Silent Cleaning won two ACC Golds at the 2026 ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS
Silent Cleaning, the 3D horror game we created for Kao Corporation, won two ACC Golds at the 2026 66th ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS, in Branded Communication Category B (Social Influence) and in Media Creative. The game also took ACC Bronze in Marketing Effectiveness and was named an ACC Finalist in Design, earning recognition in four categories in total.
■ Awards
ACC Gold Branded Communication Category B (Social Influence)
ACC Gold Media Creative
ACC Bronze Marketing Effectiveness
ACC Finalist Design
https://www.acc-awards.com/festival/2026fes_result/
About Silent Cleaning
Silent Cleaning is a 3D exploration horror action and cleaning simulation game, and the first game ever released by Kao's Home Care Division. Armed with real Kao cleaning products like Magiclean and Quickle, players clean up a villa while quietly evading the creature that haunts it.
Kao wanted to reach younger audiences who rarely see TV commercials, and to get people talking about cleaning, a topic that seldom takes off on social media. We found the answer in game streaming and its passionate communities. Instead of a typical ad, we made a real horror game. We built it in Unity with 3DCG, just as a full-scale horror title would be built, and used Foley recording to capture how each product feels and sounds, down to the hiss of the spray. Players get a true-to-life product experience while they play.
On launch day in August 2025, the game hit No. 1 on both X trends and LINE NEWS and topped Steam's recommended free games page. A collaboration with the popular streamer Gatchman set off a wave of playthroughs, including streams from creators with millions of subscribers. Sales of some featured products doubled, and more people, especially younger audiences, now think of Kao first when it comes to cleaning.
A Nintendo Switch version followed in July 2026. It adds a new Less-Scary Mode so kids and players who shy away from horror can join in, and lets players tilt the controller for an even more realistic cleaning experience.
Nintendo Switch https://store-jp.nintendo.com/item/software/D70010000125311
Official website https://www.kao.co.jp/osouji/shizukana-osouji/
Collaboration video with Gatchman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_PLJJcm4GQ
■ Selected Awards
Cannes Lions 2026 Bronze Lion, Entertainment Lions for Gaming
YouTube Works Awards Japan 2026 Grand Prix
Gamification Award 2025 (SEGA XD) Challenge Award
About ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS
The ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS are organized by the All Japan Confederation of Creativity (ACC). The awards trace back to the ACC CM FESTIVAL, launched in 1961 to raise the quality of TV and radio commercials, and were relaunched in 2017 to recognize creativity in every field. This year's awards honor outstanding work across nine categories to help advance creativity in Japan.
■ Credits (Excerpt)
Client Kao Corporation
Creative Studio Whatever Co.
Creative Director SO
Producer / Strategic Director Kei Kaneko
Producer / Planner / PR Planner Yoriko Iida
Planner / Video Director Rintaro Shimohama
Programmer Takashi Okada, Kazuya Nagamachi, Makoto Matsutake, Saqoosha, Tatsuya Kida
3D CG Artist Comomo Kanayama
PR Material Inc.
Full credits are available on the Works page.
https://whatever.co/en/work/silent-cleaning/
■ Media Contact
Whatever PR
Email press@whatever.co
