OCTOPinbs Launches On Steam Today From tri-Ace, Lasengle, And Aniplex

Aniplex's new social deduction experiment is here. OCTOPinbs is now live on Steam for $9.99, with a two-week 20% launch discount running through late May. It's a firefighting party game where octopuses douse flames, squids start them, and the only way to win is to figure out who's actually on your team. It's like Among Us but with a very Splatoon coat of paint (pun intended), with a Luigi's Mansion-inspired squid-capturing mechanic.

OCTOPinbs is co-developed by tri-Ace, the Tokyo studio behind the Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile series, and Lasengle, the Aniplex subsidiary responsible for the multi-million-download mobile hit Fate/Grand Order, with Aniplex is publishing. That's a heavier-than-usual stack of names behind what looks, at a glance, like a cartoony party game.

What Is OCTOPinbs: Firefighters vs Hidden Arsonists

The setup is pure social deduction with a wet twist. Three to ten players spawn into a burning building. Most of you are Octopus firefighters trying to extinguish the flames before the building burns down. At least one of or a few of you are Squid Artists in disguise, secretly starting more fires and trying to cause more chaos.

Firefighters win by dousing every ember. Squid Artists win by hiding in plain sight, sabotaging the team, and triggering their power form for a finishing blow when the fire gauge is almost filled. The only counter to a Squid is the Octojar, a capture tool that exposes the saboteur's true identity on contact, similar to a Ghost Vacuum. Talking and bluffing won't be enough, which the developers are quick to mention. You actually have to read behavior.

Costume Packs, Discord Giveaways, And Two-Week Discount Window

Two cosmetic DLC packs are available at launch. Costume Pack 1 covers the Ninja Mask, Ninja Outfit, and Eastern-inspired firefighter looks. There's also a Monochrome prison outfit for Squid Artists who want to taunt the opposing side in style.

If you're chasing freebies, the OCTOPinbs team is running two giveaways tied to the launch. A gaming laptop sweepstakes is live on the official X account, and a Steam gift card draw is open through the Discord, with entries open until May 18 at 7:59 AM PT. The Discord one is open to USA and Japan only, per the official rules.

The Steam page is live, the Discord is open, and the dev team is actively running events. If you've got a group chat that loves Among Us or any other social-deduction sleeper, this is the weekend to drag them into a fire.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 5:53 PM.