Yostar announced the closed beta test dates for its new game Stella Sora, and that kicks off on May 28, 2025. It will run for over a week, ending on June 8, 2025. This comes after registration to participate opened in April 2025.

This announcement also included a full timeline for this phase. As a reminder, the cut-off to try and get into this test ended a while ago. We could only for a chance to play until May 16, 2025. 

Here’s the timeline for the closed beta phase:

• May 22, 2025: Picked players will be emailed and told they will get to participate.
• May 26, 2025: Closed beta test participants will be able to the build. 
• May 28, 2025: The closed beta begins.
• June 8, 2025: The closed beta ends.

Alongside the closed beta test dates for Stella Sora, there’s also an update on pre-registration progress. It currently ed 2,500,000 people. As a result, everyone gets 10,000 Dorra, the in-game earned currency, and 200 Stellanite Dust, another type of currency, for free. The next tier is 3,000,000 people, which unlocks a Tranquil Retreat Disc for everyone. We will get 600 Stellanite Dust if the pre-registrations hit 4,000,000, the four-star Trekker: Ann character if the game hits 6,000,000, and 10 Cerulean Tickets for the gacha if the 8,000,000 hallmark is hit.

Stella Sora is in development for PCs and mobile devices, and Yostar will hold the closed beta test for the new game between May 28, 2025 and June 8, 2025. 

The post Yostar Starts Stella Sora Closed Beta Test Next Week appeared first on Siliconera.

Wargaming has revealed that it will add even more Azur Lane crossover content to World of Warships. This will be the seventh time the company has added crossover content from the closely related game. It has regularly made crossovers almost every year, starting from 2018, with the preceding sixth wave having appeared in 2024.

The new Wave 7 will add the following shipgirls as commanders, whom players can assign to any playable ship:

1. KMS Hindenburg
2. USS Kearsarge
3. RN Gorizia
4. KMS iral Graf Spee
5. KMS Scharnhorst

In addition, Wargaming will add new ships based on the Azur Lane versions of KMS Hindenburg, USS Kearsarge, and RN Gorizia—as well as KMS Bismarck, whose character had appeared earlier in Wave 4.

As a side note, Hindenburg and Kearsarge are getting double-imported back to World of Warships. Manjuu and Yongshi had previously created Azur Lane shipgirl versions of the original ships Wargaming created for World of Warships. The first character to be double-imported was HMS Neptune in Wave 2.

Wargaming has also published a trailer showing the new content on YouTube:

In the same press release, Wargaming also revealed the new Azur Lane content coming to the console and mobile releases of World of Warships: Legends. People who play the latter version will be able to get unique ships based on the Azur Lane versions of BB-45 USS Colorado, RN Zara, KMS Scharnhorst, and KMS iral Graf Spee.

The original World of Warships is available for PC. World of Warships: Legends is available separately on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, iOS, and Android.

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Yostar announced people can now for a chance to take part in the closed beta test for Stella Sora, the company’s new game currently in development. This is happening worldwide, with people able to play on either Android devices or Windows PCs. Those interested must fill out the survey by May 16, 2025. People who get to play will be picked and notified sometime after recruitment closes.

g up is a fairly simple process. First someone needs to have a free Yostar game . Then, they need to go to the Stella Sora closed beta test website. There’s a survey to fill out there, which Yostar will use to help make decisions. It will then email people who applied after the recruitment period ends. They will then be able to take part in the beta for a limited time. 

However, note that this will just be a beta. This means that none of your progress will be saved. Also, you won’t be able to share your with another person.

Yostar also shared the Stella Sora closed beta test minimum and recommended Windows PC and Android device requirements. First, here are the minimum and recommended PC ones.

Minimum PC:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit
• U: Intel Core i3
• RAM: 8GB or more
• Storage: At least 12GB available on HDD/SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 or above
• DirectX: Version 11

Recommended PC:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit
• U: Intel Core i5
• RAM: 16GB or more
• Storage: At least 12GB available on HDD/SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or above
• DirectX: Version 11

And here’s what you need to play if you’re on an Android phone or tablet.

Minimum Android: 

• OS: Android 9.0 or later
• Processor: Snapdragon 865 or newer
• RAM: 6GB or more
• Storage: At least 12GB available

Recommended Android:

• OS: Android 9.0 or later
• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen2 or newer
• RAM: 8GB or more
• Storage: At least 12GB available

Stella Sora is in development for PCs and Android and iOS devices, and the closed beta test recruitment is live until May 16, 2025. 

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Yostar has revealed the Fate/stay night Servant Archer as a new guest character in Mahjong Soul. He will be the fourth character in the mahjong game's crossover event with the Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel movies. The Servant will his master, Rin Tohsaka, along with the other two title heroines, Saber and Sakura Matou.

In addition, the company has opened sweepstakes on social media, where a lucky winner can get an autograph board with Archer's illustration and a signature from the character's Japanese voice actor, Junichi Suwabe. The sweepstakes for all four characters revealed to date will close on the same day on April 21, 2025.

Yostar has also published a preview trailer showing how Archer will appear in Mahjong Soul once players have gained access to him:

With four characters confirmed in this batch so far, it is going in line with most of Mahjong Soul's prior crossovers, which added four guest characters in total. The Akagi crossover event in late 2021 is the only one to date that added just two guest characters.

Mahjong Soul is available on Android, iOS, and PC. The Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel crossover event will run worldwide for a limited time, starting on April 22 or 23, 2025, depending on the time zones.

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Yostar has revealed Rin Tohsaka is the third guest character from Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel coming to Mahjong Soul in a new event. Her inclusion will also complete the Fate/stay night main heroine roster in the free-to-play mahjong game after the company revealed Sakura Matou and Saber earlier.

Just like the first two characters, Yostar holds a separate sweepstake on social media where one person can win an autograph featuring an illustration of Rin signed by her Japanese voice actress, Kana Ueda. The company will close the sweepstake's application window on April 21, 2025.

Yostar has also published a preview trailer showing how the gameplay will look like when one plays as Rin Tohsaka in Mahjong Soul:

As of Rin's reveal, it is yet to be known whether there will be any more characters ing the fray. However, most of the prior crossovers for Mahjong Soul featured four characters in total, and some of them also included male characters. When Yostar held a crossover event featuring Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Licht in late 2023, it added Gil besides Illya, Chloe, and Miyu. Likewise, an earlier crossover event with Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion in Spring 2023 had a mixed roster featuring Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen, and C.C.

Mahjong Soul is readily available on iOS, Android, and PC. The Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel crossover event in the free-to-play game will launch worldwide on April 22 or 23, 2025, depending on the regional time zones.

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Yostar is revealed Sakura Matou and Saber as guest characters from Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel who will appear in Mahjong Soul. Players of the game will be able to recruit them via a crossover event that launches for a limited time from April 23, 2025, then use them as playable characters in the game.

The company had previously teased the crossover event in early February 2025. However, it only recently started publishing details about the event after it confirmed April 23, 2025, as the launch date.

Yostar is also publishing new trailers featuring the guest characters on the game's official social media s. The gameplay segments notably show how the company produces accurate 3D models of the guests' hands. Here is the first trailer featuring Sakura Matou:

The second trailer shows the Fate/stay night Servant Saber in Mahjong Soul. Players can also notice how she will play Mahjong with her full armor gear:

In addition, Yostar is holding sweepstakes on Facebook and X, where people can win autograph boards of Saber and Sakura signed by their respective Japanese voice actresses, Ayako Kawasumi and Noriko Shitaya. Both sweepstakes will close on April 21, 2025, at 9 PM PT or midnight ET.

The Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel crossover event in Mahjong Soul will launch on April 23, 2025. The free-to-play game is readily available worldwide on iOS, Android, and PC via Steam.

The post Fate/Stay Night Saber and Sakura Will Mahjong Soul appeared first on Siliconera.

The official X (formerly Twitter) for Arknights announced that Showtaro Morikubo will be removed from his role as Elysium for “various reasons.” Hypergryph has not yet stated whether the replacement actor will re-voice all of Elysium's previous lines.

Prior to the official announcement, the March 14, 2025 patch notes on the Chinese version’s Weibo had hinted at Morikubo’s departure. One of the new fixes included the deletion of certain voice resources. At the time, the patch notes did not state which character this would affect. However, many replies to the Weibo post and Twitter guessed that Hypergryph would remove Morikubo. This is because of another recent incident regarding him and a Chinese game company.

On March 12, 2025, the official Genshin Impact X announced it would remove Showtaro Morikubo from his role as Ifa. Like with the Arknights post, it did not state the reason behind this decision. However, many fans have speculated that it’s due to his appearance in the reading of Inochigake no Shougen, which may have caught the Chinese government’s attention and in turn put pressure on companies like HoYoVerse and Hypergryph. Inochigake no Shougen, based on the book of the same name, highlights the Chinese government’s persecution of the Uyghur ethnic group.

This is not the first time that Chinese game companies removed a Japanese voice actor for political reasons. In July 2021, Ai Kayano was recast from her roles in Azur Lane and Arknights after she visited the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine is controversial, as it enshrines war criminals from World War II, and visits to it tend to draw negative attention from Chinese and Korean citizens.

Arknights is readily available on mobile devices. As of March 14, 2025, Showtaro Morikubo is no longer voicing Elysium in Arknights.

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Yostar announced that it will hold a new crossover event that adds content from Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel to Mahjong Soul. It will specifically base the crossover on the movie trilogy that originally launched between 2017 and 2020, and has since become available on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and Hulu.

Details about the new crossover are still scarce as of the initial announcement, but Yostar usually adds key characters from other titles as guest players. The latest crossover event as of 2024 was Bandai Namco's The Idolmaster: Shiny Colors, where Yostar added all four of the Noctchill group from the title between November and December 2024.

The crossover event with Sanrio characters in September-October 2024 ended up adding unusual content when compared to other prior franchises. Sanrio's famous mascots like Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll did not appear as playable characters. They instead appear in exclusive alternate skins for four of the game's original characters.

Yostar made the announcement on the game's social media s simultaneously in multiple languages. Here is the announcement tweet for the Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel crossover from the official English X for Mahjong Soul:

Mahjong Soul is available worldwide on Android and iOS devices, as well as PCs via Steam.

The post Mahjong Soul Will Have Fate/Stay Night Crossover Content appeared first on Siliconera.

Yostar announced a new mobile game, Stella Sora. This will be a fantasy RPG in which you can go on adventures while also enjoying a normal daily life the anime girls in your party.

The official Stella Sora YouTube released several teasers and trailers for the game. You can watch them down here:

As you can see from the trailer, Stella Sora utilizes a top-down interface and has an action-oriented battle system. It seems like there are bonuses and upgrades for your team that you can collect during the stages, letting you power up your characters on the go. Outside of battle, character interactions in the story use a visual novel style. Like with Yostar’s other popular games, the majority of the characters who appear in the teasers and trailers are female.

In Stella Sora, you play as an amnesiac protagonist who finds themself in the fantasy world of Nova. Nova has several towers that contain magical items, with Trekkers entering these towers in order to get them. These magical items are key items when it comes to developing Nova as a civilization and country, which means it’s a profitable career. The protagonist then becomes a Trekker, or works with them, in order to regain their memories.

Stella Sora is in development for the Windows PC and mobile devices. You can pre- for the game via the official website.

The post Stella Sora Is Yostar’s Newest Fantasy RPG appeared first on Siliconera.

Yostar has revealed a new Azur Lane crossover event that will feature To Love-Ru Darkness characters. The event will run from late November 2024 until early December 2024 in the mobile game.

This crossover event will feature a total of six characters. During the reveal stream, the host Mafia Kajita noticed an apparent lack of Mikan Yuki. Yostar's Dai Miwaki promised that if this crossover event goes well, the developers could consider re-running the event with additional characters, just like prior crossovers with titles like Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation.

Here is the complete list of characters in the crossover event, along with their rarity levels, ship rigging classes, and acquisition methods:

1. Lala Satalin Deviluke - Super Rare - Heavy Cruiser rigging - Gacha exclusive
2. Nana Astar Deviluke - Super Rare - Destroyer rigging - Gacha exclusive
3. Momo Belia Deviluke - Super Rare - Light Cruiser rigging - Gacha, Stage drop, and Point exchange shop
4. Golden Darkness - Super Rare - Battleship rigging - Gacha exclusive
5. Haruna Sairenji - Elite Rarity - Battlecruiser rigging - Gacha exclusive
6. Yui Kotegawa - Elite Rarity - Carrier rigging - Total points reward

The To Love-Ru Darkness crossover event will run in Azur Lane from November 21, 2024, until December 5, 2024. The To Love-Ru anime is not available on streaming services at this time. Azur Lane is available on Android and Apple iOS devices.

The post Azur Lane To Love-Ru Darkness Crossover Characters Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

Yostar announced that Mahjong Soul will have a collaboration with Sanrio. The event will start on September 25, 2024, then run until October 16, 2024. It will feature the usual suspects of Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

There’s not a lot of information as of yet. The official Mahjong Soul X (formerly known as Twitter) only announced that starting date for the event, as well as the four mentioned mascots. However, it’s highly likely that they will appear as playable characters. In previous collaborations, Mahjong Soul added characters like Ai Hayasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War), Yumeko Jabami (Kakegurui), and Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass). So it’s not out of the question.

As some of the most popular mascots in Sanrio, it’s little surprise that Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll would be the ones appearing in the Mahjong Soul crossover. They were among the ones who appeared in the McDonald’s Yu-Gi-Oh happy meal collaboration, for example.

Mahjong Soul first came out in China in 2018 before appearing worldwide in 2019. It is a free browser and mobile game in which you play riichi mahjong. Though the game itself is pretty much mahjong, there was an anime series for it in 2022, and then an original net animation in 2024.

Mahjong Soul is readily available on mobile devices and in web browsers. The Sanrio collaboration will begin in Mahjong Soul from September 25 and it’ll run until October 16, 2024.

The post Mahjong Soul Will Hold Sanrio Character Collaboration appeared first on Siliconera.

Pre-registration has now opened for the English version of Heaven Burns Red. Players can now through the official site ahead of the game’s release. Registration is available for PC, iOS and Android.

Yostar Games has also revealed the pre-registration rewards available for Heaven Burns Red players. There are seven tiers of rewards, with the penultimate goal potentially awarding all players an SS Ruka Kayamori after clearing Day 3 in the game.

Here are all the pre-registration rewards that have been confirmed:

• 10,000 registrations – 500 Quartz
• 20,000 registrations – 500 Quartz
• 40,000 registrations – 1,000 Quartz
• 60,000 registrations – 1,000 Quartz
• 100,000 registrations – 10-Roll Ticket Recruitment x1
• 150,000 registrations – SS Ruka Kayamori
• 200,000 registrations – 10-Roll Ticket Recruitment x2

At the time of writing, only the first tier has been achieved, guaranteeing 500 Quartz for all players when the game launches.

Heaven Burns Red is a free-to-play turn-based RPG featuring up to 48 characters. The game is led by Ruka Kayamori, a former singer now battling to take on The Phage, a mysterious force that threatens humanity. The game released in Japan in 2022, while a Western release was confirmed at Anime Expo 2024. While pre-registration for Heaven Burns Red is now open, a release date has yet to be confirmed.

The English language version of Heaven Burns Red will release for PC and mobile devices at an unspecified date. Pre-registration is open now.

The post Heaven Burns Red Pre-Registration is Open Now appeared first on Siliconera.

Yostar has announced that it will set up display booths featuring its mobile games at Comic Market 104. Azur Lane and Blue Archive will specifically be highlighted at the company's Comiket 104 booth.

The booth's staff will give away shopper bags that also feature characters from Arknights, Mahjong Soul, and Aether Gazer. However, the above two titles will take most of the spotlight. The bags will contain Azur Lane and Blue Archive stickers, along with an uchiwa fan of Azur Lane's Mogador. The booth will only have these items as freebies while stocks last, as the company will not sell merchandise at this event.

Yostar's Comiket 104 booth will have specific zones dedicated to Azur Lane and Blue Archive. The company will also have cosplayers attend the booth with costumes of characters from both titles.

The Azur Lane area will primarily feature Pamiat' Merkuria. Visitors will be able to interact with the character. The booth will also have a massaging mini-game where players can win bonus items depending on their scores upon completion.

Meanwhile, the Blue Archive zone will host a Momo Friends Race. Visitors can participate by guessing the race winner to receive a bonus item. If a character wins the race, those who guessed the character can win another item.

Comic Market 104 will take place at Tokyo Big Sight on August 11-12, 2024. Yostar will have its booths at Corporate Booth No.1111 in West Hall 3.

The post Yostar Will Bring Azur Lane and Blue Archive to Comiket 104 appeared first on Siliconera.

Mahjong Soul is now available worldwide on the PC through Steam. The game launched alongside a new event, Daydream Paradise, which is running from now until August 6, 2024.

Mahjong Soul has previously been available for PC via browser and a Windows app, but this release now allows players to make use of Steam features. This includes a new beginner’s guide to riichi mahjong included within the game’s Steam Guides page.

Players will be able to link their existing to the new release via their Yostar . Facebook, Apple and Google s can also be linked. The game will also make use of crossplay features. However, the Steam version will not work with MacOS, and paid items can only be shared between the browser and Windows client versions. Free items can be shared across all versions, however, including those on mobile.

As well as the Steam launch, a new event has started within Mahjong Soul. Daydream Paradise will run until August 6, 2024, featuring a selection of event missions. In addition, there will be a higher summon rate for the characters Yuan Feng and Kutsuji, while other characters will be available for more limited time periods. There will also be limited time availability of outfits for Hinata Takanashi, Haruma Igarashi and Nadeshiko.

This is not the only recent news from Yostar. The publisher also confirmed it would be handling the English translation of Heaven Burns Red, the latest work from Clannad creator Jun Maeda.

Mahjong Soul is available now for Steam, browsers and mobile devices.

The post Mahjong Soul Heads to PC via Steam Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera.

The English version of Heaven Burns Red is on its way, courtesy of publisher Yostar Games. The announcement was made at Anime Expo 2024.

Heaven Burns Red first released in 2022 to great acclaim. This free-to-play RPG stars Ruka Kayamori, a former singer now fighting for humanity against a mysterious force known as The Phage. Ruka and her fellow squad mates are capable of using powerful weapons and abilities known as Seraphim, the only thing that can stop The Phage. The game features turn-based battles where players choose a team from up to 48 characters, while the story is told through visual novel sequences.

A full trailer for the game’s English release was revealed at Anime Expo 2024. No release date has been confirmed for this release, and no platforms were announced either. However, the game released in Japan for PC, iOS and Android, so these will likely be the same platforms when it releases for a Western audience too.

Heaven Burns Red was developed by Key and Wright Flyer Studios, while Yostar Games will be publishing the English version of the game. It is the latest work from Jun Maeda, the creator of the visual novels Air and Clannad, as well as the writer for the Angel Beats anime. Heaven Burns Red also featured a crossover event with Angel Beats, where three characters from the anime made an appearance in the game.

The English version of Heaven Burns Red will be released at an unconfirmed date.

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