Aug 28
Universal Studios Japan announced on August 27 that its autumn event "Halloween Horror Nights" will run from September 11 to November 8, marking the event's 15th anniversary. For the first time in park history, a nighttime-only "Zombie Bar" will transform the San Francisco area's Wharf Cafe after 6 p.m., where zombified crew members serve cocktails inspired by past event zombies, including non-alcoholic options. The event also introduces school festival stall food at Universal Market, themed to high school zombies from the special show "Halloween Horror Nights Academy: 15 Years of Despair." Collaboration items with the anime "Chainsaw Man" include a keema curry-flavored bun modeled after Denji's transformed state and a Pochita frozen parfait, along with T-shirts and keychains sold at the Cinema 4-D Store. Food tied to the "Biohazard Requiem" maze features a Green Herb Recovery Croissant Dog and Leon S. Kennedy's Bitter Chocolate Churritos. Select menus come with collectible 15th-anniversary coasters.
Aug 6
gelato pique released a teaser video on X for its SPECIAL COLLECTION collaboration with Square Enix's Dragon Quest. The video shows two slimes and reads "7.28 tue 12:00 Coming soon..." New products inspired by the RPG are expected. The brands collaborated in 2025 on loungewear and nap cushions.
Jul 23
The Donkey Kong Bananza development team won Best Awards in three of the four categories at the CEDEC Awards 2026, held July 22-24 at Pacifico Yokohama North. The Computer Entertainment Association (CESA) announced the winners on July 23. The team took Engineering, Game Design, and Visual Arts honors. The Sound Best Award went to the Nintendo Music development and operations team, giving Nintendo a sweep of all categories. The Engineering award cited advanced integration of terrain destruction and physics simulation using voxel technology. Game Design recognized an exciting exploration experience through destruction leveraging character appeal. Visual Arts honored voxel technology realizing a fully destructible 3D world. The Sound award noted continuous library building of a vast number of songs and provision of music experiences utilizing the characteristics of game music. Shuhei Yoshida received the Special Award, announced July 1, for his contributions to computer entertainment development, including leadership of the PlayStation brand and support of indie games. The Best Awards were determined by votes from CEDEC2026 attendees and speakers from among the previously announced Excellence Awards.
Jul 1
GungHo Online Entertainment announced on July 1 that its smartphone RPG Disney Pixel RPG will end service on September 30, 2026, at 11:00 JST. The game launched on October 7, 2024, and will run for about two years. The announcement came via the game's official X account and a notice on the official website. Until the service ends, the developer plans to add more main story content and run various in-game events. Sales of paid items stopped on July 1. Sales of Red Crystal payment items, gacha using Red Crystals, and stamina recovery will end on August 19 at 11:00 JST. Blue Crystals will remain usable until the service termination. Unused Red Crystals will be refunded through a dedicated form after the service ends; players are advised to keep their in-game ID and inquiry code. The official website and customer support are scheduled to close on January 13, 2027. The game is a command battle RPG featuring Disney characters in pixel art, including Mickey Mouse, Pooh, Baymax, Stitch, and Maleficent in themed costumes.
Jun 19
Koei Tecmo Games announced on June 19 that MAPPA, the studio behind the TV anime Attack on Titan The Final Season, will produce the opening animation for the upcoming tactical hunting action game Attack on Titan 3. The opening will be a completely new animation that depicts the story of Attack on Titan from beginning to end. The game is planned for release on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Further details, including the release date and the first look at actual gameplay footage, will be revealed during an official web program airing on July 2 at 19:00 JST. The program will feature voice actors Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman) and Shiori Mikami (Krista Lenz), along with development producer Eisei Suzuki as a commentator. According to Game Spark, the opening animation will not be included in the main game at launch but will be added in a later update.