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Nova Solaris

Manga Anime, News

Singapore’s Kasagi Labo Announces Ninja Scroll Film, Casshan 2045 and Ars Gratia at Annecy

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A Singapore-based studio just made three major anime announcements at one of the world’s most prestigious animation festivals — and two of them involve classic Japanese franchises that fans have waited decades to see revived.

Kasagi Labo, the anime venture studio headquartered on Keong Saik Road in Singapore, unveiled three separate projects during its panel at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on 24 June 2026: a new Ninja Scroll film, a reimagining of the 1973 classic Casshan titled Casshan 2045, and an original sci-fi feature called Ars Gratia.

Ninja Scroll | 4k Restoration Trailer | Coming to Theaters Oct 2026 — via HIDIVE on YouTube

Ninja Scroll: A Singapore Studio, a Legendary Franchise

The new Ninja Scroll project is being produced as a film, and Kasagi Labo has brought on Masao Maruyama — co-founder of Madhouse and MAPPA, and producer of the original 1993 Ninja Scroll film — as a special creative advisor, as reported by Anime News Network. Having Maruyama on board is a significant mark of legitimacy: he helped shape one of anime’s most iconic action films in the first place.

Plot, cast, and release window are not yet announced. The announcement arrives in the same season that the Ninja Scroll 4K restoration — supervised by original director Yoshiaki Kawajiri — is getting a limited US and Canada theatrical run in October 2026, following its world premiere at the Berlinale film festival in February. A 4K Blu-ray Steelbook is also planned for early 2027. No Singapore theatrical dates have been confirmed for the restoration; local fans will likely need to import the physical release.

Ninja Scroll 4K restoration theatrical poster
Image courtesy of HIDIVE / Sentai Filmworks

Casshan 2045: Yoshitaka Amano Reimagines a 1973 Classic

Casshan 2045 takes on Tatsunoko Production’s foundational TV anime Shinzō Ningen Casshan (1973), the story of a scientist’s son who transforms himself into a robot warrior to combat humanity-threatening machines — sacrificing his own humanity in the process. The project is still at the tentative-title stage, but Kasagi Labo has already confirmed that Yoshitaka Amano, the legendary artist whose work defines the visual identity of the Final Fantasy series, is providing original character design concepts, per Anime News Network.

Original Shinzo Ningen Casshan 1973 TV anime artwork
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production

Amano’s involvement alone makes this a headline. His ethereal, detail-dense style is immediately recognisable worldwide — bringing him in to reimagine Casshan signals that Kasagi Labo is after genuine artistic reinvention rather than a nostalgia cash-in. No further details on cast, studio partners, or release window have been disclosed.

Ars Gratia: An Original Sci-Fi Feature

The third announcement is an entirely original work. Ars Gratia (tentative title) is a sci-fi feature developed alongside Good Smile Company and LIDEN FILMS, with Ilya Kuvshinov — the prolific Russian-Japanese artist known for his character design work on Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 — serving as both director and character designer, per Anime News Network. Kuvshinov’s instantly recognisable digital painting aesthetic gives this one a very distinct look before a single frame of animation has been shown.

A Singapore Studio at the Centre of Anime Revival

GATE 2 anime key visual by Kasagi Labo
Image courtesy of Alphapolice / GATE 2 Production Committee

Kasagi Labo — led by CEO Kendrick Wong with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan — has been building steadily toward moments like this. The studio secured a USD $33 million anime production fund targeting legacy IP revivals and original works. It is already in production on GATE 2 (sequel to the beloved Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri) and an original shōnen sci-fi adventure. As Wong told Anime Corner, the studio “aims to bridge Japan’s legendary creators to global audiences hungry for authentic anime storytelling.”

For Singapore anime fans, this carries a double significance. A studio based in our own city is producing anime that will reach global audiences — which remains a rare enough fact to be remarkable. And the franchises being revived, Ninja Scroll and Casshan, are exactly the kind of classic anime that older Singapore fans encountered growing up, giving these reveals a personal resonance that a completely new IP would not have.

No release windows have been announced for any of the three projects. We will update as details emerge. For more anime news and announcements, head to our manga and anime coverage.

Manga Anime, News

Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3 Hits Netflix — But Not in Singapore

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The third and concluding part of Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope drops on Netflix tomorrow, 26 June, delivering 12 new episodes that bring Liko and Roy’s most intense season to a head. Training camps, Elite Four showdowns, and the ongoing threat of Laquium all converge. One catch for local fans, though: this Netflix release is region-locked to markets outside Asia, so Singapore is not part of the 26 June drop — more on what that means below.

Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope cast — Liko, Roy, Ult and their Pokémon
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

What Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3 Is About

Parts 1 and 2 of Rising Hope left the Rising Volt Tacklers in a tight spot. The Explorers are still at large and actively framing the crew, while Laquium — the dangerous extraterrestrial mineral driving the season’s central mystery — keeps spreading. Part 3 responds with a hard training arc: Liko, Roy, and their Pokémon head to Blueberry Academy, a facility designed for high-level battling and double battle mechanics, where Elite Four members are always ready for a match.

The mystery of Terapagos — the Pokémon whose link to Laquium has been central all season — is also set to deepen. The Brave Olivine receives a mysterious message that kicks off a new sense of urgency, suggesting Part 3 is not simply a long warm-up before a final boss.

Liko, Roy and Dot at Blueberry Academy in Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Roy, Ult, and a Year’s Worth of Training

Roy arrives at Blueberry Academy noticeably stronger. His new partner is a yellow Lucario with Mega Evolution potential — a Pokémon he trained with during the one-year gap between Season 2 and Rising Hope, and the most tangible sign yet of how much he has grown as a trainer.

Rival trainer Ult, introduced midway through Season 3, continues to develop across Part 3. Quick and competitive, he battles with a Sableye and a second Pokémon still being kept deliberately off-screen before the release. Whether Ult stays as an opponent or eventually becomes something closer to a fellow Volt Tackler is one of the more compelling open questions heading into these final episodes.

Dot rounds out the Blueberry Academy trio with her Gimmighoul and Sinistcha — the kind of unpredictable type matchups that tend to catch even well-prepared opponents off guard.

Roy and rival Ult face off in Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Watch the Official Clip

An Astonishing Battle! — via The Official Pokémon YouTube channel

Can You Watch It in Singapore?

Pikachu in a tense battle moment in Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Short answer: not on Netflix — at least not yet. Despite the worldwide rollout, Pokémon Horizons is not in Netflix’s catalogue in Singapore, or anywhere else in Asia. Netflix holds the streaming rights only outside the region, and Rising Hope Part 3 lands on 26 June in roughly 21 markets — including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, much of Europe, Latin America and South Africa. Singapore is not on that list, so local subscribers will not see the new episodes appear on 26 June.

This applies to the whole series, not just Part 3: the original Pokémon Horizons: The Series and Parts 1 and 2 of Rising Hope are also absent from Netflix Singapore. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been adding selected episodes over time, though availability varies by region and full seasons are not guaranteed there.

For now there is no confirmed Netflix Singapore — or other local — streaming home for Pokémon Horizons. We will update this post the moment an official Asia or Singapore release is announced, so keep an eye on GameTrader.SG.

For more anime streaming news and updates, keep an eye on GameTrader.SG.

Game Tech news, News

Steam Machine Launches 30 June — Reserve Yours Before 1 AM SGT Tonight

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Valve’s Steam Machine is real, it launches on 30 June, and Singapore gamers have until 1:00 AM SGT tomorrow (June 26) to enter the reservation lottery — sign-ups close tonight at 10:00 AM PT.

Steam Hardware Announcement — via Valve on YouTube

What Is the Steam Machine?

The Steam Machine is Valve’s compact gaming PC — a roughly 6-inch cube that runs SteamOS 3 and plays your entire Steam library from the couch or a desk. Unlike the Steam Deck, it is not a handheld; it is a dedicated home console-and-PC hybrid that connects to your monitor or television and draws on your existing Steam account, library, and friends list. Think of it as a living-room gaming PC with Valve’s software polish baked in from the factory.

Steam Machine official product render — the compact black cube with Steam Machine branding
Image courtesy of Valve

Two Models, Two Price Points

Valve is launching with two configurations at announcement, both priced in USD:

  • Steam Machine (512GB) — USD $1,049: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core / twelve-thread processor, semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28 compute units, 16 GB DDR5 system memory, 8 GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM, 512 GB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot. Integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter. No controller included.
  • Steam Machine (2TB) with Steam Controller Bundle — USD $1,428: Same internals, upgraded to a 2 TB NVMe SSD, bundled Steam Controller, and two interchangeable faceplates — a red fabric panel and a solid walnut finish. Valve is clearly positioning the hardware as something worth personalising.
Steam Machine on a gaming desk next to a monitor, with a game controller on the mouse mat
Image courtesy of Valve

What the Specs Actually Mean for Gamers

The “semi-custom AMD Zen 4” is a six-core, twelve-thread desktop-class CPU — meaningfully more powerful than the Zen 2 inside the Steam Deck. Paired with 28 RDNA3 compute units and a split memory configuration of 16 GB DDR5 plus 8 GB GDDR6, this lands solidly in mid-range gaming PC territory: enough to run most of the Steam catalogue at 1080p high or 1440p medium settings. Connectivity covers Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and gigabit ethernet. The ~6-inch cube form factor means it tucks neatly behind a monitor or under a TV. SteamOS 3 ships pre-installed; Windows can be installed separately by users if needed.

Two people gaming on a television with the Steam Machine connected below the TV in the background
Image courtesy of Valve

How to Reserve Yours — and the Deadline You Cannot Miss

Valve is not doing a standard first-come-first-served pre-order. Instead, reservation sign-ups are open now and close June 25 at 10:00 AM PT — that is June 26 at 1:00 AM SGT, tonight. Valve will then select buyers at random so that the process is, as Valve puts it, “more fair for everyone”. Successful applicants are emailed the week of June 29, in time for the June 30 launch.

Eligibility requirements:

  • Steam account in good standing
  • At least one purchase made on Steam before April 27, 2026
  • One sign-up per household; no bot accounts

To enter, head to the Steam Machine hardware page and complete the reservation form before tonight’s cutoff.

Steam Machine sitting on a media console with a soft blue LED strip glowing beneath it
Image courtesy of Valve

What Singapore Gamers Need to Know About Local Availability

The reservation form is accessible globally through Steam, and Valve has not announced geographic restrictions on who can sign up. Singapore gamers with qualifying accounts should be able to enter the lottery. That said, Valve has not confirmed whether the Steam Machine will ship to Singapore, and SGD pricing and a local launch date have not been announced. At USD $1,049 and USD $1,428, it is not a budget device — though for PC gaming fans who want a living-room-ready Steam experience without building a full rig, it is worth registering your interest now and waiting for Valve to confirm regional details.

We will update this post when Valve confirms Singapore availability. For now, the clock is running: the lottery closes at 1:00 AM SGT on June 26. Visit the official Steam Machine page before it shuts.

For more gaming news and PC hardware updates, stay tuned to GameTrader.SG.

Manga Anime

Youjo Senki II Premieres 8 July — Saga of Tanya the Evil Returns After Nine Years

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Nine years is a long time to wait. Youjo Senki II — the second television series adaptation of Carlo Zen’s alternate-history military fantasy light novel — has an official premiere date: 8 July 2026. Studio NUT confirmed the date via the official Youjo Senki anime website (Japanese) and Kadokawa’s anime channel, and the first main PV is already live. After the 2017 Season 1 and the 2019 theatrical film, the TV story is finally continuing.

Youjo Senki II — official Season 2 key visual
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA / Studio NUT
TVアニメ『幼女戦記Ⅱ』 — Official Main PV #1 — via KADOKAWAanime on YouTube

Nine Years in the Making — Why This Is Such a Big Deal

Youjo Senki (The Saga of Tanya the Evil) premiered in January 2017, ran for twelve episodes, and quickly built an audience well beyond the usual isekai crowd. Its pitch — a ruthless Japanese salaryman reincarnated as a small girl with extraordinary magical ability in a WWI-analogue fantasy world, then conscripted into an imperial air corps — was strange enough to be memorable and executed with enough tactical and moral seriousness to keep people watching. The 2019 film extended the story but left the main arc unresolved on television. Season 2 picks up that thread.

For Singapore anime fans, the franchise has stayed in the conversation: both the series and the film are on Crunchyroll in the region. Season 2 is the continuation those viewers have been waiting for since 2017.

New Setting, Higher Stakes

Season 2 moves the war east. It is Autumn 1926 in the show’s Unified Calendar — Tanya von Degurechaff has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and now commands the newly formed Kampfgruppe Salamander, a mobile strike unit built for harsh-weather operations against the Federation on the eastern front. The shift in theatre matters: the eastern campaign in Season 2’s source material is darker, more attritional, and involves opponents with a different strategic logic than the western-front enemies of Season 1. The PV suggests the production is leaning into that tonal shift.

Youjo Senki II — Season 2 announcement event visual
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA / Studio NUT

New Characters Join the Fight

Two significant additions to the cast have been confirmed. Mikhel, a Federal aerial mage on the opposing side, is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita — one of the most recognisable voices in Japanese animation (Joseph Joestar, Persona 5’s Ryuji, Genshin Impact’s Zhongli). Lilia, a political commissar attached to Mikhel’s unit, is played by Yoko Hikasa, known for Mio Akiyama in K-On! and Rias Gremory in High School DxD. Neither character is a simple antagonist; both carry the moral complexity the show has always used to keep its ideological debate alive.

Youjo Senki II — new character Mikhel, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA
Youjo Senki II — new character Lilia, voiced by Yoko Hikasa
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA

Behind the Camera

Studio NUT returns for Season 2, preserving visual continuity with the original run. The director’s chair changes, however: Yutaka Uemura, who led Season 1, is replaced by Yamamoto Takayuki. Series composition is by Inohara Kenta, with character designs by Hosokoshi Yuji. The PV’s animation quality holds up well against the benchmark the 2017 series set, and the orchestral score carries the same propulsive military energy the franchise is known for.

When and How to Watch From Singapore

Youjo Senki II premieres on 8 July 2026, airing at 9:30 PM JST on AT-X, TOKYO MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, BS11, and TV Aichi in Japan. Streaming details for Singapore and Southeast Asia have not been officially announced as of this writing — the regional licensing for anime in this tier typically lands in the weeks before broadcast. Given that Season 1 and the film are on Crunchyroll in the region, that platform is the most likely home for Season 2; Muse Asia is the other strong candidate. Keep an eye on both for a confirmation before 8 July.

The first main PV is already up on the official KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel (embedded above) — worth watching even if you do not read Japanese. For more anime news and seasonal coverage, check our Manga Anime section.

Game News

Dead or Alive 6: Last Round Is Out Now — Free-to-Play, KOF Collab, New DOA Teased

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Dead or Alive 6: Last Round is out now. Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s definitive edition of the 2019 fighter launched today — 25 June 2026 — on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, packing a 29-character roster, a simultaneous free-to-play tier, and a King of Fighters XIV crossover at launch. Buried in the announcement is also an official confirmation that a brand-new Dead or Alive title is in development — the first time the franchise has acknowledged a next entry in years.

DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round – Announcement Trailer — via KOEI TECMO AMERICA on YouTube

The Full DOA6 Package, Polished for Modern Hardware

Last Round brings together the base DOA6 roster of 24 fighters alongside five DLC characters — Nyotengu, Phase 4, Momiji, Rachel, and Tamaki — who were previously sold separately, making this the most complete version of the game available. A new Photo Mode lets players compose and capture scenes with precise character positioning and pose selection, and a new stage rounds out the additions.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round - the five DLC characters now included: Nyotengu, Phase 4, Momiji, Rachel and Tamaki
Image courtesy of Koei Tecmo / Team Ninja

The standard edition is priced at USD 39.99; check your regional PlayStation Store or Steam page for local pricing. This is a standalone release — not a free upgrade for existing DOA6 owners — so existing players will need to purchase it separately.

Free-to-Play Core Fighters: A Real Entry Point

Alongside the full release, Team Ninja has launched a free-to-play version called Core Fighters with four playable characters at no cost: Kasumi, NiCŌ, Marie Rose, and Honoka. Core Fighters players get full access to DOA Quest, DOA Central, and online play — including cross-play against full-edition owners — with additional fighters available for purchase.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round - character roster overview
Image courtesy of Koei Tecmo / Team Ninja

For Singapore’s fighting game community, this is a meaningful on-ramp. Southeast Asia’s FGC has historically had a strong 3D fighter presence alongside its deep 2D roots, and dropping players directly into online play on day one with a no-cost version makes Last Round one of the more accessible entries the series has had. If you’ve been curious about DOA but never committed, this is the version to try first.

KOF XIV Collab: Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond

Two King of Fighters XIV guest characters join the roster as paid DLC at launch: Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond, each arriving with five new costume outfits. The collaboration also introduces the new Lost Paradise “Oboro” stage — a reworked version of an existing DOA stage designed to complement the KOF aesthetic.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round - Lost Paradise Oboro stage from the KOF XIV collaboration
Image courtesy of Koei Tecmo / Team Ninja

One important note: the character licences do not carry over from the original DOA6. Players who previously purchased Mai or Kula as DLC will need to repurchase them for Last Round.

DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round × THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV Collaboration Trailer — via Team NINJA Studio on YouTube

A New Dead or Alive Is Coming

The headline that is easy to overlook in the launch noise: as part of the franchise’s 30th anniversary, Team Ninja has officially confirmed that “the latest Dead or Alive title” is in development. No platforms, no release window, and no title have been announced yet — this is a signal, not a reveal. Further announcements are described as forthcoming.

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round - the new Photo Mode feature
Image courtesy of Koei Tecmo / Team Ninja

For fans who have been waiting since the series went quiet after DOA6’s 2019 launch, that is genuinely significant news. Last Round is a solid way to get back into the game in the meantime — particularly for anyone who missed the DLC characters first time around, or who wants the full 29-fighter roster without hunting through years of paid add-ons.

Game News

Honkai Star Rail 4.3 Phase 2 Is Live — Cyrene and Phainon Banners Now Open

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Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 Phase 2 is now live. The new banners went live on 24 June 2026 and run until 14 July 2026, bringing two new 5-star characters to the roster: the ice-attribute support Cyrene and the physical-attribute DPS Phainon.

New Banners: Cyrene and Phainon

Cyrene character banner card for Honkai Star Rail 4.3 Phase 2

Cyrene is an Ice / Remembrance support character. Her banner is called “Ripples Rejoined”, and her signature Light Cone is “This Love, Forever”. Watch her character trailer below.

Phainon character banner card for Honkai Star Rail 4.3 Phase 2

Phainon is a Physical / Destruction DPS character. His banner is called “To Evermore Burn as the Sun”, with signature Light Cone “Thus Burns the Dawn”.

Both banners also feature the 4-star characters March 7th, Arlan, and Yukong.

Version 4.3 Events to Clear Before 14 July

Honkai Star Rail 4.3 Phase 2 events overview

Phase 2 brings new limited-time events with Stellar Jade up for grabs:

  • Wispae Amusement Park — New event launching today. Rewards up to 500 Stellar Jade. Rewards do NOT carry over — complete it before 14 July.
  • Pixel Plane Rumble — Ongoing event with 1,240+ Stellar Jade available if you haven’t cleared it yet.

What’s Next: Version 4.4

Version 4.4 is expected to drop around 14 July 2026. No official character announcements yet, but leaks are circulating — stay tuned.

For more gacha and mobile game updates, check out our other game news.

Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN key art — Image courtesy of Hamster Corporation
Game News, Retro Gaming

Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN Launches Tomorrow — The 1994 Arcade Original Comes to Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series

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Hamster Corporation is kicking off its new Arcade Archives 2 sub-series with one of fighting game history’s most significant titles: the original 1994 Namco Tekken. The arcade ROM drops tomorrow, 25 June, on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, priced at ¥1,800 — roughly SGD $17–18.

The Arcade Original, Properly Preserved

Before the PlayStation home port, before the franchise sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, Tekken was a Namco System 11 arcade cabinet. Eight fighters, digitised backgrounds, and juggle physics that shaped an entire generation of FGC muscle memory. Hamster’s release preserves that ROM without modification — no balance patches, no additional characters, nothing that wasn’t in the original cabinet.

Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN gameplay screenshot — Image courtesy of Hamster Corporation
Image courtesy of Hamster Corporation

What separates this from a barebones ROM dump is the new Arcade Archives 2 platform Hamster has built around it. The updated framework — launching with this title — adds Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) output for tear-free playback on compatible displays, a dedicated Time Attack mode, a rewind function for frame-perfect practice sessions, and global online leaderboards. It is, to date, the most feature-complete official release the original arcade Tekken has ever received.

Why It Matters for the SG Fighting Game Scene

The original Tekken arrived in Southeast Asian arcades at a moment when 3D fighting was still a novelty. Singapore game centres ran it alongside Virtua Fighter 2, and the character archetypes and combo logic that veterans first learned on that hardware never fully left the series. The sidestepping system wouldn’t appear until Tekken 3, but the core damage economy and the juggle-into-wall-oki philosophy that defines modern Tekken competitive play were already visible in the 1994 build.

For anyone active in today’s local Tekken 8 scene, this is a genuinely useful historical reference — and at ~$17–18, a far more accessible one than sourcing original hardware. It also lands at a pointed moment: Tekken 8 just confirmed its Street Fighter 6 Chun-Li crossover DLC last month, meaning players can now run the series’ entire 32-year arc — from System 11 cabinet to rollback-netcode PlayStation 5 fighter — without leaving digital storefronts.

Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN key art — Image courtesy of Hamster Corporation
Image courtesy of Hamster Corporation

Official Trailer

At a Glance

  • Title: Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN
  • Developer / Publisher: Hamster Corporation (original arcade by Namco)
  • Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
  • Release date: 25 June 2026
  • Price: ¥1,800 (approx. SGD $17–18)
  • New series features: VRR output, Time Attack, rewind, online leaderboards

No Singapore eShop or PSN regional pricing has been confirmed at time of writing. The title publishes digitally tomorrow — check your regional storefront for local pricing.

Source: 4Gamer.net

Game News, Manga Anime

Persona Turns 30 — Global Anniversary Site Live and Lawson Collab Kicks Off 30 June in Japan

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The Persona series turns 30 this September — and Atlus is celebrating with a global anniversary site and a Japan-exclusive Lawson convenience store collaboration that kicks off on 30 June 2026. For Singapore fans of the franchise, this is the milestone year to watch.

Celebrating 30 years of Persona | Creators Answer — via SEGA on YouTube

Thirty Years of Shadows and Masks

The original Revelations: Persona (女神異聞録ペルソナ) launched in Japan on 30 September 1996 on the original PlayStation. Three decades on, the franchise has grown into one of JRPG’s most beloved series, spanning six mainline titles, arena fighters, dancing games, tactical spin-offs, and anime adaptations. Persona 5 Royal remains a perennial bestseller in Singapore, and the series enjoys one of the most devoted fanbases in the region.

Atlus has opened the global 30th anniversary hub at asia.sega.com/p30th/en/, fully localised in Japanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Thai — a clear signal that the celebration is aimed squarely at Persona’s massive Southeast Asian audience. The site chronicles the series’ history and will be updated as new anniversary content is confirmed.

Lawson Collab — Eight Protagonists, One Convenience Store

The freshest piece of news: a Japan-wide collaboration with Lawson convenience stores launches 30 June 2026. Eight iconic protagonists, from the silent P1 hero all the way through to Ren Amamiya (Joker) of Persona 5, are being spotlighted with dedicated artwork. Exclusive merchandise — including Karaage-kun mini plush keychains themed after the games’ characters — will be on sale in Lawson branches nationwide.

In a distinctly Japanese touch, Lawson stores will also run in-store announcements voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro, the actress behind the beloved Velvet Room attendant Elizabeth since Persona 3. Even buying a convenience store rice ball is going to feel a little special for fans this summer.

Persona series 30th anniversary key art featuring all protagonists
Image courtesy of Atlus

What’s Coming Next?

The anniversary site has been carefully worded, with Video Games Chronicle noting that it “quietly mentions the next chapter for the series.” Atlus has not announced anything specific yet, but the franchise’s history of building anticipation slowly ahead of major reveals has fans watching every update closely.

What is confirmed: Persona 4 Revival is in development, bringing a modern reimagining of the beloved Inaba mystery to current-generation hardware. Atlus has a habit of timing big reveals around anniversary milestones — September 30, 2026 would be a very on-brand moment for a surprise.

For Singapore Fans: What You Can Actually Get

The Lawson collaboration is Japan-only, meaning the merch won’t appear on local shelves. That said, proxy shipping services and Japan-based forwarding agents (popular among Singapore collectors for limited JP goods) make it accessible for the motivated fan. The global anniversary site is open to everyone, and any digital announcements Atlus makes will land worldwide simultaneously.

If you have been sitting on the fence about the Persona series, the 30th anniversary is as good an entry point as any — check out our gaming news section for the latest on the franchise.

Last words

Whether you have been with Persona since the PS1 days or discovered it through Persona 5 Royal, this September marks something genuinely special. Atlus has earned its anniversary. Keep an eye on GameTrader for when the next shoe drops — and it will drop soon.

Game News

Deltarune Chapter 5 Drops Tonight — The Field of Pink and Gold Out at 11pm SGT

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Toby Fox’s Deltarune Chapter 5: The Field of Pink and Gold is arriving tonight at 11pm SGT (11am EDT) — a free update for anyone who owns the existing Chapter 1–4 bundle. Singapore Switch 2 owners, clear some time this evening.

DELTARUNE – Nintendo Direct 6.9.2026 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

Free for Owners Across Switch, Switch 2, PS5, and PC

Chapter 5 is a free update for players who have already purchased the Chapters 1–4 bundle, priced at USD$24.99 (check your regional storefront for local SGD pricing). The update rolls out automatically on:

  • Nintendo Switch & Nintendo Switch 2
  • PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5
  • PC (Windows) and Mac

It is worth noting that Deltarune Chapters 1 and 2 have always been free to download separately on PC and Mac — so if you’ve been putting off trying the game, tonight is a genuinely good entry point before Chapter 5 adds even more story to catch up on.

What We Know About Chapter 5

Toby Fox has kept the specifics close to his chest. The Nintendo Direct reveal on 9 June gave us a glimpse of Kris, Susie, and Ralsei back in action — tackling new battles and exploring what looks like a temple setting. The new trailer showed an emotional moment where Ralsei enthusiastically declares his feelings for Susie in his characteristically endearing style, alongside a handful of new adversaries and returning faces. Nothing about the chapter title, “The Field of Pink and Gold,” has been explained — which is exactly how Toby Fox likes it.

Deltarune Chapter 5 key art thumbnail
Image courtesy of Toby Fox / tobyfox

Deltarune follows Kris in a parallel world called the Dark World, where they team up with classmate Susie and a mysterious being named Ralsei. Chapters 1 and 2 were released back in 2021, with Chapters 3 and 4 arriving together in 2024. The game is a spiritual successor to Undertale and shares its signature blend of RPG combat and emotionally charged storytelling.

Chapter 6 Is Already Ahead of Schedule

Toby Fox has confirmed that development on Chapter 6 is well ahead of where Chapter 5 was at the same stage. Work on Chapter 7 is reportedly set to begin before the end of 2026. That kind of momentum is a significant signal that the series is accelerating towards its conclusion — a pleasant contrast to the multi-year gaps between earlier chapters.

Last Words

For Singapore gamers, Chapter 5 hits tonight at 11pm SGT. If you’re on Nintendo Switch 2, it’s already in your library — just check the eShop for the update. If you’re on Steam or PSN Asia, expect it to appear right around midnight. Deltarune has been one of the most carefully crafted indie RPGs of the past decade, and “The Field of Pink and Gold” finally gets to tell us what happens next. Don’t stay up too late. Or do. Check out more game news on GameTrader for everything else landing this week.