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Next month, Sega is holding an event in Tokyo, Japan, featuring a 2-part live talk with Oji Hiroi, the creator of the Sakura Wars series.
The free event, which is called Sega Universe Playground, will take place on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, at the Shibuya PARCO 10F PBOX STND, and is reportedly based on the concept of breaking the screen and bringing classic Sega titles to players in other ways, through music, art, graphics, talk shows, and food.
It is set to take place between 13:00 and 19:00 JST, with Hiroi's talks being scheduled for 14:00 to 14:45 and 16:45 to 17:30 JST. As stated in the announcement, freelance broadcaster Atsuko Uchida will host these conversations.
Sakura Wars, for the uninitiated, is a "dramatic adventure" that debuted in Japan back in 1996 (making this year the 30th anniversary!) and combines elements of a strategy RPG, a visual novel, and a dating sim. Well known for its unique (for the time, at least) episodic structure, it follows the adventures of a newly appointed officer named Ichiro Ogami, who is put in charge of a theatre troupe/secret combat unit based in Tokyo that must battle a villainous group known as the Hive of Darkness.
Originally debuting on the Sega Saturn, it was later ported to other platforms (including Dreamcast, PC, and PS2) and inspired a string of sequels; however, the vast majority of these were never released overseas (barring Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love and Sakura Wars (2020)). An English fan translation for the Sega Saturn original was released in 2019, with a patch for its sequel, Sakura Wars 2, launching six years later, in 2025.
Aside from the talks with Hiroi, those in attendance at the Sega Universe Playground will be able to see Treasure's Guardian Heroes projected on the event space's screen and will also be able to experience a special art exhibit by the student artist SORA (inspired by the Sega Saturn and NiGHTS into dreams...).
There will also be food and drinks based on Rent A Hero, Streets of Rage, Fantasy Zone, and Segagaga (produced in collaboration with On The Corner Shibuya), as well as live music from 18:00 - 20:40 JST, including several DJ sets influenced by SEGA's music.
Some of the performers expected to appear include Knxwledge, DJ Mitsu the Beats, SEQYAMA, KASHI, MPC Girl USAGI, and the Sega legends Hiroshi "HIRO" Kawaguchi (Space Harrier, OutRun, After Burner) and Takeshi Mitsuyoshi (Virtua Racing, Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona USA).
Also included in the announcement was the news that a Sega Universe Pop-Up store is going to be open on Shibuya PARCO's 6th floor, from Friday, August 7th to Sunday, August 30th, 2026. This is expected to be open from 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM JST during this period.