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Recently, the creator of the mystery horror visual novel Return to Shironagasu Island publicly addressed speculation online claiming the game’s setting was inspired by the real-world Jeffrey Epstein island scandal. These comparisons had been circulating after some social media users noticed that the game’s storyline—set on a remote, privately owned island filled with dark secrets—seemed superficially similar to the infamous real-life location.

In response, Japanese solo developer Hyogo Onimushi took to X (formerly Twitter) to explicitly deny any connection between his game and the Epstein case, noting that Return to Shironagasu Island could not have been inspired by it. Onimushi explained that the first version of the game was released way back in 2017 at Comiket, with a full release in 2018, several years before the Epstein story became widely known in 2019.

Return to Shironagasu Island—originally released on Steam in 2020 and later on Nintendo Switch—follows a detective who travels to the secluded Shironagasu Island after receiving a mysterious invitation and becomes entangled in sinister events. It’s a point-and-click mystery adventure with horror elements, and despite the recent controversy, it has maintained a very positive reception among players.

While coincidence and thematic overlap can occur in fiction, Onimushi’s clarification shows that the game’s story and setting are wholly original and not rooted in any specific real-world scandal. This helped put to rest inaccurate associations and reaffirm the game’s identity as a purely fictional mystery experience.

References:
• Return to Shironagasu Island Creator Denies Inspiration from Epstein Case — Vocesabi Anime (developer clarification)
• Japanese game developer clarifies game wasn’t inspired by Epstein Island — Automaton West (news coverage)
• Return to Shironagasu Island Steam reviews show very positive player reception — Steambase