Star Wars Celebration Japan is officially here! The Makuhari Messe convention center in Japan is hosting this year’s Star Wars Celebration, a weekend-long and fans are traveling from a galaxy far, far away to be a part of it. From April 18th to April 20th, fans will get the chance to experience the Star Wars franchise like never before, with panels and showcases that feature some of the franchise’s biggest names – Temuera Morrison, Daniel Logan and Anthony Daniels, among others.
Industrial Light & Magic, the premier special effects studio responsible for the visual effects and computer animation effects from headliner LucasFilms productions like Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, and Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark; as well as famed films like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is also holding panels during the Star Wars Celebration, where they discuss their work on projects like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and more as they celebrate their 50th year and the legacy of movie magic they’ve created.
Also debuting during the 2025 Star Wars Celebration are a variety of consumer announcements and showcases, giving fans sneak peaks into some of the franchise’s newest ventures.
Announcements for Toys and Collectibles
Several brands have joined the Star Wars Celebration this year to bring announcements for some of the newest, most anticipated toys and collectibles joining the already massive lineup of products that bears the Star Wars branding.
Theme Park Shark has previously covered some of the newest and most in-demand Star Wars collectible merchandise, when Topps announced their new Galactic Antiquities Trading Cards earlier this year. But now, with the Star Wars Celebration underway and announcements being made left and right, there’s so much more to talk about!
Hasbro recently announced new additions to the Black Series and Vintage collection figures lines, including the new Black Series Cal Kestis, Turgle & Skoova Stev multifigure pack, a Black Series Night Sister Merrin figure, and the Vintage Collection Moff Gideon (Dark Trooper Armor). With pre-orders already live, the Hasbro lines promise a wide variety of quality products – from play ready products for the younger fans to high end collectibles for those looking for a more sophisticated, well-made item for display purposes, these unique, high quality toys and collectibles feature a variety of characters all with their signature looks, perfect for play or display.
LEGO has also announced new additions to their existing Star Wars line, with the new LEGO Star Wars K-2SO Security Droid Building Set. This new LEGO set will be available at the beginning of August on LEGO.com and in LEGO stores across the globe. This 845-piece building set measures over 16 inches told, and is accompanies with a K-2SO minifigure, a display stand, and an information plaque displaying K-2SO’s technical specs.
Guests in attendance were able to get their picture taken with a 1:1 scale LEGO replica of the droid, which stands at 8.2 feet tall, weighs 233 pounds, and was comprised of over 50,000 LEGO bricks. Thankfully, fans buying the new build kit will not have to assemble that many bricks, as it took professionals nearly 200 hours to build.
Announcements for Star Wars Media
We all love a good collectible, but the Star Wars franchise doesn’t stop there. In fact, some of its most successful tie-ins, cross-overs, and spin-offs came from the world of published media. Books, comics, video games, and other media have always been a staple in the Star Wars franchise.
During the Manga Mania panel at the Star Wars Celebration, a new Kickstarter campaign was announced for The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope – The Manga by Hisao Tamaki from Dark Horse, in addition to teases from upcoming releases from VIZ Media, Marvel Comics, and more. This Kickstarter is set to launch soon, and will feature a “deluxe hardcover release showcasing Tamaki’s never-before-seen art boards in their original right-to-left orientation.”
At least ten new reveals were made, spanning comics, visual guides, and a 50th anniversary book from Industrial Light and Magic, which will be available on November 4th, 2025. The final series in the High Republic Era was also announced; The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi features returning artist Cavan Scott in a special one-shot finale issue, The Beacon.
Fans can check out all of the up-and-coming books, comics, and manga that are planned to release across the Star Wars franchise [here].
Guests attending the Star Wars Celebration Media Panels also got treated to announcements from mobile developer, Scopely, and Ubisoft – a major publisher of digital media in the Star Wars franchise.
Scopely has announced a crossover event coming to their MONOPOLY GO! app, promising players “a crossover event of galactic proportions” that covers both the Skywalker Saga and The Mandalorian. This event will run from May 1st to July 2nd, and will feature several unique events, as well as Treasures, Partners, Racers, Adventure Club, and more. Players will be able to unlock Star Wars GO! stickers for their album, with 20+ new stickers to collect, or relive iconic moments with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and all of your favorite original Star Wars Trilogy characters alongside the characters from the MONOPOLY GO! universe as you team up and compete with and against your friends!
And on May 15th, Ubisoft will be launching Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune. This trailer for the base game’s second story pack promises to be an impactful adventure. A free demo was made available recently, on all consoles that the base game is already available: Ubisoft+, Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 5, Playstation 5 Pro, and Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store, and Steam. This game will also be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 4th.
Fans can watch the official trailer below, provided by Ubisoft’s official YouTube channel:
In celebration of this new addition to the game, Ubisoft has announced that all players will be gifted cosmetic items inspired by Skeleton Crew, for Nix and the speedrunner – so be sure to log in, update your game, and claim your celebration packs!
For a full breakdown of the 2025 Star Wars Celebration Japan event, and for a bunch of extra Star Wars goodies and behind-the-scenes videos, check out the official Star Wars page [here].
Check back soon, as Theme Park Shark will continue to report on this genre-defining franchise, as well as theme park news from Disney, Universal, and theme parks from all across the world!
