FromSoftware Is Selling Armored Core 6’s Pile Bunker as a Ridiculously Expensive Pen

FromSoftware has apparently decided the next logical step for Armored Core is a very overcomplicated and pricey office pen shaped like the iconic Pile Bunker.

The developer is selling an officially licensed ballpoint pen based on Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’s PB-033M ASHMEAD pile bunker, complete with moving armor, a dedicated illuminated display stand, and a Balam Industries memo pad. This won’t be just a regular pen with an Armored Core logo slapped onto it.

The entire thing is shaped after the ASHMEAD, measuring roughly 160mm tall and 35mm wide, with its chunky mechanical armor recreated using PVC, ABS and iron. Pressing the pen’s top button doesn’t just extend the writing tip either. The surrounding front mechanism physically opens alongside it, mimicking the deployment animation of the pile bunker in-game.

Basically, every time you click your pen, you’re triggering the pile bunker on whatever poor document you plan on writing on.

FromSoftware has put even more effort into the stand and pen holder. The included stand measures around 163mm tall and 64mm wide and is designed more like a miniature weapons rack than a pen holder. The ASHMEAD slots vertically into it when you’re not using it like a proper desk display.

Plug the stand in through USB Type-C and built-in LEDs illuminate the display. A touch sensor integrated into the front lets you cycle through three different brightness levels, since apparently your miniature pile bunker requires adjustable tactical lighting too. A USB power cable is included with the set.

There’s also a Balam Industries-branded memo pad, designed like something the fictional Armored Core corporation might actually hand out internally. But, none of this comes cheap.

The set costs ¥17,600 including Japanese tax, excluding shipping and additional fees. At current exchange rates, that’s roughly $112 / £83 / €100 before any international shipping, import charges, or reseller markup.

Preorders opened on October 30 through Premium Bandai Japan, with shipments expected in May 2027.

There is one problem for Western Armored Core fans at the time of writing. The ASHMEAD pen has not appeared on Premium Bandai’s US or European storefronts, and the official announcement only lists the Japanese Premium Bandai store as its sales route. Premium Bandai operates separate overseas stores, but products sold in Japan aren’t automatically offered through them.

So unless FromSoftware announces wider distribution, getting one outside Japan may be a very difficult undertaking due to the lack of supply. Prices might even end up skyrocketing.