage this weekend, confirming that two of its most beloved 2D action franchises are charging into a new generation. The Chiba-based studio used Japan's biggest indie game festival as the launchpad for Luminous Avenger iX 3 and a brand-new Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger Triangle Edition for Nintendo Switch 2.
The announcement came during the opening day of BitSummit PUNCH, running May 22–24 at Kyoto's Miyako Messe convention hall. For Inti Creates, choosing BitSummit over a Tokyo-based showcase signals a deliberate alignment with the indie scene—even though the studio's pedigree (Mega Man Zero, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon) puts it well above typical indie scale.
Luminous Avenger iX 3 continues the spinoff series starring Copen, the anti-Adept hunter from the Azure Striker Gunvolt universe. The first two iX titles earned critical praise for their breakneck dash-cancel combat and Saturday-morning-anime aesthetic, and a third entry has been quietly rumored on Japanese forums since late 2025.
The Triangle Edition for Switch 2 is more of a known quantity—a deluxe repackaging of the Gunvolt trilogy taking advantage of the new hardware's higher resolution and frame rate ceiling. No release windows were shared for either title at the stage event.
The insider take
Inti Creates has spent years walking a tightrope between AAA polish and indie agility, and BitSummit is exactly where that identity lands cleanest. Tokyo industry watchers will note that the studio increasingly bypasses Nintendo Directs and TGS reveals for hometown indie events—a quiet vote of confidence in Kansai's growing role as Japan's indie capital. With Capcom alumni Takuya Aizu still at the helm, expect the Switch 2 push to be aggressive: Inti has historically been one of the fastest third parties to ship on new Nintendo hardware, and Triangle Edition reads as a launch-window play.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).