Towerborne: Introducing a Spectacular Japanese-Themed Golden Week Event

Sebastian YamaguchiEditor, Xbox Wire Japan

Summary

Golden Week, the beloved Japanese holiday, is coming to Towerborne from April 29 – the same day the game launches into Xbox Game Preview and Game Pass.
The Japan-themed Shiro’s Golden Journey event will transform the Belfry with Japanese-inspired new quests, characters, rewards, and more – and runs until May 13.
Don’t worry if you can’t collect all the rewards during the event – you’ll be able to continue after it ends.
Find out how this Golden Week event came to be in our interview.

Spring’s warm air wraps around Japan and its people, who have endured the cold and harsh winter, ushering in an uplifting season. This joyful time, beginning in late April, is the much-anticipated “Golden Week,” a series of holidays that locals look forward to every year – and, in Towerborne, we’ll be getting a Golden Week event to celebrate in style.

During the Golden Week, the highways in Japan stretch endlessly with lines of cars patiently waiting for their turn to move. At the expressway service areas, you may find adults that stopped by for a breather, while children —perhaps unaware of their guardians’ fatigue— happily munch on local delicacies with beaming smiles. Tourist spots buzz with activity, and in hometowns across the country, greetings of “Long time no see! How have you been?” echo warmly from all directions.

The Japanese Golden Week is a special time when everyone takes a break from their hectic everyday lives to enjoy a moment of adventure – and with Towerborne launching into Xbox Game Preview and Game Pass on April 29, what better time to head out on an all-new adventure?

A Brand-new Take on Golden Week

Centered around Golden Week —a uniquely Japanese cultural tradition— Shiro’s Golden Journey, Towerborne’s first Limited-Time Event, is set to take place starting April 29. The event features a host of new content, including a brand-new character, a new role for the Umbra companion, Boshi, a variety of exclusive themed rewards, and even a new feature: tag-teaming with NPCs.

Players will team up with the mysterious, fox-masked NPC known as Shiro to complete a new questline. As they progress, they will uncover the story behind Shiro and earn a range of event-exclusive items inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics.

To celebrate this occasion, Xbox Wire Japan spoke with Chris “Hiro” Harada, VP of Marketing at Stoic and the mastermind behind Shiro’s Golden Journey, to dive deeper into the inspiration and details of what’s coming next for Towerborne.

When asked for a brief introduction, Harada shared his unique background, with roots in multiple cultures, including Japan.

“I actually have two first names,” he explained. “Hiro is my Japanese name, and Christopher is my American name. To keep things simple for everyone, most people just call me by my last name, Harada. My father is from Hiroshima, Japan, and my mother was American. I spent my childhood [moving] between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Osaka, Japan. I’ve even worked with several Japanese companies over the years, and have always stayed closely connected to my Japanese heritage. Many of my close friends live in Japan, and I continue to stay in regular contact with them.”

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It was Harada, with his first-hand experience living in Japan, who brought the concept of Shiro’s Golden Journey to the Towerborne team, with the hope of sharing his own cherished memories of Golden Week with a wider audience. He detailed that, “it all came together very naturally. All I did was share about my stay in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima during that time of the year,” emphasizing how magical it was.

Reflecting on his past experiences during Golden Week, he continued. “Most recently, we visited Hakone. My father, brother, and wife came, and it was a beautiful, unforgettable trip.”

A Hub for Cultural Celebrations

Harada brought his deep affection for Japan into Towerborne through the form of a Limited-Time Event, as it was clear that the game’s openness to diverse cultures and tradition, as well as its overall design philosophy, favored making such a fusion possible.

“When I joined Stoic in early 2024, I was struck by how rich and expansive Towerborne already was. As a live game, it felt important that players could shape their own stories, and we approached our content through a global perspective. Taking the form of a Limited-Time Event felt like the perfect method for efforts like these, since not only do they imply a consistent yearly cadence of content, but they also allow us a framework to celebrate different cultures authentically.”

He also added that “Japan was a natural starting point because the timing aligned with our development plans, as well as my upbringing,” while foreshadowing that Stoic will “continue to honor and spotlight cultures from all over the world in future events,” reflecting on their globally diverse roster.

Reflecting Harada’s vision, the exclusive cosmetic items obtained through Shiro’s Golden Journey are infused with a variety of Japan-inspired designs. These rewards, rich with the traditional essence of wa (Japanese aesthetics), are also connected to his roots in Japan.

“Shiro, the name for the central character of the questline, means ‘white’ in Japanese, and is inspired by my favorite pieces of folklore that feature the Kitsune (‘fox’ in Japanese), which were sometimes depicted with white fur. My extended family in Hiroshima follows Shinto, leading to us occasionally visiting the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto – and [the fox statues there] always captivated me.”

Harada also brought up his admiration of the classical theatrical art of Kabuki, which inspired one of the armor set rewards, and the team even redesigned the game’s warclub weapon to resemble a wagasa, a traditional Japanese umbrella.

A Deeper Dive Inside Shiro’s Golden Journey

The origin of Shiro’s Golden Journey, which commences during Golden Week, can be traced back to a moment when Harada was reviewing concept materials with Towerborne’s Product Director, Alex Hunnisett, along with the artistic team.

“When I was reviewing assets, one design in particular stood out to me, and I reached out to our incredible Art Director, Pedro Toledo, to explore the idea of evolving it into a Kitsune-inspired ninja character. The new character, later named Shiro, felt like a natural fit, as our Shadowstriker class already drew heavily from anime-style ninja assassins. Players can expect to really enjoy uncovering more about Shiro as the game progresses.”

One of the major highlights of this Limited-Time Event is the inclusion of a brand-new feature that enables the player to tag-team with NPCs, in this case Shiro. It marks the first time that such a mechanic has been implemented in the game, and for this, Harada credits the dedication of Stoic’s LiveOps team for turning the idea into a reality.

”The LiveOps team had been exploring the idea of NPC allies for a while,” he explained, “and this event gave them the perfect opportunity to bring the idea to life. While Shiro himself will debut during the Japanese Golden Week, the mechanics of having NPCs assist in combat will continue to evolve in future updates.”

Creating Special Moments, While Respecting Players’ Time

Harada also explained that, while designing Shiro’s Golden Journey as a Limited-Time Event, the team made a conscious effort to respect players’ time by including a system that allowed them to continue to obtain exclusive items even after the event ends, which stems from Stoic’s collective decision to being “as fair and considerate to the players as possible.”

He notes that, “while The Golden Week questline will only be available during the event, once you’ve unlocked the cosmetic bundle, you can finish it at any time, even after the event ends.”

This approach, which is complemented by the event’s extension of an additional week after the actual Golden Week concludes in Japan, “gives everyone enough time to enjoy the event fully, and also decide whether they’d like to unlock this special cosmetic bundle to continue earning exclusive rewards.”

A Love Letter to Japan

When asked for a closing statement for the fans in Japan, as well as those who appreciate Japanese culture, Harada concluded by reflecting on the spirit behind Towerborne’s development, as well as his hopes for future adventures in the Belfry:

“To everyone in Japan or those interested in Towerborne, I hope you kindly consider trying it out. It’s a love letter to the kinds of games we grew up playing, and we’ve worked hard to bring back the joy of couch co-op and shared adventures. For current players, we hope it brings back those warm memories of playing with friends and family. And for new players, we hope it’s the start of something just as memorable.

“Fans around the world, especially those who love anime or Japanese culture, know that this is just the beginning. Towerborne is built with a global mindset, and this event is one of many, inspired by beloved stories and traditions. We’re excited to keep building a world that reflects and celebrates different cultures through meaningful content.”

Towerborne’s Shiro’s Golden Journey event will begin on April 29, and runs until May 13.

Also on April 29, Towerborne arrives for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via the Xbox app, and with Game Pass, through the Xbox Game Preview program. It is also available through Steam Early Access.

The Class Mastery Update – arriving on the same day – includes an all-new progression system, big changes to the game’s World Map and quests, new items and enemies, gameplay and social system improvements, and more across all platforms.