Spike Chunsoft launches ‘Hidden Bats’ countdown website [Update]
Become patrons of the Sunaiku Foundation.
Spike Chunsoft has launched a countdown teaser website in English and Japanese titled “Hidden Bats.”
The website is tied to both a Twitter account and YouTube channel of the same name. The page features nine stacked CRT television sets, three of which display static, with two among those displaying an hour glass.
The following video, titled “Bats489,” is also displayed on the website.
The first tweet from the Twitter account reads “48:00:00” and links to the “News” page for a company called “Sunaiku Foundation,” which features articles dating back to April 1 about the appointment of Snuaiku Foundation president Kagura Iwato, his disappearance, the establishment of the Foundation’s Missing Persons Task Force, and the disappearance of high school student Aine Ichirai and university student Binato Sotobara (pictured below).

The “About” page on the Sunaiku Foundation website provides more information about the company, noting that it was established on October 28, 1943 in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, and has a branch office in Phiadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to “collect and disclose pertinent information regarding missing persons and aid in search and rescue efforts.”
The “Patrons” button at the top of the website links to the countdown website.
A tweet from the official Spike Chunsoft Twitter account reads, “A mysterious countdown site… Perhaps we’ve seen something like this before…” suggesting the countdown may be connected to an existing game or franchise.
Stay tuned.
Update 10:55 p.m.: As noted by user AlphaKretin in the comments, a video titled “Bats490” is referenced in the story trailer for AI: The Somnium Files – NirvanA Initiative.