Cygames has cancelled the two Umamusume: Pretty Derby concerts scheduled for Los Angeles on October 22 and 23, saying it could not obtain the visas needed to bring the production into the United States.
The shows were the Los Angeles stop of the game's 7th EVENT: THE STAGE world tour, and would have put the game's voice cast on stage performing songs and dance routines as their characters. Rock Paper Shotgun reported that the concerts were first announced in July and were set for the city's Peacock Theater.
Although we have coordinated repeatedly with all parties concerned and explored every possible option in our efforts to make this event happen, we were unable to obtain the necessary visas for entry into the US, so we have come to the painful conclusion that holding the concerts is no longer possible.
IGN reported that the official Umamusume: Pretty Derby account on X had flagged the problem on October 18, warning that staff working the shows were having difficulty securing travel visas without cancelling anything at that point, and that Cygames confirmed the cancellation the following day. Dexerto reported that an October 19 update had given fans a 10 p.m. PT deadline that evening for a final decision on whether the concerts could go ahead. Rock Paper Shotgun reported that in an earlier post the studio said it had worked with lawyers and promoters on the visas for more than six months without a response.
Cygames apologised for the cancellation and for confirming it so close to the performance dates, addressing the apology to ticket holders as well as to the Umamusume cast, partner company staff and others who worked on the production.
Refunds and next steps
Both on-site viewing tickets and streaming tickets will be refunded. Dexerto reported that no timeline has been given for when those refunds will reach buyers.
The studio said it is separately looking into responses for ticket holders who had planned to attend in person and had made travel arrangements, and that working those out will take time. Further information is to be published on the 7th Event World Tour official website.
Rock Paper Shotgun noted that this is not the only recent Los Angeles game concert affected by US visas: Tarokiki, a performer on the Wuthering Waves tour, was also unable to appear in California after not obtaining a visa in time. The outlet also pointed to this year's Game Developers Conference, where a number of international and queer developers chose not to travel.
