All posts by Nova Solaris
Nova Solaris

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Drops July 9 — Built by Ubisoft Singapore

One week from now, a game built right here in Singapore drops on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced — the first true from-the-ground-up remake in Ubisoft history — is the work of Ubisoft Singapore, and it launches on 9 July 2026.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Official Game Overview Trailer — via Assassin’s Creed on YouTube

A Singapore Studio Takes the Helm

This isn’t a remaster handed to an external team. Ubisoft Singapore — the studio that has spent years building out Anvil engine’s water and naval systems across multiple Assassin’s Creed titles — pitched and led the entire project from day one.

Creative Director Paul Fu explained the logic in an interview with Game Informer: “Ubisoft Singapore not only has a history of working on water tech through Anvil, we have a history with naval gameplay and stuff, so when you put all those things together, it’s like, ‘Yeah, why not take a stab at it with Black Flag?’ It actually makes a lot of sense to try.”

Game Director Richard Knight echoed that sense of purpose: “With Black Flag Resynced, we set out to reconnect with the heart of Black Flag. From the start, the intention was clear: deliver a faithful and enriched experience,” as reported by MobileSyrup.

Edward Kenway perched on a rooftop overlooking a sunlit Caribbean town in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

The remake runs on the same Anvil engine build used for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with zero legacy code carried over from the 2013 original. Every system — combat, parkour, naval, AI — has been rebuilt from scratch.

Bigger Story, Bolder Characters

The core narrative of Edward Kenway’s Caribbean piracy is left intact, but Ubisoft Singapore has layered in new content for fan-favourite supporting cast. Original lead writer Darby McDevitt returned to pen two new scenes and revise an existing one, and new quest lines expand the stories of Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet — both of whom previously exited the narrative off-screen.

Lead Producer Justin Ng spoke to Press Start about the process: “The first thing we did was to ensure everything in the original was kept in terms of narrative. The story of Stede, Adéwalé, those things are basically one-to-one with the original. We worked together working out what more we could add to wrap up some of their stories, because some of the characters died off-screen or there were more things that we wanted to say.”

The modern-day Animus framing has also been reworked, replaced with “What If?” scenario rifts that keep players in the Caribbean without the tonal whiplash of the 2013 version. Ng added a candid note about the pressure of the project: “A joke I tell the team is that I used to have black hair and now it’s 50% white because of the stress.”

Edward Kenway in close-quarters combat in the rain in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Gameplay Overhauls: Combat, Stealth, and Parkour

Nearly every mechanical system has been touched. Combat is faster and more fluid, with a new parry-and-riposte system and visceral takedown animations. Stealth benefits from a long-requested crouch-anywhere mechanic and a dive-anywhere option near water. The tailing and eavesdropping missions that punished players with instant-fail states in 2013 have been reworked — no more restarting a sequence because an NPC clipped through your route.

Parkour has new animations and smoother transitions, and Edward now has access to most of his action tools early in the game rather than gating them behind story progression. The full campaign is playable offline after download.

Naval Combat Evolved

This is where Ubisoft Singapore’s expertise shines hardest. The Jackdaw now comes with new officer companions, ship pets, and 10 new sea shanties on top of the original tracklist. Naval combat adds secondary weapons including shrapnel barrels and 8-pounders, and a dynamic weather system — fog banks, storms, shifting winds — affects both visibility and manoeuvring during engagements.

Two tall ships exchanging cannon fire on the open Caribbean sea in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

On the visual side, ray tracing and micropolygon rendering push the water, weather, and lighting to a level the original 2013 hardware could never have achieved. The PS5 version targets 60 FPS with ray tracing enabled; a PS5 Pro mode is also confirmed.

Editions, Pricing, and Where to Get It

Black Flag Resynced launches on 9 July 2026 in three editions:

  • Standard Edition — US$59.99 (digital & physical)
  • Deluxe Edition — US$69.99 (includes Blackbeard’s Crimson weapons and costume pack)
  • Collector’s Edition — US$199.99

The game is available on Steam, the Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It is also included with Ubisoft+ from day one. Regional pricing in SGD will vary by platform — check the PS Store or Steam’s Singapore storefront for local rates. Pre-ordering either digital edition unlocks the Blackbeard’s Crimson Pack at no extra cost.

Edward Kenway standing at the bow of the Jackdaw approaching a secluded Caribbean cove in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

For fans who have watched Singapore’s game development scene grow over the past decade, Black Flag Resynced is a milestone — a Singapore studio leading Ubisoft’s first-ever ground-up remake of a franchise flagship title. Whether you played the original or are coming in fresh, it’s one to watch when it hits your platform on 9 July. Find more upcoming game news here.

One Piece Season 3 Wraps Filming: The Battle of Alabasta Coming 2027

Netflix’s One Piece live-action series has officially wrapped production on its third season. Filming for ONE PIECE: The Battle of Alabasta concluded on 30 June 2026 after roughly seven months and more than 200 days on set in Cape Town, South Africa. A 2027 premiere on Netflix — available in Singapore and across Southeast Asia — has been confirmed.

The Alabasta Arc — Why This One Matters

For many longtime fans, the Alabasta arc is the point where One Piece stopped being a pirate adventure and became something larger. After agreeing to help Princess Vivi at the close of Season 2, Luffy and the Straw Hats sail to her desert kingdom to find it teetering on the edge of civil war — a conflict engineered in secret by Sir Crocodile (Joe Manganiello), one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and his criminal syndicate Baroque Works. It’s the arc that first put the crew through a genuinely impossible fight, introduced the series’ most heartfelt send-off moment, and set the template for every major arc that followed.

ONE PIECE: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix — via Netflix on YouTube
Luffy, Nami and Usopp on the Merry in One Piece Season 2
Image courtesy of Netflix

The Full Cast — Returning Crew and New Arrivals

The core Straw Hat crew returns intact: Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Returning antagonists and supporting cast include Joe Manganiello as Sir Crocodile (Mr. 0), Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday, Charithra Chandran as Vivi, and Sendhil Ramamurthy as King Nefertari Cobra.

Four new characters fill out Season 3. Cole Escola joins as Bon Clay (Mr. 2), the Baroque Works agent who shape-shifts into anyone he touches and ends up being one of the arc’s most memorable presences despite fighting the crew. Xolo Maridueña takes on Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s brother — a casting announcement that drew an outsized reaction from the fandom. Awdo Awdo plays Mr. 1 and Daisy Head plays Miss Doublefinger, the Baroque Works fighters who headline the arc’s climactic battles.

Luffy and a pink-haired character in the Alabasta desert city in One Piece Season 3
Image courtesy of Netflix

Seven Months in Cape Town

Buggy the Clown and Luffy face to face in One Piece Season 2
Image courtesy of Netflix

Season 3 began shooting in late November 2025 and ran for more than 200 days across Cape Town’s soundstages and location sets. The series is written and co-showrun by Joe Tracz and Ian Stokes, produced by Tomorrow Studios in partnership with Netflix and Shueisha. Netflix confirmed the wrap on 30 June 2026 alongside the first cast photo from the Alabasta set, showing the core crew in the desert environment that defines the arc.

When Singapore Fans Can Expect It

Netflix has confirmed a 2027 release window for ONE PIECE: The Battle of Alabasta, though no specific date has been set yet. Netflix is fully available in Singapore and across Southeast Asia — Season 2, Into the Grand Line, is already streaming if you need to catch up on where the Straw Hats left off. For more entertainment news, check our ongoing coverage.

Invincible VS Season 1 Is Live: Universa and The Immortal Enter the Fight

Invincible VS has hit its first major milestone: Season 1 launched today (30 June 2026) for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, adding two new playable fighters, a fresh game mode, and a clear roadmap through to December. If you’ve been on the fence about Quarter Up’s 3-on-3 superhero brawler since it launched in late April, the roster is growing fast.

Season One Launch Trailer | Invincible VS — via Invincible VS on YouTube

Universa: The Boost Vampire

Universa gameplay in Invincible VS Season 1
Image courtesy of Skybound Entertainment

Universa is a technical fighter built around resource theft. Her signature mechanic drains Boost gauge from opponents and redirects it to fuel her own offence — the more you siphon, the stronger her moves hit. She rewards patience and positional play, punishing opponents who overextend while banking their energy for her own burst windows.

The standout is her “Entropy” super: as Skybound noted in an Xbox Wire announcement, “one of our team’s favourite moves is her ‘Entropy’ super, which allows her to absorb incoming projectiles” and convert them directly into Boost. Against zoning-heavy teams, that kind of reversal can swing a round completely.

The Immortal: A Striker Who Won’t Stay Down

The Immortal character in Invincible VS
Image courtesy of Skybound Entertainment

The Immortal is a rushdown Striker designed to close distance fast and attack from multiple angles. What separates him mechanically is a once-per-match revival: when he’s KO’d for the first time, he comes back in a berserk state with boosted speed and enhanced combo potential. Manage that revival timing well and you essentially force your opponent to kill the same character twice.

Both characters are available now as part of the Season 1 DLC pack or via the Year 1 Pass, which covers all four DLC fighters releasing across 2026.

Endless Arcade Mode

Invincible VS arena and gameplay
Image courtesy of Skybound Entertainment

Season 1 also introduces Endless Arcade, a new mode that gives you structured challenges outside of competitive matches. It’s a welcome addition for players who want to grind mechanics and improve without jumping straight into ranked queues — and for newcomers still getting comfortable with the 3-on-3 tag format before going online.

What’s Still Coming: Angstrom Levy and Beyond

Invincible VS Year 1 content roadmap
Image courtesy of Skybound Entertainment

The Season 1 launch also locked in the rest of the Year 1 roadmap. Angstrom Levy — the dimension-hopping villain from Robert Kirkman’s comic — is confirmed as the third DLC character, arriving in Season 2 in October alongside a new game mode and cosmetics. Season 3 follows in December with a fourth fighter and a brand-new arena.

For Singapore’s fighting game crowd, the competitive calendar looks healthy. Quarter Up brought playable character demos to EVO Las Vegas 2026 over the weekend, and with more tournament appearances planned, the game’s esports ambitions appear genuine beyond just content drops.

How to Get It

Invincible VS is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, priced at USD $39.99 for the base game on Steam. Singapore players can pick it up from their regional PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or Steam — check local storefronts for SGD pricing. Season 1 content is available separately or bundled in the Year 1 Pass. For more fighting game news, see our Game News archive.

EVO Singapore 2027 Confirmed at Marina Bay Sands in January

Fighting game fans in Singapore, mark your calendars right now. The Evolution Championship Series — the world’s longest-running and most prestigious fighting game tournament — is coming to Singapore for the very first time in January 2027, and it is bringing the Tekken World Tour Finals with it.

EVO Singapore 2027: January 15-17 at Marina Bay Sands

EVO General Manager Rick “The Hadou” Thiher confirmed the inaugural EVO Singapore 2027 from the main stage at EVO 2026 on June 28. The event is locked in for January 15-17, 2027 at Marina Bay Sands, making Singapore the first Southeast Asian city to host an official EVO event.

EVO Singapore 2027 — January 15-17 at Marina Bay Sands
Image courtesy of EVO

The announcement is part of a significant global expansion for EVO. In 2027 the organisation is rolling out regional events across five continents — Saudi Arabia, China, Morocco, Brazil and Mexico are also on the calendar — but Singapore is one of the first to have a confirmed date and venue. Locking in Marina Bay Sands immediately signals the scale EVO is aiming for here: MBS is one of Singapore’s premier convention and entertainment destinations, and has hosted major international esports and gaming events before.

Tekken World Tour 2026 Finals Run Concurrently — in Singapore

TEKKEN World Tour 2026 Global Finals Trailer — via Bandai Namco Esports on YouTube

The headliner alongside EVO Singapore is the Tekken World Tour 2026 Global Finals, running concurrently from January 14-17, 2027. This is the first time in the TWT’s history that the season-ending Finals — the event that crowns the world’s best Tekken player — will be held at an official EVO venue. Tekken 8 will have a major presence, and the Finals format guarantees the field will be the strongest possible: spots go to winners of the three Master+ events, the EWC 2026 champion, the top 16 players from the Global Leaderboard, the top 15 from Regional Leaderboards, and one Last Chance Qualifier slot.

Tekken has always had a massive following in Southeast Asia, and the prospect of watching the TWT Finals live at Marina Bay Sands — with the region’s own top players competing for a world title on home soil — is exactly the kind of moment the Singapore FGC scene has been waiting for.

What Games Will Be at EVO Singapore 2027?

EVO 2026 Las Vegas lineup featuring Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising and more
Image courtesy of EVO

EVO has not yet announced the full game lineup for the Singapore event. Tekken 8 is confirmed given the TWT Finals. Beyond that, EVO 2026 in Las Vegas featured Street Fighter 6, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising and Rivals of Aether II — and some of those titles will almost certainly appear on the Singapore bracket too, though nothing is official yet.

Tekken 8 — the confirmed centrepiece of EVO Singapore 2027's Tekken World Tour Finals
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco

EVO 2026 also packed in a run of Tekken 8 news SG fans should know about: Bob (the Onigiri Savior himself) joins as Season 3 DLC with early access from August 19 and general availability from August 24, 2026. There is plenty of reason to brush up on the game well before January.

Tickets, Registration and How to Stay Updated

Ticket sales and player registration details for EVO Singapore 2027 have not yet been released. The official site evosingapore.gg is live, and PlayStation Singapore’s EVO page is another place to watch for updates. Tekken World Tour bracket registration details will appear at tekkenworldtour.com when they open.

EVO Japan 2027 is also confirmed for April 30 – May 2 at Tokyo Big Sight, giving the region back-to-back major FGC events in the first five months of the year. For the Singapore FGC — a community that has been grinding locals, travelling to overseas brackets and building grassroots scenes for years — having a world-championship event with the Tekken World Tour Finals at Marina Bay Sands in January is the biggest home-turf announcement in a very long time.

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Smartwatches Expand to Rival Schools

GARRACK is back with more Haikyu!! wristwear: the Japanese lifestyle brand has officially announced a second smartwatch collection — and this time the spotlight falls squarely on the series’ toughest rivals. Three new models will drop in late July, themed around Aoba Johsai, Shiratorizawa Academy, and Inarizaki High.

Three Schools, Three Distinct GARRACK Haikyu!! Watches

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Aoba Johsai Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK

Each model is priced at ¥10,890 — matching the first collection — and built around its school’s identity: team-colour straps, an alternate black strap, and custom watch-face artwork that goes well beyond a simple logo placement. The Aoba Johsai model (HUC-HK-BD11-A) features Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and crew cycling across multiple dial animations; Shiratorizawa Academy’s watch (HUC-HK-BD11-S) leans into Ushijima and Tendo, with an eagle silhouette surfacing for incoming notifications; and the Inarizaki model (HUC-HK-BD11-I) gives the Miya twins and their teammates their moment, with fox iconography woven through the dial and calorie display.

All three arrive in special branded packaging. GARRACK’s first Haikyu!! collection (Karasuno and Nekoma, launched September 2025) proved popular enough to warrant this follow-up headlining the rival schools fans have been waiting for.

Dials That React to Every Step and Heartbeat

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Shiratorizawa Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK
GARRACK x Haikyu!! Shiratorizawa watch lifestyle
Image courtesy of GARRACK

The fitness integration is where GARRACK keeps things interesting. Hit step-count milestones and the dial cycles through different character animations from your chosen school’s roster — the more you move, the more of the lineup you see. When your heart rate spikes, your school’s match banner surfaces on screen. It’s a small touch that keeps the Haikyu!! energy alive mid-workout in a way a static design never could.

On the hardware side these are fully capable smartwatches: the body weighs just 16g, a five-minute fast charge gives roughly two days of use, and a full charge lasts up to 14 days. Health tracking covers heart rate, blood oxygen, stress (via HRV), and sleep, alongside 100+ workout modes. iOS and Android are both supported, with music control, camera remote, alarm, stopwatch, and weather functions all included.

Pre-Orders Open 3 July — Units Ship 31 July

GARRACK x Haikyu!! Inarizaki Smartwatch
Image courtesy of GARRACK
GARRACK x Haikyu!! Inarizaki watch lifestyle
Image courtesy of GARRACK

Pre-orders go live on the GARRACK official page at World Wide Watch (Japanese) from 3 July 2026, with general availability from 31 July 2026. Each watch is ¥10,890. No dedicated Singapore retail listing has been confirmed — GARRACK’s collaborations typically reach Singapore fans through direct Japan orders or international proxy and forwarding services.

Given how vocal Singapore’s Haikyu!! community has been about wanting the rival-school arc represented in merchandise, demand for these three models is likely to be brisk. If you’re going to pick one up, registering interest early via the official page before pre-orders formally open on 3 July is the safest move. For more anime merchandise news, keep an eye on our coverage as more Japan-exclusive drops land in the weeks ahead.

One-Punch Man S3 Part 2 — New Key Visual, 2027 Premiere

The One-Punch Man anime’s 10th anniversary is underway in Tokyo — and J.C.STAFF and Shueisha have unveiled an updated key visual for Season 3’s second cour to mark the occasion. Released on 26 June 2026, the new artwork adds Drive Knight and Psychos to the battle line-up as the series builds toward its long-awaited Saitama versus Garou showdown, now confirmed to air in 2027 on Crunchyroll.

The Updated Cour 2 Key Visual

The revised key visual places heroes and monsters face-to-face beneath the tagline 最強 vs 最恐 — “The Strongest vs The Most Terrifying” — expanding the Season 3 poster with two characters central to the second cour’s story. Drive Knight, the secretive S-Class hero whose tactical genius and undefeated record have set high expectations, joins the hero side. On the Monster Association’s side, Psychos (Psykos) makes her first appearance in the key art — she is the organisation’s cold-blooded military strategist and one of its most powerful figures, making her anime debut in Cour 2.

Garou and Saitama face each other in the official One-Punch Man Season 3 Part 2 teaser visual
Image courtesy of J.C.STAFF / Shueisha

The visual was unveiled at the opening of the Anime 10th Anniversary One-Punch Man Exhibition at Tenbo Park inside the Sunshine 60 Observatory in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, which opened the same day, 26 June.

The Monster Association Arc Reaches Its Climax

Season 3 Part 1 — which aired from 12 October to 29 December 2025 on Crunchyroll — adapted the opening stages of the Monster Association arc, covering the heroes’ assault on Monster Headquarters and culminating in Saitama’s battle with the Monster King. Part 2 picks up where that leaves off, steering the story toward what manga readers have long considered the arc’s defining moment: Saitama vs Cosmic Fear Garou, a confrontation that rewrites what we thought possible in this world.

One-Punch Man Season 3 hero key visual featuring Saitama and the S-Class heroes
Image courtesy of J.C.STAFF / Shueisha

Season 3 is directed by Shinpei Nagai, with series composition by Tomohiro Suzuki and animation by J.C.STAFF. Part 2 has no confirmed premiere date beyond 2027.

One-Punch Man 10th Anniversary Exhibition in Ikebukuro

The exhibition — titled アニメ10周年記念「ワンパンマン展」 — runs from 26 June to 20 July 2026 at the Tenbo Park event space inside Sunshine 60 Observatory, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. It spans seven sections covering all three seasons (through Part 1) with original production materials on display.

Fan highlights include a full recreation of Saitama’s apartment, multiple photo spots, and an interactive corner where visitors can reportedly touch a prop recreating Puri-Puri Prisoner’s legendary chest hair. Fifty-one hand-written anniversary messages from series creator ONE, manga artist Yusuke Murata, cast members, and composers line the walls. A collaboration café inside Tenbo Park serves exclusive menu items during the event’s run, and the venue shop sells exclusive goods including acrylic stands, clear files, and character merchandise.

Official Trailer 2 | One-Punch Man Season 3 | VIZ Media — via VIZ Media on YouTube

Streaming in Singapore: Crunchyroll in 2027

One-Punch Man Season 3 Part 1 is available now on Crunchyroll in Singapore, where the series streams with English subtitles and dubbing. Part 2 will join the platform when it premieres in 2027; no specific date has been confirmed. If you have not started Part 1 yet, all 12 episodes are available for binge-watching now — and with Drive Knight and Psychos on the horizon, this is a good time to catch up before the second cour lands.

Follow GameTrader’s anime coverage for updates as the 2027 premiere approaches.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm: FMA Creator’s Anime Hits Netflix 4 July

If the name Hiromu Arakawa means anything to you — and if you grew up watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it absolutely should — mark this Saturday on your calendar. Daemons of the Shadow Realm (original Japanese title: Yomi no Tsugai / 黄泉のツガイ), Arakawa’s first major anime since FMA, arrives on Netflix Singapore on 4 July 2026, with the full first cour available for subscribers from day one.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm | Official Trailer 3 — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

What Is Daemons of the Shadow Realm?

Yuru, protagonist of Daemons of the Shadow Realm, with a hunter's arrow
Image courtesy of Bones Film / Project TSUGAI

The story centres on twins Yuru and Asa, separated at birth and raised in completely different worlds. Yuru grows up as a skilled hunter in a remote mountain village, while Asa is confined to a specialised role inside the same community. In this world, certain humans can bond with pairs of supernatural creatures called Daemons — and twins “born between day and night” are prophesied to wield greater Daemon power than anyone before them.

When Yuru and Asa are finally reunited, their abilities prove far beyond the prophecy’s scope, and the show quickly expands from its rural opening to reveal a modern society with its own agenda for the twins. The manga ran in Square Enix’s Weekly Shōnen Jump+ and Monthly Shōnen Gangan, and Arakawa has described the Daemon bond system as the kind of intuitive, relationship-driven power that drew her to alchemy in FMA — but taken in a new direction.

The Dream Team Behind It

The production is exactly what FMA fans have been hoping for. Bones Film — the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Soul Eater, and My Hero Academia — handles animation. Director Masahiro Andō worked on the original 2003 FMA television series, giving him deep familiarity with Arakawa’s source material sensibility. Series composition is by Noboru Takagi, and music comes from Kenichiro Suehiro, whose recent credits include Vinland Saga and Delicious in Dungeon.

The voice cast is equally strong: Kensho Ono (Giorno Giovanna in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5) plays Yuru; Yume Miyamoto (Ochaco in My Hero Academia) voices Asa; and Yuichi Nakamura (Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen) appears as the enigmatic Dera. An English dub is available on Netflix from launch.

Netflix Arrival: Binge the Whole First Arc from 4 July

The full cast of Daemons of the Shadow Realm against a modern city backdrop
Image courtesy of Bones Film / Project TSUGAI

The anime originally premiered on Japanese television on 4 April 2026 and has been streaming simultaneously on Crunchyroll with a same-day English dub. Netflix is now bringing it to over 240 countries and territories (excluding Japan and Vietnam) starting 4 July. With the first cour of 12 episodes already fully aired, Singapore subscribers can watch the complete opening arc as a binge from day one — then pick up new episodes weekly on Saturdays as the second cour of the planned 24-episode run unfolds later in 2026.

In Southeast Asia, anime regional licensor Muse Communication holds distribution rights, and the simultaneous Netflix rollout means there are no region-lock concerns for Singapore viewers — the show will be right there in your Netflix library when you open the app on Saturday morning.

For fans who have been waiting for an Arakawa anime since Brotherhood concluded, this is the one. The combination of her world-building instincts, Bones Film’s action pedigree, and a voice cast drawn from the biggest titles of the past five years makes Daemons of the Shadow Realm the highest-stakes premiere of the Summer 2026 season. Check out our Manga & Anime section for more Summer 2026 coverage as the season ramps up.

EVO 2026 Day 3 Recap: Who Won and What to Watch Tonight

Las Vegas is wrapping up its biggest fighting game weekend of the year, and EVO 2026’s final Sunday has already produced some memorable moments. Five game brackets have been settled, the competitive scene is buzzing, and Singapore’s FGC community has been tracking every bracket update from GMT+8 — with the most anticipated finals still ahead tonight.

GBF Rising: Kojicoco Goes Back-to-Back for Japan

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising gameplay at EVO 2026
Image courtesy of Cygames

PAR|Kojicoco has now won Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising at EVO two years running. The Japanese competitor carried Beatrix through the entire bracket on Sunday, resetting the grand finals and closing out the deciding set 3-0 over GS|Shio, who played Lowain throughout. Back-to-back EVO titles in a single game is a rare achievement in any era of the FGC, and Kojicoco’s combination of footsies and neutral control with Beatrix set the bar for the field all weekend. The decisive finish leaves very little room to debate who the world’s best GBVSR player is right now.

Evo 2026: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Top 8 — via Evo Events on YouTube

Guilty Gear Strive: RedDitto Dominates with Ramlethal

Guilty Gear Strive combat scene
Image courtesy of Arc System Works

RedDitto claimed the Guilty Gear Strive EVO 2026 title running Ramlethal, defeating BMS|Verix — on Nagoriyuki — 3-1 in the grand finals. NitroNY rounded out the top three. It is a strong result for the Ramlethal camp heading into the back half of Season 4; notably, the DLC calendar keeps filling up too, with the just-announced Robo-Ky returning on 2 July. Arc System Works had a banner weekend across multiple titles at the event.

Evo 2026: GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Top 8 — via Evo Events on YouTube

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.: GentlemanThief Wins at a Historic Moment

Virtua Fighter 5 REVO World Stage gameplay
Image courtesy of SEGA

SF|GentlemanThief won the Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage championship in one of the weekend’s most dramatic finishes, defeating GKJ|Gakusei Sarah 3-2 across five tense sets while rotating between Akira and Jean. The result lands less than 24 hours after SEGA revealed Virtua Fighter: Crossroads, the long-awaited full-series revival — a coincidence that felt almost scripted. If you missed the Crossroads announcement from yesterday, that context makes GentlemanThief’s win feel all the more significant for the franchise’s future.

Under Night In-Birth 2 and Rivals of Aether 2

PAR|BigBlack took the Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes title with Byakuya, edging out BNP|Knotts 3-2 in a close deciding set — another Arc System Works-adjacent title, another PAR squad win, cementing the team’s weekend as arguably the best of any organisation at EVO 2026. Meanwhile in Rivals of Aether 2, Eggdog|Plup claimed the top spot with Orcane and La Reina.

Arc System Works fighter in action at EVO 2026
Image courtesy of Arc System Works

SF6 and Tekken 8 Finals Tonight: What Singapore Fans Are Staying Up For

The two biggest titles of the weekend have not crowned champions yet. Street Fighter 6 — which drew over 2,400 entrants, the largest pool of the tournament — and Tekken 8 are both running their Top 8 finals this Sunday evening Pacific time, putting them deep in the Monday early hours for Singapore viewers. Defending SF6 champion MenaRD is in the mix, as is Tekken stalwart Arslan Ash. The Tekken 8 Season 3 reveals this weekend — including Bob and Yujiro Hanma — have the community buzzing heading into the bracket’s climax.

Results will be updated on our social feeds as they come in. For all the EVO 2026 game reveals and DLC announcements from this weekend, head to the GameTrader events archive.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls — ArcSys’ Marvel Fighter Launches August 6 on PS5 and PC

A new Marvel fighting game is six weeks away — and it is not who you might expect behind it. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, developed by Arc System Works and published by PlayStation, launches on August 6, 2026 on PS5 and PC. EVO 2026 this weekend served as the game’s biggest showcase yet, revealing Magneto’s full movelist and hosting a pre-release community tournament.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls – Official Announce Trailer — via PlayStation on YouTube

What Is Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls?

This is Arc System Works — the studio behind Guilty Gear -STRIVE- and Dragon Ball FighterZ — applying their signature high-quality anime-fighter DNA to the Marvel universe. The result is a 2D fighting game with a comic-book art style that blends American superhero aesthetics with Japanese manga linework. Rather than licensing a generic Marvel brawler, the two companies built an original storyline around a new threat menacing Earth, with the characters and roster structured around thematic teams.

The game was announced earlier this year via a PlayStation State of Play, where producer Takeshi Yamanaka presented the debut trailer and the game’s first roster details on the PlayStation Blog.

Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls Unbreakable X-Men team key visual with Wolverine, Storm, Magik and Danger
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel

The Roster — Two Teams Confirmed, One More Coming

Characters in Marvel Tōkon are grouped into named teams, each with its own narrative role in the story. Two teams are fully revealed:

The Unbreakable X-Men — the game’s hero-side starting lineup. Many of the X-Men’s core members are out of action following a recent battle, so a reformed team steps up: Storm (the squad leader, controlling wind and lightning), Magik (wielding her Soulsword and mutant sorcery), Wolverine (battle-scarred but very much unbroken), and Danger (the Danger Room’s AI, who gained autonomy and a physical body). It is an unusual mix of classic and deeper-cut X-Men that suggests ArcSys went carefully into the comics when building the story.

The Knights of Doom — the villain team and the mirror to the X-Men. Confirmed: Magneto, Doctor Doom, Carnage, and Green Goblin. Each is a powerhouse, and the pairing of Doom and Magneto in particular has FGC players very interested in how their team dynamic plays out in-story.

A third team built around Ghost Rider is confirmed but still has three unannounced fighters remaining.

Magneto full movelist card for Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls, showing Skills and Super Skill inputs
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel

Magneto at EVO 2026 — How He Plays

At EVO 2026 this weekend, Arc System Works and PlayStation shared Magneto’s complete movelist alongside competitive pre-release match footage. According to the official movelist card and gameplay shown at the event, Magneto plays as a heavy technical zoner — a big, hard-hitting character who also has significant ranged control:

  • Magnetic Blast — a core projectile, usable in the air
  • Gravity Bind — a grounded ranged tool
  • Polarity Shift — another aerial-capable skill
  • Shrapnel Spike — sets up debris in the air
  • Metallic Meteor (Unique Ability) — his signature tool for powering up his skills and charged attacks
  • Magnetic Maelstrom (Super Skill, 50 gauge) — usable in the air
  • Magnetic Retribution (Ultimate Skill, 100 gauge)
  • Tōkon Assemble (150 gauge) — a comeback mechanic available only when one round away from losing

In action during the EVO pre-release tournament, Magneto proved capable of grabbing opponents across the screen with magnetic debris and dragging them into combos — the kind of screen-controlling game that will appeal to players coming from the Sentinel or Dormammu school of Marvel fighters.

Storm gameplay close-up in Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls, channelling lightning with glowing eyes
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel

Episode Mode — An Original Marvel Story

Beyond the versus mode, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls includes an Episode Mode with a fully original narrative written in collaboration with a writer from the original Marvel Comics. The story is told through motion comics — a format that blends the look of American comics with Japanese manga panel flow — and centres on a new, unnamed threat closing in on Earth and the opposing hero and villain factions scrambling to respond. ArcSys described the collaboration as crafting a world and story built specifically for this game, not an adaptation of an existing arc.

PS5 and PC — What Singapore Players Need to Know

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a PS5 and PC exclusive — no Switch, no Xbox. For Singapore, that is a straightforward availability picture: the PS5 is widely stocked at local game retailers, and the PC version will be on Steam. The game launches globally on August 6, 2026. No Singapore-specific pre-order bonus or separate SEA pricing has been announced as of this writing; expect standard PlayStation Store and Steam pricing to apply.

With ArcSys behind the wheel and EVO 2026 generating strong early community interest, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is shaping up as one of the bigger PS5 releases of the second half of 2026 for Singapore fighting game fans.