Earthion is getting a custom hand-built arcade stick

GamesCare has announced the YK-IIA Arcade Controller, a custom wireless fight stick built specifically for the Mega Drive shoot 'em up Earthion. The controller is a direct collaboration with Ancient, the development studio founded by veteran composer Yuzo Koshiro.

Ancient originally revealed Earthion back in mid-2024. The project is a completely new 16-bit shooter designed for original Sega hardware. We already saw some controller tie-ins last year, like a themed 8BitDo M30 pad released in mid-2025. This new arcade stick is a much heavier, more specialized piece of hardware entirely.

Inspired by the cockpit

The visual design pulls directly from the game itself. The control panel artwork matches the interior cockpit of the YK-IIA Fighter, the main ship you pilot in Earthion. It gives the impression of a dedicated arcade cabinet control panel rather than a standard consumer peripheral.

GamesCare states they are building these by hand, one unit at a time. The promotional video shows off high-end arcade buttons and a standard Japanese-style joystick layout. It looks like a premium build from top to bottom. You can see the heavy casing and ambient lighting in the final showcase shots. The typography and layout mimic industrial flight controls.

The math doesn't math

Building custom arcade controllers by hand for a single modern Sega Genesis game is objectively absurd. I am completely here for it. The market for a premium, dedicated fight stick tied to one specific retro release cannot be huge. That makes its existence even better. It is a wildly niche product for a very specific audience.

The hardware includes wireless connectivity. Most arcade stick enthusiasts demand wired connections for absolute zero latency, but a wireless option is convenient for a casual living room setup. GamesCare hasn't detailed the exact switches or joystick lever parts just yet. They simply call them "pro-grade components." Usually, that implies Sanwa Denshi or Seimitsu parts, but we will have to wait for a full spec sheet to know for sure.

Yuzo Koshiro is best known for his work on the Streets of Rage series, Revenge of Shinobi, and ActRaiser. His studio, Ancient, has a long history of pushing Sega hardware to its limits. Earthion looks to continue that trend with massive boss sprites and intense parallax scrolling. Playing a game like that on a standard D-pad works fine, but a proper arcade stick layout is how the genre was originally meant to be played in the arcades.

Getting in line

The controller isn't available for purchase today. GamesCare opened a pre-order signup page to gauge interest and notify potential buyers when the production run actually begins.

Pricing details are also missing from the initial announcement. Given the hand-built nature of the hardware, it will likely cost a premium over mass-produced sticks from companies like Hori or Qanba. Custom arcade sticks often run well over two hundred dollars even before factoring in limited production runs and official licensing fees. Anyone looking to play Earthion exactly as Ancient intended should probably start saving up now.