HIKKY announced the VketReal 2026 Summer Akihabara walking event, featuring a record 29 participating stores and projects, roughly double the previous event. The collaboration, called Town-wide JOIN Operation!, includes restaurants, karaoke, body care, live houses, and shisha bars offering limited menus, novelties, and benefits. A stamp rally is also planned.
Niantic's GO Fest 2026 Global runs July 11-12, featuring Mega Mewtwo X on Saturday and Mega Mewtwo Y on Sunday in Super Mega Raids. Players can earn up to 18 free Raid Passes over the weekend. Mewtwo caught during the event has Mega Level 1 unlocked. Super Mega Raids require Mega Evolved Pokémon to break shields and need large groups.
Sony Interactive Entertainment published the June 2026 PS Store download rankings on July 9. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth leads the PS5 category, followed by Adventurer Elliot's Millennium Story and EA Sports FC 26. On PS4, Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027 takes first, with Dragon Quest XI S and Monster Hunter: World in second and third. Beat Saber tops PS VR2, and eFootball leads free-to-play.
Sega announced a livestream for Sakatsuku 2026 on July 14 at 20:00 JST. The broadcast will reveal the Ver2.1 update contents and half-anniversary information. Producer Katsuya Hisai, director Masatsune Funakoshi, and MC Neontetra Seika will appear, along with a video message from PV actress Yuka Kageyama.
Fighting game player GO1 developed heatstroke at the Esports World Cup 2026 after an air conditioning failure on a shuttle bus caused the interior temperature to reach 39 degrees Celsius. He has recovered enough to eat and walk but still feels fatigued and is in discussions with event management about his participation. He thanked fellow players who assisted him on site.
Streamer k4sen's offline event The k4sen Con 2026 has added Junichi Kato, Moko, Oniya, and Yuyuta to its lineup. The four will appear in the stage content Real Buckshot Roulette on DAY1, August 8. Kato was previously scheduled for the same project in 2024 but withdrew before the event.
Publisher indie.io and developer Neurona Games released Esports Manager 2026 on Steam on July 7. The game is an esports team management simulation set in a tactical FPS similar to Counter-Strike. Players act as a team manager, handling training, scouting, sponsorships, merchandise, and legal matters. The game includes over 325 real esports teams and more than 1,900 real players, with stats based on actual performances. In matches, players watch AI-controlled action from a top-down view and can give equipment instructions like full buy or eco. The game quickly attracted players, reaching a peak concurrent count of around 5,000. As of July 7, 80% of 240 Steam user reviews are positive, earning a 'Very Positive' rating. Some players have criticized the AI behavior during matches, with reports of illogical actions. The developer announced a functional improvement patch for the next day. The game is priced at 2,300 yen, with a 20% launch discount to 1,840 yen until July 21. The store page does not list Japanese language support.
Algo Artis announced that three of its members-Mitsuru Matsuo, Kengo Kajiwara, and Hiroaki Kitahara-have been selected as finalists for the Heuristic division of the AtCoder World Tour Finals 2026, to be held July 7-8. Only 12 finalists are chosen worldwide. The event also includes a Human vs. AI Exhibition Match against an OpenAI agent, with a special award for a player who defeats the AI and wins the tournament.
Four KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO affiliated artists-RIM, KOKO, KAKYOIN, and HINAGESHI-participated in the U.S. charity event VTuber Summer Slam 2026, raising 1 million yen in donations through special streams. The funds go to Gamers Outreach to provide gaming experiences to hospitalized children.
Sanrio announced the results of its 2026 Character Ranking on Sunday. Pompompurin took first place for the second consecutive year with over 7.1 million votes, followed by Cinnamoroll and Pochacco. Over 70.6 million votes were cast. The ranking also included regional results and new categories.
Meta Heroes Co., Ltd. will host a free online "Hirosami Webinar" on multiple dates before The Hero Summit 2026, an event organized by its group company Hero Egg Inc. The webinar introduces the summit's concept of combining social issue solving, entertainment, and hero narratives to create a goal stage for children. It targets companies, organizations, educators, and potential sponsors interested in participation methods such as sponsorship, exhibition, speaking, and support.
The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association appointed Kis-My-Ft2 member Toshihiro Miyata as the official supporter for Tokyo Game Show 2026. Miyata, known as a gaming enthusiast and co-founder of the YouTube channel Houkago GAMING LIFE, will help promote the event's 30th anniversary. TGS2026 runs September 17-21 at Makuhari Messe.
The music and art festival NIGHT HIKE 2026 in Makuhari has released its key visual and first wave of performers, with around 50 artists announced from a total of over 100 acts across two days. The event takes place October 31 and November 1 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, featuring a cross-genre lineup including PinocchioP, Kanzaki Iori, DUSTCELL, and VTuber groups like KMNZ. Advance early bird tickets are on sale now.
The largest-ever BL real event, Boys Love Tokyo 2026, ran June 27-28 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City. It featured nine experiential exhibitions, a BL Shrine with fortune slips and votive tablets, 81 newly drawn character panels, a kink chart diagnosis, a pop-up cafe, merchandise sales, and stages with authors and voice actors.
TELASA announced it will exclusively live-stream the M Countdown Stage from KCON LA 2026 in Japan. The event runs August 15-17 Japan time from the LA Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena. Headliners NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER each get one-hour sets. The stream costs 990 yen with archive viewing planned.
Creative studio MIGIRI will handle direction and production for two performances at the virtual live festival Fantastic Reality 2026, held July 2-4 in Los Angeles. The festival, which sold out its 2025 debut, features virtual artists performing live for in-person and streaming audiences. MIGIRI's appointment marks its first overseas expansion.
HIKKY announced that Mouse Computer will exhibit consecutively at Virtual Market 2026 Summer, running from July 11 to 26, 2026. The PC manufacturer returns after a successful debut last winter, when its Vket Recommended PC sold out. This time, the lineup expands to six models: three standard configurations for comfortably playing VRChat and three creator-focused machines for streaming, recording, and Unity work. New additions include models with AMD Radeon graphics, chosen for price-to-performance balance. Mouse Computer and HIKKY jointly verified each machine against four usage scenarios, from solo world exploration to large-event participation and creator workflows. The booth, located in the Parareal Akihabara venue, will feature a collaboration with VRChat creator Tokoroba, including a PC performance test that scores visitors' current hardware and ranks results. Mouse Computer cited strong demand and supply constraints from the previous event as reasons for the expanded offering.
SNK announced the SWC 2026 Finals will take place November 27-29 in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of DreamHack Stockholm 2026. The tournament covers five SNK fighting game titles with a combined $4.2 million prize pool across qualifiers and finals. A regional league for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was also announced.
KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO will participate in VTuber Summer Slam 2026, a 10-day charity marathon organized by U.S. nonprofit Gamers Outreach. Four members-RIM, KOKO, KAKYOIN, and HINAGESHI-will stream Overcooked! 2 on the studio's YouTube channel June 25 from 23:00 to 1:00 JST. Donations support GO Kart mobile game kiosks for hospitalized children.
Thermaltake will hold Thermal Camp 2026, a free DIY PC culture festival, on July 11, 2026, at LIFORK AKIHABARA II in Tokyo. The event features a talk session on the Retro PC case series, product introductions, sim racing and RGB software experiences, giveaways, and a rock-paper-scissors tournament with prizes.
BE:FIRST's first stadium performance, held at Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium in May 2026, will stream exclusively on Prime Video starting July 10. The two-day show drew about 100,000 attendees and featured 36 songs, from debut track "Gifted" to recent singles. The group also performed with Janet Jackson in June and will tour four cities starting September.
FENNEL announced that its VALORANT division member Aace has been selected for the Japan national team in the VALORANT division of the Esports Nations Cup 2026. The tournament, organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation, will be held for the first time in 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a $1.5 million prize pool. Japan will compete in the Asian qualifiers starting June 26.
The globally popular IP Skater JOHN, created by Shiba-Chan, is collaborating with the Japanese music festival SUMMER SONIC 2026. The first step is a specially drawn flyer released on June 25, 2026, with two versions for the Tokyo and Osaka venues. The collaboration will also include official goods, venue decorations, and performances.
Digital Extremes announced the full program for TennoCon 2026, running July 10-11 in London, Ontario and online. The event includes Warframe and Soulframe panels, a concert, a cosplay contest, and the TennoLive demo. Exclusive Twitch and Steam drops include a new primary weapon and Mesa Prime Warframe. An in-game relay experience opens July 12.
Company V has produced a new 3D yukata, MyYukata 2026, for the Kimonowa brand, a VRChat kimono project operated by TeraDox. The women's version includes six patterns and three obi types with accessories, supporting up to 13 avatars. The men's version, MyYukata 2026 for Men, includes four patterns with three color variations and supports up to 11 avatars. Both products go on sale June 25, 2026, on BOOTH. A launch sale runs from June 25 to July 11, with the women's full set priced at 3,500 yen (regular 4,500 yen) and the men's full set at 2,800 yen (regular 3,500 yen). To mark the release, a summer social event called Yukata de Nouryoukai is planned for July 11, 2026, in VRChat, collaborating with 17 event and community groups across approximately 30 instances with up to 220 cast members. The project follows earlier Kimonowa releases: MyFurisode 2026 sold 3,800 units, and the Kimono de Ohanami Party in April 2026 drew over 3,000 visitors.
The first-ever FIELDS SO GOOD festival, combining farming and music at Yatsugatake Agricultural University, has released its daily lineup for September 20-21, 2026. Acts include GLIM SPANKY, Kan Sano, Ovall, and toconoma across two areas. Tickets are on sale now.
The Esports Foundation announced on June 22 that Aya Nakamura, DJ Snake, and Theodora will perform at the opening ceremony of the Esports World Cup 2026 on July 8 at La Seine Musicale in Paris. The event runs from July 6 to August 23 with over 2,000 players from more than 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.
Kizuna AI announced a birthday mini live on June 30, 2026, featuring new costumes and songs, plus a game tournament with 10 guests including Sakura Miko and Mori Calliope. The event marks her 10th anniversary since her debut in November 2016, following her return from a three-year hiatus in February 2025.
Bandai Spirits announced a reprint of the Ichiban Kuji Hololive Choco Collection 2026 ver., with pre-orders opening June 23 exclusively on Ichiban Kuji ONLINE. The lottery includes 32 Hololive member prizes, each a choco-themed figure, plus a Last One Prize and a Double Chance Campaign prize.
The U-FRET Singer-Songwriter Audition 2026, co-hosted by lyrics and chord site U-FRET and entertainment app Karacast, announced its winners. Mayushi won the Grand Prize with 100,148 votes. Eight artists received the U-FRET Special Award, and five won the Karacast Special Award. Total social media impressions exceeded 5 million.
Creek & River Co., Ltd. announced the technical artist exchange event Artists Meet Technicals 2026, to be held July 24 at World Beer Museum Yokohama on the final day of CEDEC 2026. The event, sponsored by SideFX, has a capacity of 150 and costs 6,000 yen (3,000 yen for students).
Y's Holdings will hold TOKYO Bon Dance × STEAM FESTIVAL 2026 at Ueno Onshi Park on June 26-27, 2026. The event combines Bon Odori with DJ, VJ, music production, and crafting experiences for elementary and junior high school students. Performers include DJ KOO (TRF), DJ Oasis, ZEN-LA-ROCK, and Guinness World Record-holding elementary school student DJ RINOKA.
FLAFFY Co., Ltd. hosted Japan Wanko Festa 2026 in Odaiba from June 12 to 14, attracting approximately 80,000 dogs and dog lovers. The event featured 180 pet-related brand booths, breed-specific meetups with 1,500 dogs, a dog run, and an Instagram live stream for remote attendees.
NU Festival 2026, co-hosted by JR East, will take over TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY and Takanawa Gateway Station from June 26 to 28. The timetable is now public, with performances by Grandbrothers, Suzanne Ciani, Actress, William Basinski, and Two Shell. A pre-party at Shibuya's WOMB is also scheduled.
AI VTuber Yumeminana, a first-generation member of KLab's VTuber agency Yumekairo Production, will hold her first online 3D live, "Yumeminana Birthday Festival 2026," on July 7, 2026, at 20:00 on her YouTube channel. The live will feature full-body 3D performances and appearances by fellow first-generation members Tsukimado Romy, Koguma Komame, and Hanasaki Mimosa. KLab developed a unique AI-powered video production system to automate camera work and stage effects, reducing the need for a large production staff.
Summer Game Fest 2026 has concluded, and host Geoff Keighley declared "Magic is Back." However, the event revealed a weak presence from North American AAA publishers, with Japanese and Asian creators dominating the most exciting announcements. The lineup reflects an industry relying on existing IP extensions and facing structural challenges.
The VRChat community event Chomatafes 2026, held on May 23, drew record attendance and praise for its digital numbered ticket system and paid priority entry passes. Organizer Narugami detailed the event's origins, from a canceled 2020 offline meetup to the 2024 VRC Daikoryukai, which drew 4,000 attendees. The 2026 edition featured a daytime marketplace and an evening networking session with 700 participants, with a total budget of 6.6 million yen.
The fourth wave of artists for Animelo Summer Live 2026 -Messenger- has been announced, adding Ikizurai Bu! (Love Live! series), Takahashi Rie, Illumination Stars (The Idolmaster Shiny Colors), and rock band DOES. Ikizurai Bu! and DOES are making their first Anisama appearance. The event runs July 10-12 at Makuhari Messe.
The 19th edition of Content Tokyo, Japan's largest creative industry exhibition, will be held June 17-19 at Tokyo Big Sight. This year introduces the first Fan Community Marketing EXPO, alongside seven constituent exhibitions and free conferences on IP cultivation, story design, and XR applications. Notable speakers include Toei Animation and Sanrio executives.
On June 7, 2026, Sega hosted the first offline tournament for 'Let's Make a Pro Soccer Club! 2026' (PS5/PS4/iOS/Android). Twenty-nine players who passed Discord preliminaries competed. Manager Akataku defeated Manager Utakata in the finals to become Japan's strongest manager. Japanese representatives also won international friendlies against Hong Kong champions. Producer Katsuya Hisai and director Masanobu Funakoshi said the event was a stimulus for future development and expressed desire to hold more offline events.
Konami Digital Entertainment released "Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027" on June 11, 2026, for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The standard edition costs 8,470 yen, and the Powerful Edition costs 10,670 yen. The PS4 version is download-only and supports PlayStation VR. This title marks the 30th anniversary of the Success mode and includes nine scenarios total. Two new scenarios are the "Parallel All-Stars" chapter, which gathers characters from past Success mode titles, and the "World Baseball Classic" chapter set in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Real players who participated in the WBC appear. In Success mode, players develop a protagonist who enters professional baseball as the first draft pick and aims to join the Japanese national team for the WBC. The mode also allows developing a two-way player like Shohei Ohtani. In "Showdown! Legend Battle," opponents include 2026 Japanese national team players and historical Japanese national team players. Standard modes like Pennant, Eikan Nine, and PowerFes have been updated with new features. A "PowerPro Ability Diagnosis Maker" campaign runs on X until July 10.
Sega announced that Suzuhiro Kamaboko and DAZN will appear as in-game sponsors in "Let's Make a Pro Soccer Club! 2026" starting with the June update. Their logos will appear on sponsor selection screens, club uniforms, and stadiums, varying by league and season in Sakatsuku mode.
Valve launched the Steam Bullet Hell Fest 2026 sale event on June 9, bringing discounts on bullet hell shooting games including Vampire Survivors, Enter the Gungeon, and multiple Touhou Project titles. The event runs through June 16 and also offers free demos, upcoming release previews, and themed Steam Points Shop items.
HARS GLOBAL Pte. Ltd. exhibited and spoke at GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2026 on June 3, 2026, for the second consecutive year. The booth drew strong interest in overseas expansion, and the company shared a session with KLab and NextNinja executives on practical global marketing strategies using AI.
YUSVOX-produced 6-member idol group First Playlist will perform at TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2026 on July 31, 2026, just six months after their debut on January 28, 2026. The festival, held from July 31 to August 2 in the Odaiba-Aomi area, is the world's largest idol festival, attracting around 85,000 attendees in its previous edition.
Game Spark published its weekly roundup of new game releases for the week of June 8, 2026. The list covers titles launching across multiple platforms in Japan and North America, with highlights including Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027, Solarpunk: Sky Island, Beastro, and Unrailed 2: Back on Track.
Thailand's Creative Economy Agency (CEA) announced the Bangkok International Content Market 2026 (BICM2026), the country's first international marketplace for film, series, and animation. The event runs July 20-22 in Bangkok as part of the Thailand Content Market 2026, aiming to position Thailand as an Asian content hub.
Streamer IShowSpeed's song 'World Cup (Champions)' has been added to FIFA's official 'FIFA World Cup 2026 Album' after the organization heard and liked it. The track, now titled 'Champion', appears alongside artists like Shakira and The Rolling Stones. IShowSpeed reacted with joy during a live stream after receiving a direct message from FIFA.
Indie-us Games opened registration for general participants of the game development event Open Game Fest 2026, to be held July 11 at Kyoto Computer Gakuin. Admission is free. The event, now in its second year, features lectures by developers and indie game exhibitions. The newly released session lineup includes a talk on game-making by Sohei Shinkawa, former representative of Nippon Ichi Software and current head of Super Nitch. Other sessions cover recruitment in the game industry, led by Indie-us Games representative Masahiko Nakamura and Game Makers editor-in-chief Daiki Kamiyama; a discussion on content ratings and expression in games by Phoenixx's Hibiki Oda; a panel of creative directors analyzing notable games; and an Unreal Engine and Epic ecosystem update from Epic Games Japan's Axel Riffard. Four hands-on workshops are also planned: techniques to improve games using Unreal Engine, taught by Okazu (Kazuya Okada); Unity basics through play, by Matsudasu; a 3D action game production workshop by Game Makers' Yuto Kamiya; and a ZBrush skull-modeling session by Born Digital's Daichi Ishizaki. The event will also host an indie game exhibition area.
Masaki Suda will host the Grand Ceremony of Music Awards Japan 2026 for the second consecutive year. The event takes place June 13 at Toyota Arena Tokyo, broadcast live on NHK and streamed globally on YouTube, Lemino, ABEMA, and radiko. Performers include Fujii Kaze, HANA, MISAMO, Sam Smith, Sakanaction, Chanmina, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra with special guests, Yohu, and Kenshi Yonezu.