SEGA Unveils Brand New Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Celebration with “Racing Around the World”

Today, SEGA announced its latest brand campaign for Sonic the Hedgehog, Racing Around the World, which pays homage to Sonic the Hedgehog’s trademark characteristics of speed and attitude and supports the upcoming video game, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. To kick off the campaign, SEGA has partnered with Red Bull to create a thrilling stunt racing film, which features globally renowned high-speed stunt driver Brandon Semenuk, along with fun easter eggs from Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. You can check out the film here.

The Racing Around the World campaign celebrates decades of Sonic’s iconic racing speed and is set to electrify fans with new levels of acceleration. Fans can also expect new racing-inspired brand partnerships, upcoming mobile game events, merchandise, and much more to come. Check out the full press release about the new Sonic campaign for more details!

New SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Stage “Neo City” Revealed!

Today, SEGA released a new video for their upcoming 2D action platformer SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, showcasing the game’s Neo City stage, and giving fans another peek into one of the many visually stunning hand-drawn worlds created by the team at Lizardcube.

In this stage, prepare to leap, dodge, and battle your way across the rooftops of Neo City! Track your enemies from the shadows, mark your next target, and unleash your vengeance with every strike. The stage is also filled with nods and easter eggs. How many were you able to spot?

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2025 and is available for pre-order on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.

Dive Deeper into RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army with The Principles of Raidou Video Series

Today, ATLUS released a new video for their upcoming supernatural action RPG RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of The Soulless Army™, showcasing the historical Taisho Era Capital setting and the allied demons players will meet on their journey. 

In the new video, Devil Summoner Rasputin introduces players to detective Raidou Kuzunoha and shines a light on the mysteries he will encounter during his investigation, the function of demons like Jack Frost and Muu Shuwuu and key gameplay functions like demon fusion and devil charts. 

Fans looking to learn more about the upcoming game can keep an eye out for a second Principles of Raidou video about the battle system on May 27, 2025 and a third episode highlighting the story and characters on June 3, 2025 on our ATLUS West YouTube channel.

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of The Soulless Army will launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Xbox Series X|S on June 19, 2025, and is available to pre-order now.

SEGA Talk #163: Tokyo Joypolis Review (2025)

On this SEGA Talk, Barry takes a visit to Tokyo Joypolis and shares his full day of fun playing games, eating food and getting yelled at by staff! Is SEGA’s last standing theme park a Joy? Watch and find out on SEGA Talk!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

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Take a Behind the Scenes look at SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance from Lizardcube!

SEGA has uploaded the first behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance featuring the creative minds at Lizardcube, makers of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap and Streets of Rage 4, as they discuss their unique approach to bringing the story and art to life in this new entry of the series.

SHINOBI: Art of Vegeance will be available on PlayStation 4 | 5, Xbox Series X|S/One, Nintendo Switch & Steam on August 29. Pre-order your copy here!

Let us know your thoughts and excitement on Shinobi: Art of Vengeance so far in our comment section below!

ATLUS Announces Persona5: The Phantom X, Launching June 26, 2025

Today, SEGA and ATLUS announced that Persona5: The Phantom X will be launching on PC and mobile on June 26, 2025. In this unique turn-based RPG set in the world of Persona 5, players will lead a double life as a student and a Phantom Thief with a brand-new protagonist and band of Phantom Thieves.

Check out more information and screenshots of the game in the next section of the article.

Geek Out Collaborates with SEGA to bring Like a Dragon to Roblox

Geek Out has announced that they will be collaborating with SEGA Corporation to develop a Like a Dragon themed experience on the Roblox platform. This exciting project brings the world of Like a Dragon into Roblox as an licensed experience.

With the series being known for its mature storytelling and exploration of complex themes such as love, humanity, and betrayal, Geek Out’s goal is to deliver the unique charm of Like a Dragon freshly and engagingly, leveraging the power of Roblox’s interactive world.

Geek Out will share more information regarding the project on their social media with updates. This won’t be the first SEGA IP to be included into Roblox as Sonic Speed Simulator is game that SEGA launched on the platform.

Let us know your thoughts on the announcement in our comment section!

[UPDATE: Winners Announced!] Contest: Enter to win a SEGA Saturn wireless pro controller from Retro-bit!

UPDATE: The contest has ended! Thank you to those who entered! The winners are: SaltyTaro (white controller) and Bree D. (black controller) Retro-bit will be in touch for your details!

We’re celebrating 30 years of SEGA Saturn in style by partnering with Retro-bit to give away two SEGA Saturn wireless pro controllers! All you have to do is visit this website and complete the various tasks to enter your name into the drawing! Don’t worry, it’s mostly visiting SEGAbits and Retro-bit social media accounts and following or posting. Two winners will be selected and those winners will either get a white or black controller. Good luck to all who enter and a big thank you to Retro-bit for partnering for the giveaway!

SONIC WEEKLY: Joypolis & Japan w/ BARRY

Barry is back with the Sonic Weekly crew to share about his trip to Japan and Joypolis specifically. Also, Star Wars… the other main reason Barry was in Japan was for Star Wars, so we talk about that too. Plus, reviews of Chao Tales and news from Rings of Saturn!

For more episodes, search SONIC WEEKLY on any podcast service!

Virtua Fighter Direct Recap – New VF Game Details, VF5 R.E.V.O. Goes Multiplatform with Crossplay, Merch, and More!

SEGA just dropped a wave of exciting news during today’s Virtua Fighter Direct, and fans of the legendary 3D fighting series have plenty to be hyped about with new character reveals for the New Virtua Fighter Project to multiplatform crossplay support and new merch, here’s everything that was announced.

Virtua Fighter’s iconic Canadian pro-wrestler, Wolf Hawkfield, is officially returning to the ring in the upcoming New Virtua Fighter Project. This marks his first appearance since Virtua Fighter 5, and he’s been given a dramatic visual overhaul, courtesy of the incredibly talented Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Art Team. SEGA also shared behind-the-scenes insights into the game’s new art direction, offering fans a glimpse at the design philosophy driving the next evolution of Virtua Fighter.

Legacy VF producer Seiji Aoki took the stage to announce that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is heading to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. What makes the announcement even more exciting is that all platforms will feature full crossplay support and will be implemented across all platforms, ensuring players can challenge each other no matter where they play.

SEGA also unveiled a fresh wave of Virtua Fighter merchandise, including a sick T-shirt lineup featuring series protagonist Akira Yuki and new soundtracks available on Spotify. Additionally, the Virtua Fighter Open Championship was officially announced, with NVIDIA sponsoring the event. Several qualifying tournament venues were revealed, kicking off what promises to be an exciting competitive season for Virtua Fighter players worldwide!

What did you think of today’s Virtua Fighter Direct? Which announcement got you the most hyped? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

Sega Saturn turns 30 years old in North America

The year is 1995. Movies such as Billy Madison, Bad Boys, Desperado, Jumanji, and Toy Story hit theaters. TV shows like Fraisier, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Earthworm Jim cartoon, and the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers cartoons premiered on TV. Anime such as Saint Tail, Slayers, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and Virtua Fighter premiered in Japan and Ghost In The Shell premiered in Japanese and UK theaters. Songs like “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey, “Waterfalls” by TLC, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” by Smashing Pumpkins, and everyone’s favorite holiday song that they never get sick of hearing after midnight every November 1st: “All I Want For Christmas Is You” also by Mariah Carey, topped the charts. Video games like Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, Command & Conquer, Rayman, and Time Crisis came out. Sega released Genesis games like Beyond Oasis, Comix Zone, and Garfield: Caught In The Act and arcade games like Virtua Cop 2, Fighting Vipers, and Cool Riders. We were also 5 years away from entering the 21st century. We’d come a long way, but were we ready for the future?

Sega Saturn released on this day in North America three long decades ago, but as many of us know, it wasn’t originally supposed to be this day. It was originally decided to launch the console in September of 1995, but Sega of America surprised everyone by moving the launch up to May, a costly mistake that kneecapped the Saturn at the starting line. Even so, Saturn goes down in history as a beloved 32-bit system with some impressive games that stood the test of time, such as the Panzer Dragoon series, NiGHTS Into Dreams, Sonic R, Mr. Bones, Guardian Heroes, Burning Rangers, Fighters Megamix, and ports of incredible arcade games like Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop 1 & 2, Fighting Vipers, Sega Rally Championship, and The House of the Dead. Saturn went woefully unappreciated all around the world other than Japan, however, and sold somewhere between 9 and 17 million consoles worldwide, putting it third place behind the competition of the time, but that doesn’t mean we have nothing to celebrate today.

Join us, if you will, beyond the break for a look back on the Saturn’s history and its impact on the gaming world today.

SEGA Announces Second Virtua Fighter Direct for May 11

SEGA is set to host the second Virtua Fighter Direct live stream this Sunday, May 11, at 10 AM EDT / 7 AM PST, promising fresh updates on the legendary 3D fighting series.

The first VF Direct, held back in December following The Game Awards, focused on the reveal of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. (Ultimate Showdown Ver. 2.0) for consoles and PC. That event gave longtime fans a glimpse at the franchise’s next evolution while teasing what’s to come for Virtua Fighter’s future.

Earlier this year, SEGA showcased a brief concept video of the next Virtua Fighter title during Nvidia’s CES 2025 presentation, illustrating the visual leap from the original 1999-era graphics to the capabilities of today’s hardware—further proof that development is well underway.

Hints of a new Virtua Fighter game were first dropped last year when SEGA’s head of transmedia, Justin Scarpone, mentioned it during an interview as part of the company’s broader push to revive its classic franchises.

What would you all like to see in the second Virtua Fighter Direct this weekend? New gameplay, characters, or merchandise? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: VGC

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Reveals New Details on Key Characters, Locations, and Features

Atlus has unveiled new information and screenshots for RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, the enhanced version of the cult classic Devil Summoner entry, highlighting fully-voiced characters, detailed environments, and gameplay additions that expands the experience.

The Demonic Designations: Summoner Titles will also be released post-launch on July 3 for free. It will include 10 total fan-voted titles for Raidou (7 from North America and 3 from Southeast Asia) and are handpicked from submissions in a special social media promotion that took place earlier. Winning titles will be announced in the near future.

ATLUS also launched the “Mysterious Cases” sweepstakes for Summoners Guild members in the U.S. and Canada, running from May 9 to June 20. Fans can solve three Raidou-themed puzzles for a chance to win a retro Raiho plushie, perfect for collectors. Details can be found here!

Hit the next section of the article to check out further new details and screenshots on RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. Pre-order RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army today!

SEGA News Bits Live: Ecco the Dolphin REVIVAL and Sonic X DC Toys ANNOUNCED

On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry talks about a new Ecco game, the Sonic x DC toys coming from Jakks Pacific and a newly translated Sonic interview from 1991!

Want to win a Retro-Bit SEGA Saturn controller? Enter the contest here!

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SONIC WEEKLY: What Ages Well?

This week, Grant is owning up to bad takes from the past while creating brand new ones in the present, Bo describes good dates and bad hats, and David is excited about OutRun and has a great idea for the future of Chao merchandise. And, as always, we cover the week’s news about Sonic, Rings of Saturn, and answer some mailbag questions too.

For more episodes, search SONIC WEEKLY on your podcast service of choice!