Sonic fans across Japan are thrilled to finally be able to see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in theaters. The popular series isn’t only finding success on the big screen, however, but also within the world of the Metaverse.  In April 2022, the Sonic Speed Simulator was uploaded to Roblox, a global game creator connecting tens of millions of people each day. The game has surpassed 500 million plays worldwide as of August 21, 2022. The official Sonic game is completely free and was created by Gamefam, a leading game developer and publisher, in collaboration with Sega.   The title attracted more than 6 million daily active users worldwide in its first week after launching on April 16, 2022. Sonic Speed Simulator is currently the top-ranked Roblox game of 2022.   The game takes place in six immersive 3D worlds. In addition to regular gameplay, events, and mini-games, users can unlock player skins of popular characters such as Tails and Knuckles as they progress through the game. Sonic Frontiers Teaser Sitehttps://sonic.sega.jp/SonicFrontiers In conjunction with the Japanese release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in theaters, the Japanese version of Sonic Speed Simulator has been unveiled. Japan had the highest daily active user growth on Roblox in the first quarter of 2022 among the 25 largest internet markets worldwide. Comment from Sonic Series Producer at SEGA, Takashi Iizuka“Since its launch in April, Sonic Speed Simulator has seen a massively positive response from the global Roblox community, and I’m so happy to see a new fanbase growing in the Metaverse. With Sonic's popularity spreading around the world with audiences both young and old following the release of the film series, I hope that more fans will enjoy the world of Sonic with the release of Sonic Frontiers later this year!”  A trial version of Sonic Speed Simulator has also been released on the Japanese App Store in cooperation with Apple Japan.

While Sonic the Hedgehog 2 isn’t coming to theaters until April 8, Paramount has confirmed that a third film is already in the works. A Paramount+ streaming series based on Sonic’s sidekick Knuckles is also coming soon, and will star Idris Elba.    The first Sonic the Hedgehog film is the highest-grossing movie based on a video game to ever be released in the US, grossing $320 million worldwide. The sequel is scheduled to release in the west on April 8 and in Japan this summer. The cast from the first film has returned for the second installment, with Jeff Fowler directing and Josh Miller and Pat Casey providing the screenplay.   Inspired by Sega’s video game franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog tells the story of Sonic, the world’s fastest hedgehog, and his adventures after arriving on Earth. The first live-action adventure comedy film was released in 2020 and starred Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. ©SEGA

The Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands livestreamed the Vincent Van Gogh & Tokyo Olympic online event in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan on July 9.   Curators and researchers at the Van Gogh Museum took part in the digital event which was hosted on TeamNL Tokyo Expo. In addition, researcher Joost van der Hoeven and Olympic athletes Candy Jacobs and Keet Oldenbeuving will make a sporty contribution to the livestream. Their sport skateboarding is an Olympic discipline for the first time.   The event served to strengthen Netherlands-Japan ties at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Lacoste has announced the release of a new collection themed on the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee. The collection arrives in time for the new run of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics which was originally set to run last year but was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held from July 23 to August 8. Lacoste's collection will go on pre-sale in Japan on April 29 before rolling out at Olympic Museum stores in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, and Mexico on July 15.   1964 was a historical year for Japan as the country saw rapid innovation and evolution in art, lifestyle, fashion, and many other areas. The Lacoste capsule collection respects the traditions of the Olympic Games at the time while adding a contemporary touch. It features the Tokyo 1964 logo created by Japanese graphic designer Yusaku Kamekura and fuses it with Lacoste's French style, turning the emblem an eye-catching gold and adding Lacoste's iconic crocodile. The line-up includes polo shirts, tees, nylon hoodies, sweatshirts, caps, and more. The items are made from materials like pique fabric, fleece, cotton, and water resistant nylon. For the Japan pre-sale of the capsule collection, Lacoste Japan is holding a campaign called "THE POWER OF TOKYO 1964" which hopes to charge the athletes of Tokyo 2020 with the energy of Tokyo in 1964, a year of innovation. A special video was released for the promotion featuring background music by Towa Tei who was born in the year 1964. The song, entitled MAGIC, is a bridge connecting the years 1964 and 2021.

The Nintendo Switch™ title Ninjala finally rolled out its collaboration with Sonic the Hedgehog on Thursday (September 24). In the world of Ninjala, players blow bubble gum to craft different weapons and fight using the fighting style of ninjutsu. Players can also transform into nearby objects, and they must use parkour to traverse different landscapes while aiming to take down their opponents. Players can get their hands on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles costumes for their avatars, as well as turn into a Dr. Eggman Gum Utsusemi. There are also IPPON decorations and stickers for players to use. All of these items are available to purchase via the in-game shop.   Enter the world of Sonic the Hedgehog in Ninjala today!   © SEGA© GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.

It was revealed in Developer Diary #9 for the Nintendo Switch title Ninjala by both the game's director and game designer that the previously promised highly-anticipated Sega collaboration is really happening, with Sonic the Hedgehog set to speed his way into the gum world. In the world of Ninjala, players blow bubble gum to craft different weapons and fight using the fighting style of ninjutsu. Players can also transform into nearby objects, and they must use parkour to traverse different landscapes while aiming to take down their opponents. Released on June 25, 2020, the game has been downloaded over 4 million times worldwide. In the latest Developer Diary, the team revealed not only the Sonic collaboration—which comes in the form of costumes you can obtain in-game—but details on the upcoming "Featured Battle Mode" too The new game mode will first bring the "Beast Attack!" limited-time event which is an 8-player game of tag where one player becomes a Beast and must defeat other Ninjas to earn points. Likewise, Ninjas must avoid being defeated for themselves to earn points.   You can check out the full details in the Developer Diary episode below.

© GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.©SEGA