BODY: NetEase Games' mobile battle royale Knives Out (荒野行動/Kōya Kōdō) is doubling down on its VTuber partnership, launching a fourth collaboration event with Nijisanji, one of Japan's largest virtual livestreamer agencies, on April 25, 2026.
This wave brings four fan-favorite Nijisanji talents into the game: Sasaki Saku (笹木咲), the playful Osaka-dialect streamer known for her competitive gaming chops; Kuzuha (葛葉), one of Nijisanji's most-watched male streamers and a fixture in the FPS scene; Lize Helesta (リゼ・ヘルエスタ), the refined yet surprisingly intense gamer princess; and Sara Hoshikawa (星川サラ), whose sharp-tongued humor has built her a devoted following.
Players can expect themed in-game skins, voice packs, and limited-time event modes tied to each of the four collaborators. Previous rounds of the Knives Out × Nijisanji crossover have proven enormously popular in Japan, consistently driving spikes in active users and social media engagement each time a new batch of livers is featured.
The collaboration underscores how deeply VTuber culture has embedded itself in Japan's mobile gaming ecosystem. Knives Out, which commands a massive player base across Japan and East Asia, has made recurring VTuber tie-ins a core part of its live-service strategy — and Nijisanji's roster of over 150 active talents gives it a deep well of characters to draw from.
The insider take
The Knives Out × Nijisanji partnership has quietly become one of the most reliable collab franchises in Japanese mobile gaming. Reaching a fourth installment signals genuine, sustained commercial results rather than a one-off marketing splash. In Tokyo's gaming circles, the conventional wisdom is shifting: VTuber collabs aren't a novelty anymore — they're an established revenue lever, and agencies like Nijisanji are increasingly being courted the same way traditional anime IP holders are. Kuzuha's inclusion alone is likely to move numbers, given his outsized influence in the competitive gaming community.
Originally reported by 4Gamer.net − 最新記事 (Japanese).