Cygames, the Japanese video game developer responsible for a variety of popular games including Umamusume: Pretty Derby, has announced its intention to create an AI-focused subsidiary company.
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Of all the games released this year, all the triple-A blockbusters and genre-defining smash hits, nothing shook me as much as Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I won't deny that it was once a game I was embarrassed to be playing. But now? I'm all in, dude. I'm an English 27-year-old who is invested in Japanese horse racing. And if you too can push past your misgivings, you'll find one of the better strategy games released this year.
Gift issued an apology in both English and Japanese for selling Umamusume: Pretty Derby plush toys of the character Vivlos in which she has human ears in addition to her normal horse ones. This happened at Comic Market 107 in December 2025, as well as the AmiAmi Akihabara Radio Kaikan Store. It confirmed refunds and exchanges are available until March 31st, 2026. The correct version of the plush will be released in May 2026.
Of course, Gift shared photos of the Vivlos Umamusume: Pretty Derby plush of her with human ears. The photo is a close-up, however. So we don’t get to see what she looks like officially with both human ears and horse ears. The company also circled the ears on the photo, to show what shouldn’t have been.
You can see a picture of the full plush as it should have appeared alongside the close-up of her with human ears below.
As for the return process, people who don’t want an Umamusume Vivlos plush of her with extra human ears can choose either a refund or a replacement by emailing the official address at support@oh-ami.com. If someone isn’t in Japan and had purchased the doll, they can only choose the exchange option. If someone gets a refund, they get 6,500円 back. With the exchange, the defective plush is returned and the new one will ship in May 2026.
Vivlos is pretty popular when it comes to Umamusume merchandise in Japan. Her and her sisters Cheval Grand and Verxina appeared as Sega crane game plush in August 2025.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available for PCs and mobile devices, and the replacement Vivlos Gift plush will appear in May 2026.
The post Gift Apologies for Umamusume Plush With Human Ears appeared first on Siliconera.
The Love Love Series 15th Anniversary Tribute Album CD filled with songs from the anime by other artists debuts on January 14, 2026 in Japan, and the Hatsune Miku and Umamusume covers are already online. Four tracks showed up on Spotify ahead of the launch, with Cygames even promoting one of them. That will cost 4,000円 (~$26), with CD Japan selling it for $25.49. While these first four are on Amazon Music Japan already, it isn't on the worldwide branches yet.
The full track list for the album isn’t available yet. As such, the only confirmed songs we know are the ones that showed up already online. The cover does show Ado, Haruka Amami from The Idolmaster 765Pro All Stars, Konata Izumi from Lucky Star, Vtuber Ui Shigure, and You and Idol Pretty Cure Cure Idol Uta Sakura, who are also going to appear. So the known tracks are the Aikatsu, BanG Dream Poppin'Party, Hatsune Miku, and Umamusume ones.
Here’s the full list of tracks with links to listen to them:
It is unknown if “Snow Halation” will be part of this. That has been covered many times before, including by Hololive Vtubers.
Here's the full cover art for the album:
The Love Live Series 15th Anniversary Tribute Album of song covers will launch in Japan on January 14, 2026. The anime can be found on Crunchyroll.
The post Hear Love Live Series 15th Anniversary Tribute Album Umamusume, Hatsune Miku Songs appeared first on Siliconera.
Due to the accelerated schedule for the global version of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, the Halloween Trainee alts for Rice Shower and Super Creek are only just joining the worldwide version on November 24, 2025. They are also joined by two new SSR Halloween-themed cards with Tamamo Cross and Zenno Rob Roy on them. That banner and a Halloween Makeover will be live until December 6, 2025, and the new characters and cards will join the general poll after that.
Like many other alts, the Halloween Rice Shower and Super Creek alts aren’t all that different from their standard Trainee versions, in terms of stats, though they have different Growth Rates and skillsets. Chiffon-Wrapped Mummy: Super Creek is still designed to work as a Pace Chaser who focuses on Medium and Long distance Turf races. She comes with the Unique Skill Give Mummy a Hug, which helps her break out of the pack and pass on the final straight if the positioning is right. Other notable Potential Skills include Professor of Curvature and Mystifying Murmur. Vampire Makeover: Rice Shower is intended to be a Pace Chaser who runs Medium and Long Turf races as well. Her Unique Skill Every Rose Has Its Fangs is more conditional, since she needs to be both well-positioned and pressured by another runner for it to restore stamina. Her most remarkable Potential Skills are Tantalizing Trick and Corner Recovery.
Here are both of those infographics:
In the case of the Halloween SSR Support Cards, you should basically only pull for the Beware Halloween Night: Tamamo Cross Power card and Magical Heroine: Zenno Rob Roy Speed card if you raise a lot of Late Surgers, as both of the major Career Event skills you earn from them are for those types of runners. The Tamamo Cross one’s is 15,000,000 CC, which increases velocity on an uphill for a Late Surger. The Zenno Rob Roy one could give a Late Surger the Lie in Wait stamina recovering skill that works if they’re near the back mid-race.
Here are the images Cygames shared for both of those:
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available for the PC and mobile devices worldwide, and the Halloween Chiffon-Wrapped Mummy: Super Creek, Vampire Makeover: Rice Shower, and Beware Halloween Night: Tamamo Cross Power card, and Magical Heroine: Zenno Rob Roy Speed card all debut in the global version on November 24, 2025.
The post Halloween Rice Shower and Super Creek Join Umamusume appeared first on Siliconera.
