Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II has been out for about a week now (depending on your platform of choice), and judging by the flurry of activity in our forums and elsewhere online, many of you have been playing it a lot! Well, now’s your chance to play some co-op with us!

We’ll be holding a “Play with SEGA” event for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II this coming Friday, May 25th. Here are all the details you need to know:

• We will be online Friday, May 25th from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM US Pacific Time.
• We will be playing on Xbox Live only
• Because of how Xbox’s networks are setup, we are only able to play with people based in North America (sorry, friends around the world!)
• In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we will only play one act with each person.

Below are the gamertags that we will be using for the event. Please note that these are special gamertags set up for this event. Although the people listed below are scheduled to play, things may change based on workload (people have jobs to do!), schedules, or technical issues.

SEGA Ken – Ken Balough, Sonic 4 Brand Manager

SEGA Eric – Eric Ruud, Associate Online Manager

SEGA Craig – Craig Harris, Affiliate Marketing Manager

SEGA Alben – Alben Pedroso, Sonic 4 Episode II Producer

SEGA Ethan – Ethan Einhorn, Director of Developer Relations/Creative Director

SEGA SamM – Sam Mullen, Localization Producer

SEGA Julian – Julian Mehlfeld, Community Manager

SEGA Aaron – Aaron Webber, Associate Brand Manager

Other accounts you may see online are SEGA Frank and SEGA Kellie, but there is nobody scheduled to play with these gamertags at this time. (Again, that may change!)

We hope you can play some Sonic 4 Episode II with us !

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II begins rolling out today! This new entry in the Sonic 4 storyline has the iconic blue hedgehog taking on two legendary rivals with the help of one of his oldest friends, Miles “Tails” Prower. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II is available today on the PlayStation Network and Steam for $14.99/€12.99/£9.99/AUD$18.25. It will be available tomorrow on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 points, as well as NVidia Tegra 3 powered devices on Android for $6.99/ AUD$7.49/€5.49/ £4.99. On 17^th May, it will be available for iPhone and iPad on the iTunes App Store for $6.99/ AUD$7.49/€5.49/ £4.99.

“Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game.” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II also offers players who have purchased Sonic the Hedgehog™ 4 Episode I the exclusive chance to experience Episode Metal, a special unlockable story available to anyone who owns both titles on the same platform. Lead one of our hero’s greatest foes, Metal Sonic, across four reworked Acts from Episode I to learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD.

Sonic 4 Episode II and Episode Metal will also be coming to all other Android Device systems this June, and Windows Mobile Phones by this July. For more information about the game, visit http://www.sonicthehedgehog4.com/.

The True Blue Initiative, Episode II

When Episode I launched, we wanted to pay a special thank-you tribute to everyone who purchased multiple copies of the game. We called it the True Blue Initiative, and it’s back for Episode II!

Anyone who picks up two or more versions of the game will be included in a special video, featuring me and Ken Balough, to be posted on the SEGA America YouTube channel, the SEGA Blog, The SEGA forums, the Sonic Facebook, and the SEGA Twitter. This will be a sort of MVP list that will document all of the fans out there who went above and beyond to help support the game. (Rumor has it that interested parties may also request that Ken present his thank you in Spanish, and he will actually do so. Es loco!)

Those fans who have the determination to grab four versions of the game will also be in the video, but as a special bonus thank you, will also receive a mini-poster featuring artwork from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II that is signed by the Sonic 4 team at SEGA of America. Pretty awesome!

Here are the details:

• There are 5 platforms eligible for this – XBLA, PSN, PC, iOS, and Android.
• You must submit a screenshot of your purchase receipt of the 2 or 4 versions. You can private message them to me on the SEGA forums or submit them by email to communityteam@sega.com with the subject line “True Blue Initiative”. (JPGs are our preferred image type.)
• Please include the name you’d like us to mention in the video (and a pronunciation guide to your name, if you think that would help us).
• If you are submitting receipts for 4 games, please also send us your full name, mailing address, telephone number (required for shipment), and the name you’d like us to personalize your mini-poster with when we sign it.
• You have until 10:00 AM Pacific Time on Friday, June 15th to submit your receipts.
• For XBLA, you need to show us your purchase history that contains Episode II. Instructions for accessing your purchase history are below. Screenshots or photos of this are acceptable.

  If you want to see a history of items that you’ve purchased, go to Purchase History and sign in with your Windows Live ID (email address and password).

  You can also view your Xbox LIVE purchase history on your console. Here’s how:

  1. On your console, sign in using your Xbox LIVE gamertag.
  2. Go to Settings, and then select Account.
  3. Select Download History.
  4. The items that you’ve downloaded are shown.

The wait is over! Go play some Sonic 4 Episode II, and thanks for being True Blue fans!

One of the Sonic questions we’re asked most often is about purchasing soundtracks — where, when, how. Well for all fans of Sonic music, we’ve got good news for you! The following soundtracks are now available for purchase on iTunes, and the music of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episodes I and II are coming soon!

Sonic Adventure Original Soundtrack – 20th Anniversary Edition

Sonic Adventure 2 Original Soundtrack – 20th Anniversary Edition

Sonic Heroes Original Soundtrack – 20th Anniversary Edition

Sonic CD Original Soundtrack – 20th Anniversary Edition

Super Sonic Songs (The Best of Crush 40)

The Works

Sonic Colors Original Soundtrack – ViViD SOUND × HYBRiD COLORS Vol. 1

Sonic Colors Original Soundtrack –   ViViD SOUND × HYBRiD COLORS Vol. 2

Sonic Colors Original Soundtrack – ViViD SOUND x HYBRiD COLORS Vol. 3

Earlier this week, we showed you concept art and screenshots from Dragon Canyon, a level in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed inspired by Panzer Dragoon. Today, we’ve got more concept art and screenshots — this time, from Temple Trouble, a track inspired by Super  Monkey Ball.

Super Monkey Ball first appeared in 2001, and has been a fan favorite ever since. The technicolor extravaganza of this level is inspired by the graphical and level design of the Super Monkey Ball titles. The checkerboard tracks wind above the infamous bottomless pits of the Monkey Ball series as the precariously balanced participants race in a battle to the finish line. The multiple colors of the checkers warn of dangerous routes, which add to the tactical nature of this more advanced track. Watch out for the monkey balls trying to stop you in your tracks, also taking inspiration from the characters in the game!

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will speed on to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, and PC Digital Download late in 2012.

Don’t forget to enter your art into our contest! We need graffiti-style art to go into the Jet Set Radio level of the game. Get all the details and read the official rules, and then get started! The deadline for the contest is May 22nd for the US & Canada, and May 31st for the UK.

The summer Sonic events, Summer of Sonic and Sonic Boom 2012, are just 2 months away! There’s lots of great stuff planned for all the Sonic fans who will be hanging out with us in Brighton, UK and San Diego, USA. Last year, you got to play Sonic Generations for the first time and this year is no different – attendees will be the first fans to get some hands-on time with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which we just announced last week.

We’re also very excited to announce that Steve Lycett from SUMO Digital (known as S0L in many Sonic forums, including our own SEGA forums), Executive Producer on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, will be appearing at both Summer of Sonic and Sonic Boom 2012! Many Sonic fans have interacted with him online for a while, and this will be your chance to see him in person.

Crush 40 will be playing live at both events, and special guests Jean Paul and Alex Makhlouf from Cash Cash will also playing live at Sonic Boom. Get ready to rock out to your favorite Sonic song with your fellow fans!

We’ve got lots more surprises in store for this year’s Sonic events… and we’re not ready to let them all out of the bag just yet. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months!

Sonic Boom 2012 will be held on Friday, July 13^th, 2012 from 5:00 PM until 10:00 PM at the House of Blues in San Diego, CA (during San Diego Comic Con). Tickets are $20 each ($15 for the ticket and $5 for the TicketMaster fee) and include 2 drink tickets (for those 21 or older) and free food. You do not need a Comic Con badge to get into Sonic Boom. You must have a ticket to get in. Tickets are going quickly, so get yours today! You can purchase your tickets at http://bit.ly/IM9OoT

Summer of Sonic 2012 will take place in the Hove Centre, at Hove Town Hall, Brighton on Saturday, July 7^th 2012.  Tickets are available from the Summer of Sonic website: www.summerofsonic.com/

We announced Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed just one week ago, and gave you guys your first look at the new & returning characters as well as two of the levels – Dragon Canyon from Panzer Dragoon, and Temple Trouble from Super Monkey Ball. Today, we’re showing you some concept art from the Dragon Canyon level.

Panzer Dragoon was released in 1995 for the SEGA Saturn. The Dragon Canyon Empire level takes its cues from the bleak, fallen lands which provided the setting for the legendary SEGA Saturn game and its sequels. Once a great and prosperous empire, it’s civilization was destroyed millennia ago; the last remaining people live in fear of biological weapons which they created in the past. The one last hope was a blue dragon, discovered in an ancient temple, and is the centerpiece of this level. The winding canyons are heavily inspired by the on-rails nature of the original titles, however the land, sea, and air options and ever-changing environment present these ravines in a very different way.

You can see how this concept art is echoed throughout the level.

We’ll take a closer look at Temple Trouble later this week.

Calling all artists! We’re looking for 10 amazing pieces of art to be placed in the Jet Set Radio Future level of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. We’d love them to be Jet Set Radio-themed, but any SEGA-related theme will be considered. All the requirements and prohibitions are below, so make sure to read the official rules carefully before you get to creating!

A lot of people have asked this question, so here’s the answer — YES, if you entered our previous Jet Set Radio art contest, you can enter this one and re-submit the same work if you’d like. But please be sure that the artwork you submit conforms to the requirements of this contest, including format and size.

You must be 18 or older, and a resident of the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom to enter. See the official rules below for eligibility requirements. Please be sure you are reading the rules for the country you live in, as they may differ.

United States and Canada Rules

Sega of America, Inc.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™

Jet Set Radio™ Graffiti Art Contest

Official Rules

There is no purchase necessary to enter or to win.

By entering you agree you are assigning full and complete ownership and usage rights to your Graffiti Art Submission to the Sponsor for use in any of its products

in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

1) Promotion Description: Sega of America, Inc. (“Sponsor”) is offering “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ Jet Set Radio™ Graffiti  Art Contest” (“Promotion”) and will determine winners based on judging all eligible entries against the criteria established in these Official Promotion Rules. The Promotion begins at 9:00:00 AM US Pacific Time (“PT”) on April 30, 2012 and the deadline for submission of entries is 10:00:00 AM PT May 22, 2012 (“Submission Entry Period”).

2) Eligibility: Promotion is open to all legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry (“Entrants”). Employees, officers and directors of the Sponsor, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, advertising, promotional, fulfillment and marketing agencies, (collectively “Promotion Entities”), their immediate families (parent, child, sibling & spouse) and persons living in the same households of such individuals (whether related or not), are not eligible to participate in the Promotion. Void in Puerto Rico, all other US territories, Quebec and where prohibited by law, rule or regulation. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

3) Creating your Graffiti Art Submission: The Sponsor is interested in determining up to five (5)  pieces of original digital graffiti artwork that can be used in its upcoming release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™. Create an original piece of graffiti art which meets the following requirements (your “Graffiti Art Submission”):

• Totally original, created by you and suitable for all age groups.
• Ideally based on Jet Set Radio’s world, however any SEGA-related theme will be considered.
• No larger than 1024 pixels x 1024 pixels in size and prepared in a landscape format.
• Submitted for entry in an uncompressed png, .bmp, or .tga file format.

Your Graffiti Art Submission should NOT:

(a)  feature any Sega or third-party characters

(b)  be previously published or appear anywhere else

(c)  contain any third party copyright protected material or trademarked characters, images,  symbols or logos

(d)  infringe upon the intellectual property rights of a third party

(e)  contain any resemblance to a recognizable person, character or personality

(f)    use any obscene or indecent images or words including but not limited to nudity, pornography, profanity, drug references or gratuitous violence

(g)  contain any religious imagery

(h)  reflect any political images or stances

(i)    include any defamatory statements (including, but not limited to, words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic group)

(j)    include threats to any person, place, business, group or nation

(k)  invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm or entity

(l)    violate any law or regulation

4) How to Enter your Graffiti Art Submission: Send an e-mail to communityteam@sega.com with “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” in the subject line. Attach your Graffiti Art Submission as a file to the e-mail; in the body of the e-mail include the following informational points (your “Entry”):

• Your first and last name,
• Your age,
• Your date of birth,
• Your town,
• Your state/province,
• Your e-mail address,
• Your telephone number including area code, and
• The name or reference for your Graffiti Art Submission.

There is no limit to the number of different times you can enter, however, each Graffiti Art Submission must be new and completely different from any previous Graffiti Art Submission you have submitted and each must be submitted as a separate e-mail Entry. There is a limit of one (1) winning Graffiti Art Submission per person.

By entering, you agree that you are giving Sponsor the right to post your Graffiti Art Submission on its website and/or public websites where it maintains accounts. Additionally, by entering the Promotion, you agree you are assigning and hereby assign full and complete ownership of all intellectual property rights in and to your Graffiti Art Submission and all usage rights therein to the Sponsor for use in and in relation to any of its products (including, without limitation, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™) and the advertising, marketing, promotion and exploitation thereof in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

5) Judging and Winner Determination:  Entries will be judged by a panel of graphic designers and marketers from Sponsor and SUMO Digital (“Judging Panel”) and will be judged and weighted equally on the following points: (a) creative, fresh, engaging and innovative design; (b) compatibility with theme and style of the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ game; and (c) degree of design intricacy and/or design “finish.” The Judging Panel will determine up to ten (10) winning Graffiti Art Submissions. The decisions of the Judging Panel in all matters relating to this Promotion are final. Judging will be completed on or about May 24, 2012. At Sponsor’s sole discretion, if an inadequate number of entries or entries of inadequate quality are received, Sponsor reserves the right NOT to determine any entries as winners or to determine any number of winners fewer than five (5).

6) Confirmation Process – Individuals submitting the winning Graffiti Art Submissions will be contacted within one (1) business day of the conclusion of judging by the e-mail address and/or phone number associated with their Entry (“Winning Notification”) and provided with an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release, (collectively “Affidavit”), (unless prohibited by law). The Affidavit must be returned within five (5) days of Sponsor’s provision of this document. Potential winners will also be required to send a copy of their passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or other appropriate documentation (acceptable to Sponsor) as proof of age and residency. Non-compliance with any of these requirements may result in disqualification. Return of Winning Notification or Affidavit as undeliverable will result in disqualification. In completing the Affidavit, you are giving your permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes as Sponsor so determines without notice or further compensation, except where prohibited by law. There is no monetary or tangible prize award of any kind associated with being named a winner, nor will your name be featured in any way in the credits associated with the game.

7) General:  If, during any period of the Promotion, for reasons beyond the Sponsor’s control (including, but not limited to, tampering or computer virus infection), the Promotion is not capable of running as originally planned, the Sponsor, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel or modify the Promotion, without liability and to the extent feasible, will determine winners among entries received prior to cancellation or modification. Sponsor is not responsible for Internet, computer hardware and software, phone, and other technical errors, malfunctions, and delays. Entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, irregular, or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules, are void. All Entrants agree to comply fully with each provision in these Official Rules. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Promotion and any person who does not comply with these Official Rules, will be ineligible and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Without in any way limiting, expanding or amending the Terms of Service at http://www.sega.com/legal/terms.php which Terms of Service policy shall remain in full force and effect, if Sponsor is duly notified that any element of an Entrant’s Graffiti Art Submission infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Graffiti Art Submission because of such infringement, such Graffiti Art Submission may be removed and disqualified from the Promotion, as Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion. Further, no Entrant will be eligible to be named a winner unless Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such Entrant’s Graffiti Art Submission has been or can be sufficiently cleared for legal purposes and such Entrant has complied with the terms of these Official Rules.

Past experience has shown a promotion such as this one may generate similar submissions which closely resemble concepts and ideas developed by the Promotion Entities whether before, during or after the Promotion. Entrants may see a presentation that seemingly incorporates an idea or concept or includes materials similar to that contained in their entry (e.g., Graffiti Art Submission). Any similarity may be purely coincidental and is always unavoidable in light of the volume of ideas that the Promotion Entities routinely consider in the course of their content development. Consequently, the Promotion Entities must, and have adopted policies and procedures to protect themselves from potential liability and claims and as part of these Official Rules requires all Entrants (and, if eligible minors, their parents or legal guardians) to agree that: (a) the Promotion Entities may use any and all ideas, concepts, material and expression, in whole or in part, submitted or contained in a Promotion Entry, or other material you submit, including, without limitation, the Graffiti Art Submissions, and all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein; and (b) all Entries and Entry materials (including, without limitation, the Graffiti Art Submissions) become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

Right to Use Your Work and Information About You: By participating, you: (a) represent and warrant that your Graffiti Art Submission is wholly original, not previously published, and does not incorporate or include anything that is owned by any third party or would require the consent of any third party and your Entry and Graffiti Art Submission do not violate any copyright, trademark, publicity right, privacy right or any other right of any third party; (b) automatically grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute and display your Graffiti Art Submission; (c) agree that upon being named a winner, you agree that your Graffiti Art Submission shall legally be considered a “work made for hire,” with all rights therein, including, without limitation, the exclusive copyright, transferred to and being the property of Sponsor; (d) in the event your Graffiti Art Submission is considered not to be a “work made for hire,” you irrevocably assign to Sponsor, all right, title, and interest in and to your Graffiti Art Submission (including, without limitation, the copyright) in any and all media whether now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, anywhere in the world, with the right to make any and all uses thereof, including, without limitation, for purposes of advertising or trade; and (e) agree that by entering your Graffiti Art Submission, you grant to Sponsor the right to sell and otherwise distribute your Graffiti Art Submission on any of its websites or in and in relation to any of its products without any compensation. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliated companies with respect to all Entries and all other submitted materials related to the Promotion, including those submitted by non-winners and winners.

By submitting a Graffiti Art Submission, you grant to Sponsor, its parent and affiliated companies the right, except where prohibited by law, to use your name, likeness, picture, address (city and state), voice, biographical information, the Graffiti Art Submission in your Entry and written or oral statements, for advertising and promotional purposes in promoting or publicizing Sponsor, its products or services, without compensation unless required by law. You shall have no right of approval, no claim to compensation, and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based on invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, blurring, alteration, or use in composite form of your name, picture, likeness, address (city and state), e‑mail address, biographical information, or entry. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor, its parent, and affiliated companies with respect to all Entrants in the Promotion, including non-winners and winners. Sponsor, however, does not have any obligation to use the winning or non-winning entries for any purpose.

9) Release of Liability and Issues of Law: By participating in the Promotion, all Entrants release Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees and all entities associated with the development and execution of this Promotion from any and all liability with respect to and in any way arising from (i) participating in this Promotion, (ii) any injury or damage to an Entrant’s or third person’s computer related to or resulting from the Promotion or Entries, and (iii) damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an Entrant’s participation in the Promotion or downloading of information in connection with the Promotion. The Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel the Promotion in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the Promotion becomes technically corrupted.

All Federal, state and local laws and regulations are applicable. THE CALIFORNIA COURTS (STATE AND FEDERAL) SHALL HAVE SOLE JURISDICTION OF ANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THE PROMOTION AND THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SHALL GOVERN THE PROMOTION. EACH ENTRANT WAIVES ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO JURISDICTION AND VENUE IN THOSE COURTS AND HEREBY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS. The Promotion is void where restricted or prohibited by law.

10) Winners List: Winners will be announced at blogs.sega.com on or about May 31, 2012.

11) Sponsor: Sega of America, Inc., 350 Rhode Island Street, STE 400, San Francisco, CA 94103.

12) Promotion Administrator:  Extra Mile Marketing, 16611 N. 91^st Street, STE 106, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1523.

SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA logo, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed and Jet Set Radio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

UNITED KINGDOM RULES

SEGA Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – Jet Set Radio Competition

Official Rules

THERE IS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROMOTION OR TO WIN ANY PRIZE.

(1) Description of Prize Draws SEGA Europe Limited (the “Sponsor”) is offering a “Prize Giveaway”, (the “Promotion”) and will award prizes based on judging all eligible entries against the criteria established in these Official Rules. The Promotion begins at 17:00 British Summer Time (“BST”) on Monday 30^th April 2012 and concludes at 09:00 BST on Thursday 31^th May 2012 (“Promotion Period”).

(2) Eligibility - The Promotion is open to legal residents of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Promotions are void anywhere it is prohibited by law, rule or regulation.  Any entrants who are not eligible for the Promotion can be disqualified at the Sponsor’s discretion.  Employees, officers and representatives (and members of their immediate families and those living in the same household of each) of the Sponsor, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and any other company involved in the design, execution or production of this Promotion are not eligible (the “Promotion Entities”).

(3) Creating your Submission: The Sponsor is interested in determining digital graffiti artwork that can be used in its upcoming release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™. Specifically the Sponsor needs five (5) pieces of graffiti art inspired by the Sponsor’s game  entitled Jet Set Radio™.

Create an original piece of graffiti art (1024 x 1024 pixel, square orientation) reflective of the Jet Set Radio game style, world and characters or reflective of any of the Sponsor’s games (your “Submission”). Your Submission must be submitted in an uncompressed png, .bmp, or .tga file format.

Your Submission must be totally original and created by you.

Your Submission should NOT:

(a)   feature any Sega characters

(b)  be previously published or appear anywhere else

(c)   contain any 3^rd party copyright protected material or trademarked characters, images,  symbols or logos

(d)  infringe upon the intellectual property rights of a 3^rd party

(e)   contain any resemblance to a recognizable person, character or personality

(f)   use any obscene or indecent images or words including but not limited to nudity, pornography, profanity, drug references or gratuitous violence

(g)   contain any religious imagery

(h)  reflect any political images or stances

(i)    include any defamatory statements (including, but not limited to, words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic group)

(j)    include threats to any person, place, business, group or nation

(k)  invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm or entity

(l)    violate any law or regulation

(4) How to Enter: Send an e-mail to communityteam@sega.com with “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – Jet Set Radio Competition – UK” in the subject line.  Attach your Submission as a file to the e-mail; in the body of the e-mail include the following informational points (your “Entry”):

• Your first and last name
• Your age
• Your date of birth
• Your town
• Your e-mail address
• Your telephone number including area code
• Name or reference for your Submission

There is no limit to the number of different times you can enter, however, each Submission must be new and completely different from any previous Entry you have submitted and each must be submitted as a separate e-mail Entry. There is a limit of one (1) prize per person. Entries that are incomplete, contain irregular or invalid information, are corrupted, are late, lost, or postage-due are void and will not be accepted. Entries received for a given promotion are eligible only for that promotion and will not be “rolled forward” for inclusion in any subsequent promotion.

By entering, you agree that you are giving Sponsor the right to post your Submission on its website and/or public websites where it maintains accounts. Additionally, by entering the Promotion, you agree you are assigning and hereby assign full and complete ownership of all intellectual property rights in and to your Submission and all usage rights therein to the Sponsor for use in and in relation to any of its products (including, without limitation, Jet Set Radio and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed) and the advertising, marketing, promotion and exploitation thereof in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

(4) Prize - The Promotion will have five (5) winners who will be selected by a panel of judges from eligible entrants who will have their Submission placed within the Sponsor’s game entitled Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ as an “unlockable” extra.The odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received for any given Promotion.

(5) Judging Process:
Entries will be judged by a panel of judges which includes member(s) of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™’s development studio, SUMO Digital Limited (“Judging Panel”) and will be judged and weighted equally on the following points: (a) creative, fresh, engaging and innovative design; (b) compatibility with theme and style of the Jet Set Radio™  and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ games; and (c) degree of design intricacy and/or design “finish”. The decisions of the Judging Panel in all matters relating to this Promotion are final. At Sponsor’s sole discretion, if an inadequate number of entries or entries of inadequate quality are received, Sponsor reserves the right NOT to determine any entries as winners or to determine any number of winners fewer than five (5). The Judging process will be conducted during the first week of June 2012. Potential winners will be contacted within two (2) business days of the vote by the e-mail address associated with their Registered User account to confirm prize acceptance. Potential winners will have five (5) business days to respond to the prize notification e-mail with the requested information. Failure to respond within this time frame or without the requested information may result in disqualification, forfeiture of the prize and the selection of an alternate winner. Return of prize notification e-mail as undeliverable will result in disqualification, forfeiture of the prize and the selection of an alternate winner.

Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes as Sponsor so determines without notice or further compensation, except where prohibited by law. Prize recipient shall not be permitted to (a) replace his/her designated prize with another prize or item, (b) transfer or assign his/her designated prize to another person, or (c) substitute any prize or prize component for cash. ANY AND ALL TAX LIABILITY RESULTING FROM A WINNER’S RECEIPT OF THE PRIZE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

(6) General:

(i) Sponsor reserves the right to discontinue this Promotion at any time and without notice following the conclusion and complete fulfilment of all prizes associated with any given (and then current) Promotion. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the winning entry, the prize will be awarded to the authorised account holder of the submitted Internet e-mail address regardless of the individual who submitted the entry. The authorised account holder is the natural person who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet Service Provider or other organisation that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain names associated with e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right to void entries, which in its sole determination, are irregular, incomplete, inaccurate, do not comply with these official rules or have been generated with abusive and/or duplicitous intent including but not limited to false or multiple e-mail addresses.

(ii) By entering, you (a) agree to comply with and be bound by the official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are final and binding in all respects; (b) agree to release Sponsor and its employees and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in this Promotion or from the awarding, receipt, possession use and/or misuse of any prize; (c) acknowledge that Sponsor, and its employees and agents have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize including, but not limited to, its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose; (d) consent to use of your name, photograph and/or likeness, written or oral statements, biographical information and voice for advertising and promotional purposes in all media worldwide and in perpetuity without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law; (e) represent and warrant that your Submission is wholly original, not previously published, and does not incorporate or include anything that is owned by any third party or would require the consent of any third party and your Entry does not violate any copyright, trademark, publicity right, privacy right or any other right of any third party; (f) automatically grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute and display your Submission; (g) agree that upon selection as a winner of any prize, you agree that your Submission shall legally be considered a “work made for hire,” with all rights therein, including, without limitation, the exclusive copyright, transferred to and being the property of Sponsor; (h) in the event your Submission is considered not to be a “work made for hire,” you irrevocably assign to Sponsor, all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission (including, without limitation, the copyright) in any and all media whether now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, anywhere in the world, with the right to make any and all uses thereof, including, without limitation, for purposes of advertising or trade; and (i) agree that by entering your Submission, you grant to Sponsor the right to sell and otherwise distribute your Submission on any of its websites or in any of its products without any compensation. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliated companies with respect to all entries and all other submitted materials related to the Promotion, including those submitted by non-winners and winners.

(iii)Without in any way limiting, expanding or amending the Terms of Service at http://www.sega.co.uk/legal/terms.php which Terms of Service policy shall remain in full force and effect, if Sponsor is duly notified that any element of an Entrant’s Submission infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Submission because of such infringement, such Submission may be removed and disqualified from the Promotion, as Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion. Further, no Entrant will be eligible to receive a prize unless Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such Entrant’s Submission has been or can be sufficiently cleared for legal purposes and such Entrant has complied with the terms of these Official Rules.

(iv) Past experience has shown a promotion such as this one may generate similar submissions which closely resemble concepts and ideas developed by the Promotion Entities whether before, during or after the Promotion. Entrants may see a presentation that seemingly incorporates an idea or concept or includes materials similar to that contained in their entry (e.g., Submission). Any similarity may be purely coincidental and is always unavoidable in light of the volume of ideas that the Promotion Entities routinely consider in the course of their content development. Consequently, the Promotion Entities must, and have adopted policies and procedures to protect themselves from potential liability and claims and as part of these Official Rules requires all Entrants (and, if eligible minors, their parents or legal guardians) to agree that: (a) the Promotion Entities may use any and all ideas, concepts, material and expression, in whole or in part, submitted or contained in a Promotion entry, or other material you submit, including, without limitation, the Submissions and all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein; and (b) all entries and entry materials (including, without limitation, the Submissions) become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

(v) The use of machines, computers or any automated technique (“Automated Cheats”) to enter the Promotion is prohibited. Sponsor has the right to invalidate any entry if its sole opinion Registered User has engaged the use of Automated Cheats at any time.  All decisions of the Sponsor are final.

(vi) Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, late, delayed, misdirected, garbled, illegible, incorrect or inaccurate information or entries that are misdirected or misrouted as a result of interrupted or unavailable network connections or internet transmissions for any reason, or any failure of the website during the Promotion Period, or for any computer, phone, phone line hardware or software malfunction, failure or error of any kind, whether mechanical, human or electronic. Any attempt by an entrant to interfere with the operations of this Promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws; Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent permitted by law. If, for any reason, any Promotion is not capable of running as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Promotion, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion and select winners in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received prior to the cancellation. All entries are the property of the Sponsor.

(6) Release: By participating in the Promotion, all Entrants release and hold the Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees, representatives, shareholders and all entities associated with the development and execution of this Promotion harmless from and against any and all losses, damages, claims, liabilities and actions of any kind with respect to and in any way arising from (i) participating in this Promotion; (ii) acceptance, possession, use of misuse of  or defect in the prizes; (iii) any injury or damage to an Entrant’s or third person’s property related to or resulting from the Promotion, the Entries and/or its prizes; (iv) damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an Entrant’s participation in the Promotion or downloading of information in connection with the Promotion; and  (v) publicity or privacy rights and/or defamation. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS SHALL EXCLUDE OR LIMIT THE SPONSOR’S LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED BY ITS NEGLIGENCE.

The Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel the Promotion in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the Promotion becomes technically corrupted.

 (7) Data Collection – Sponsor collects personal information from you when you enter the Promotion.  By entering the Promotion, you agree to all of the terms and conditions of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.  For information about how personal information may be used, see Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, which is available at http://www.sega.co.uk/legal/privacy.php.

(8) Law and Jurisdiction: These terms are governed by English law and any claim or matter arising out of these terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England.

(9) Winners List: An accumulative list of winners from the most recent month is available via email request to communityteam@sega.com.

Sponsor: SEGA Europe Limited, 27 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9BW, UNITED KINGDOM.
(c) SEGA. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All rights reserved

Today, we are announcing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, a thrilling new racing experience featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and a fantastic cast of SEGA All-Stars competing across land, air and water in vehicles that fully transform from cars, to planes to boats.  Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will speed on to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, and PC Digital Download late in 2012.

Following on from the huge success of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, the characters now have their own unique transforming vehicles designed to take advantage of the varying terrain.  The line up on the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed grid sees SEGA favorites – including Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr Eggman and AiAi – return to battle against newcomers that include Gilius Thunderhead of Golden Axe and Vyse of Skies of Arcadia.  The brand new dynamic environments and tracks in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed are once again inspired by SEGA’s illustrious gaming history. When the road falls away beneath you on Super Monkey Ball’s Temple Trouble track your car transforms into a boat and speeds down the rivers and rapids, whilst the Panzer Dragoon inspired track, Dragon Canyon, takes you into the sky in complete control of your plane, barrel rolling to out-maneuvre rivals and obstacles before transforming back into a car and racing to the finish line.

“Given the fantastic feedback we received from critics and consumers alike for the first game, we really wanted to push the boundaries on our follow up game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” commented David Corless, Global Sonic Brand Director.  “The transforming vehicles allow us to do this – as well as drifting your car around the corners of a track, you get to fly your plane and pilot your boat against others all within one race.  Add to this a grid full of star characters, retro IP, fun, fast race modes and cool tracks and racing fans of all ages are sure to love this one!”

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed also sees the popular All-Star moves return with a brand new mechanic allowing your All-Star bar to power up faster if you race daringly and stylishly.  An all new fair weapon system ensures that weapons fired at your vehicle can either be blocked or evaded once you have gained the skills to do so, making each race a unique and exhilarating experience whether it’s on water, in the air or on land.  Old rivalries can be settled and new track records set in the enhanced online multiplayer mode, whilst the Grand Prix mode and competitive Battle Arenas will prove that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is certainly set to change the rules of the race.

For more screenshots, see our Flickr set.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will speed on to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, and PC Digital Download late in 2012.

Get Your Artwork in the Game!

Calling all artists! We’re looking for 10 amazing pieces of art to be placed in the Jet Set Radio Future level of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. We’d love them to be Jet Set Radio-themed, but any SEGA-related theme will be considered. All the requirements and prohibitions are below, so make sure to read the official rules carefully before you get to creating!

You must be 18 or older, and a resident of the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom to enter. See the official rules below for eligibility requirements.

United States and Canada Rules

Sega of America, Inc.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™

Jet Set Radio™ Graffiti Art Contest

Official Rules

There is no purchase necessary to enter or to win.

By entering you agree you are assigning full and complete ownership and usage rights to your Graffiti Art Submission to the Sponsor for use in any of its products

in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

1) Promotion Description: Sega of America, Inc. (“Sponsor”) is offering “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ Jet Set Radio™ Graffiti  Art Contest” (“Promotion”) and will determine winners based on judging all eligible entries against the criteria established in these Official Promotion Rules. The Promotion begins at 9:00:00 AM US Pacific Time (“PT”) on April 30, 2012 and the deadline for submission of entries is 10:00:00 AM PT May 22, 2012 (“Submission Entry Period”).

2) Eligibility: Promotion is open to all legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry (“Entrants”). Employees, officers and directors of the Sponsor, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, advertising, promotional, fulfillment and marketing agencies, (collectively “Promotion Entities”), their immediate families (parent, child, sibling & spouse) and persons living in the same households of such individuals (whether related or not), are not eligible to participate in the Promotion. Void in Puerto Rico, all other US territories, Quebec and where prohibited by law, rule or regulation. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

3) Creating your Graffiti Art Submission: The Sponsor is interested in determining up to five (5)  pieces of original digital graffiti artwork that can be used in its upcoming release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™. Create an original piece of graffiti art which meets the following requirements (your “Graffiti Art Submission”):

• Totally original, created by you and suitable for all age groups.
• Ideally based on Jet Set Radio’s world, however any SEGA-related theme will be considered.
• No larger than 1024 pixels x 1024 pixels in size and prepared in a landscape format.
• Submitted for entry in an uncompressed png, .bmp, or .tga file format.

Your Graffiti Art Submission should NOT:

(a)  feature any Sega or third-party characters

(b)  be previously published or appear anywhere else

(c)  contain any third party copyright protected material or trademarked characters, images,  symbols or logos

(d)  infringe upon the intellectual property rights of a third party

(e)  contain any resemblance to a recognizable person, character or personality

(f)    use any obscene or indecent images or words including but not limited to nudity, pornography, profanity, drug references or gratuitous violence

(g)  contain any religious imagery

(h)  reflect any political images or stances

(i)    include any defamatory statements (including, but not limited to, words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic group)

(j)    include threats to any person, place, business, group or nation

(k)  invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm or entity

(l)    violate any law or regulation

4) How to Enter your Graffiti Art Submission: Send an e-mail to communityteam@sega.com with “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” in the subject line. Attach your Graffiti Art Submission as a file to the e-mail; in the body of the e-mail include the following informational points (your “Entry”):

• Your first and last name,
• Your age,
• Your date of birth,
• Your town,
• Your state/province,
• Your e-mail address,
• Your telephone number including area code, and
• The name or reference for your Graffiti Art Submission.

There is no limit to the number of different times you can enter, however, each Graffiti Art Submission must be new and completely different from any previous Graffiti Art Submission you have submitted and each must be submitted as a separate e-mail Entry. There is a limit of one (1) winning Graffiti Art Submission per person.

By entering, you agree that you are giving Sponsor the right to post your Graffiti Art Submission on its website and/or public websites where it maintains accounts. Additionally, by entering the Promotion, you agree you are assigning and hereby assign full and complete ownership of all intellectual property rights in and to your Graffiti Art Submission and all usage rights therein to the Sponsor for use in and in relation to any of its products (including, without limitation, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™) and the advertising, marketing, promotion and exploitation thereof in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

5) Judging and Winner Determination:  Entries will be judged by a panel of graphic designers and marketers from Sponsor and SUMO Digital (“Judging Panel”) and will be judged and weighted equally on the following points: (a) creative, fresh, engaging and innovative design; (b) compatibility with theme and style of the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ game; and (c) degree of design intricacy and/or design “finish.” The Judging Panel will determine up to ten (10) winning Graffiti Art Submissions. The decisions of the Judging Panel in all matters relating to this Promotion are final. Judging will be completed on or about May 24, 2012. At Sponsor’s sole discretion, if an inadequate number of entries or entries of inadequate quality are received, Sponsor reserves the right NOT to determine any entries as winners or to determine any number of winners fewer than five (5).

6) Confirmation Process – Individuals submitting the winning Graffiti Art Submissions will be contacted within one (1) business day of the conclusion of judging by the e-mail address and/or phone number associated with their Entry (“Winning Notification”) and provided with an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release, (collectively “Affidavit”), (unless prohibited by law). The Affidavit must be returned within five (5) days of Sponsor’s provision of this document. Potential winners will also be required to send a copy of their passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or other appropriate documentation (acceptable to Sponsor) as proof of age and residency. Non-compliance with any of these requirements may result in disqualification. Return of Winning Notification or Affidavit as undeliverable will result in disqualification. In completing the Affidavit, you are giving your permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes as Sponsor so determines without notice or further compensation, except where prohibited by law. There is no monetary or tangible prize award of any kind associated with being named a winner, nor will your name be featured in any way in the credits associated with the game.

7) General:  If, during any period of the Promotion, for reasons beyond the Sponsor’s control (including, but not limited to, tampering or computer virus infection), the Promotion is not capable of running as originally planned, the Sponsor, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel or modify the Promotion, without liability and to the extent feasible, will determine winners among entries received prior to cancellation or modification. Sponsor is not responsible for Internet, computer hardware and software, phone, and other technical errors, malfunctions, and delays. Entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, irregular, or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules, are void. All Entrants agree to comply fully with each provision in these Official Rules. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Promotion and any person who does not comply with these Official Rules, will be ineligible and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Without in any way limiting, expanding or amending the Terms of Service at http://www.sega.com/legal/terms.php which Terms of Service policy shall remain in full force and effect, if Sponsor is duly notified that any element of an Entrant’s Graffiti Art Submission infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Graffiti Art Submission because of such infringement, such Graffiti Art Submission may be removed and disqualified from the Promotion, as Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion. Further, no Entrant will be eligible to be named a winner unless Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such Entrant’s Graffiti Art Submission has been or can be sufficiently cleared for legal purposes and such Entrant has complied with the terms of these Official Rules.

Past experience has shown a promotion such as this one may generate similar submissions which closely resemble concepts and ideas developed by the Promotion Entities whether before, during or after the Promotion. Entrants may see a presentation that seemingly incorporates an idea or concept or includes materials similar to that contained in their entry (e.g., Graffiti Art Submission). Any similarity may be purely coincidental and is always unavoidable in light of the volume of ideas that the Promotion Entities routinely consider in the course of their content development. Consequently, the Promotion Entities must, and have adopted policies and procedures to protect themselves from potential liability and claims and as part of these Official Rules requires all Entrants (and, if eligible minors, their parents or legal guardians) to agree that: (a) the Promotion Entities may use any and all ideas, concepts, material and expression, in whole or in part, submitted or contained in a Promotion Entry, or other material you submit, including, without limitation, the Graffiti Art Submissions, and all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein; and (b) all Entries and Entry materials (including, without limitation, the Graffiti Art Submissions) become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

Right to Use Your Work and Information About You: By participating, you: (a) represent and warrant that your Graffiti Art Submission is wholly original, not previously published, and does not incorporate or include anything that is owned by any third party or would require the consent of any third party and your Entry and Graffiti Art Submission do not violate any copyright, trademark, publicity right, privacy right or any other right of any third party; (b) automatically grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute and display your Graffiti Art Submission; (c) agree that upon being named a winner, you agree that your Graffiti Art Submission shall legally be considered a “work made for hire,” with all rights therein, including, without limitation, the exclusive copyright, transferred to and being the property of Sponsor; (d) in the event your Graffiti Art Submission is considered not to be a “work made for hire,” you irrevocably assign to Sponsor, all right, title, and interest in and to your Graffiti Art Submission (including, without limitation, the copyright) in any and all media whether now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, anywhere in the world, with the right to make any and all uses thereof, including, without limitation, for purposes of advertising or trade; and (e) agree that by entering your Graffiti Art Submission, you grant to Sponsor the right to sell and otherwise distribute your Graffiti Art Submission on any of its websites or in and in relation to any of its products without any compensation. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliated companies with respect to all Entries and all other submitted materials related to the Promotion, including those submitted by non-winners and winners.

By submitting a Graffiti Art Submission, you grant to Sponsor, its parent and affiliated companies the right, except where prohibited by law, to use your name, likeness, picture, address (city and state), voice, biographical information, the Graffiti Art Submission in your Entry and written or oral statements, for advertising and promotional purposes in promoting or publicizing Sponsor, its products or services, without compensation unless required by law. You shall have no right of approval, no claim to compensation, and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based on invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, blurring, alteration, or use in composite form of your name, picture, likeness, address (city and state), e‑mail address, biographical information, or entry. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor, its parent, and affiliated companies with respect to all Entrants in the Promotion, including non-winners and winners. Sponsor, however, does not have any obligation to use the winning or non-winning entries for any purpose.

9) Release of Liability and Issues of Law: By participating in the Promotion, all Entrants release Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees and all entities associated with the development and execution of this Promotion from any and all liability with respect to and in any way arising from (i) participating in this Promotion, (ii) any injury or damage to an Entrant’s or third person’s computer related to or resulting from the Promotion or Entries, and (iii) damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an Entrant’s participation in the Promotion or downloading of information in connection with the Promotion. The Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel the Promotion in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the Promotion becomes technically corrupted.

All Federal, state and local laws and regulations are applicable. THE CALIFORNIA COURTS (STATE AND FEDERAL) SHALL HAVE SOLE JURISDICTION OF ANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THE PROMOTION AND THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SHALL GOVERN THE PROMOTION. EACH ENTRANT WAIVES ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO JURISDICTION AND VENUE IN THOSE COURTS AND HEREBY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS. The Promotion is void where restricted or prohibited by law.

10) Winners List: Winners will be announced at blogs.sega.com on or about May 31, 2012.

11) Sponsor: Sega of America, Inc., 350 Rhode Island Street, STE 400, San Francisco, CA 94103.

12) Promotion Administrator:  Extra Mile Marketing, 16611 N. 91^st Street, STE 106, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1523.

SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA logo, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed and Jet Set Radio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

UNITED KINGDOM RULES

SEGA Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – Jet Set Radio Competition

Official Rules

THERE IS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROMOTION OR TO WIN ANY PRIZE.

(1) Description of Prize Draws SEGA Europe Limited (the “Sponsor”) is offering a “Prize Giveaway”, (the “Promotion”) and will award prizes based on judging all eligible entries against the criteria established in these Official Rules. The Promotion begins at 17:00 British Summer Time (“BST”) on Monday 30^th April 2012 and concludes at 09:00 BST on Thursday 31^th May 2012 (“Promotion Period”).

(2) Eligibility - The Promotion is open to legal residents of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Promotions are void anywhere it is prohibited by law, rule or regulation.  Any entrants who are not eligible for the Promotion can be disqualified at the Sponsor’s discretion.  Employees, officers and representatives (and members of their immediate families and those living in the same household of each) of the Sponsor, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and any other company involved in the design, execution or production of this Promotion are not eligible (the “Promotion Entities”).

(3) Creating your Submission: The Sponsor is interested in determining digital graffiti artwork that can be used in its upcoming release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™. Specifically the Sponsor needs five (5) pieces of graffiti art inspired by the Sponsor’s game  entitled Jet Set Radio™.

Create an original piece of graffiti art (1024 x 1024 pixel, square orientation) reflective of the Jet Set Radio game style, world and characters or reflective of any of the Sponsor’s games (your “Submission”). Your Submission must be submitted in an uncompressed png, .bmp, or .tga file format.

Your Submission must be totally original and created by you.

Your Submission should NOT:

(a)   feature any Sega characters

(b)  be previously published or appear anywhere else

(c)   contain any 3^rd party copyright protected material or trademarked characters, images,  symbols or logos

(d)  infringe upon the intellectual property rights of a 3^rd party

(e)   contain any resemblance to a recognizable person, character or personality

(f)   use any obscene or indecent images or words including but not limited to nudity, pornography, profanity, drug references or gratuitous violence

(g)   contain any religious imagery

(h)  reflect any political images or stances

(i)    include any defamatory statements (including, but not limited to, words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic group)

(j)    include threats to any person, place, business, group or nation

(k)  invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm or entity

(l)    violate any law or regulation

(4) How to Enter: Send an e-mail to communityteam@sega.com with “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – Jet Set Radio Competition – UK” in the subject line.  Attach your Submission as a file to the e-mail; in the body of the e-mail include the following informational points (your “Entry”):

• Your first and last name
• Your age
• Your date of birth
• Your town
• Your e-mail address
• Your telephone number including area code
• Name or reference for your Submission

There is no limit to the number of different times you can enter, however, each Submission must be new and completely different from any previous Entry you have submitted and each must be submitted as a separate e-mail Entry. There is a limit of one (1) prize per person. Entries that are incomplete, contain irregular or invalid information, are corrupted, are late, lost, or postage-due are void and will not be accepted. Entries received for a given promotion are eligible only for that promotion and will not be “rolled forward” for inclusion in any subsequent promotion.

By entering, you agree that you are giving Sponsor the right to post your Submission on its website and/or public websites where it maintains accounts. Additionally, by entering the Promotion, you agree you are assigning and hereby assign full and complete ownership of all intellectual property rights in and to your Submission and all usage rights therein to the Sponsor for use in and in relation to any of its products (including, without limitation, Jet Set Radio and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed) and the advertising, marketing, promotion and exploitation thereof in exchange for no compensation of any kind.

(4) Prize - The Promotion will have five (5) winners who will be selected by a panel of judges from eligible entrants who will have their Submission placed within the Sponsor’s game entitled Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ as an “unlockable” extra.The odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received for any given Promotion.

(5) Judging Process:
Entries will be judged by a panel of judges which includes member(s) of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™’s development studio, SUMO Digital Limited (“Judging Panel”) and will be judged and weighted equally on the following points: (a) creative, fresh, engaging and innovative design; (b) compatibility with theme and style of the Jet Set Radio™  and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ games; and (c) degree of design intricacy and/or design “finish”. The decisions of the Judging Panel in all matters relating to this Promotion are final. At Sponsor’s sole discretion, if an inadequate number of entries or entries of inadequate quality are received, Sponsor reserves the right NOT to determine any entries as winners or to determine any number of winners fewer than five (5). The Judging process will be conducted during the first week of June 2012. Potential winners will be contacted within two (2) business days of the vote by the e-mail address associated with their Registered User account to confirm prize acceptance. Potential winners will have five (5) business days to respond to the prize notification e-mail with the requested information. Failure to respond within this time frame or without the requested information may result in disqualification, forfeiture of the prize and the selection of an alternate winner. Return of prize notification e-mail as undeliverable will result in disqualification, forfeiture of the prize and the selection of an alternate winner.

Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for Sponsor to use winner’s name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes as Sponsor so determines without notice or further compensation, except where prohibited by law. Prize recipient shall not be permitted to (a) replace his/her designated prize with another prize or item, (b) transfer or assign his/her designated prize to another person, or (c) substitute any prize or prize component for cash. ANY AND ALL TAX LIABILITY RESULTING FROM A WINNER’S RECEIPT OF THE PRIZE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

(6) General:

(i) Sponsor reserves the right to discontinue this Promotion at any time and without notice following the conclusion and complete fulfilment of all prizes associated with any given (and then current) Promotion. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting the winning entry, the prize will be awarded to the authorised account holder of the submitted Internet e-mail address regardless of the individual who submitted the entry. The authorised account holder is the natural person who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet Service Provider or other organisation that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain names associated with e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right to void entries, which in its sole determination, are irregular, incomplete, inaccurate, do not comply with these official rules or have been generated with abusive and/or duplicitous intent including but not limited to false or multiple e-mail addresses.

(ii) By entering, you (a) agree to comply with and be bound by the official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are final and binding in all respects; (b) agree to release Sponsor and its employees and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in this Promotion or from the awarding, receipt, possession use and/or misuse of any prize; (c) acknowledge that Sponsor, and its employees and agents have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize including, but not limited to, its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose; (d) consent to use of your name, photograph and/or likeness, written or oral statements, biographical information and voice for advertising and promotional purposes in all media worldwide and in perpetuity without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law; (e) represent and warrant that your Submission is wholly original, not previously published, and does not incorporate or include anything that is owned by any third party or would require the consent of any third party and your Entry does not violate any copyright, trademark, publicity right, privacy right or any other right of any third party; (f) automatically grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute and display your Submission; (g) agree that upon selection as a winner of any prize, you agree that your Submission shall legally be considered a “work made for hire,” with all rights therein, including, without limitation, the exclusive copyright, transferred to and being the property of Sponsor; (h) in the event your Submission is considered not to be a “work made for hire,” you irrevocably assign to Sponsor, all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission (including, without limitation, the copyright) in any and all media whether now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, anywhere in the world, with the right to make any and all uses thereof, including, without limitation, for purposes of advertising or trade; and (i) agree that by entering your Submission, you grant to Sponsor the right to sell and otherwise distribute your Submission on any of its websites or in any of its products without any compensation. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliated companies with respect to all entries and all other submitted materials related to the Promotion, including those submitted by non-winners and winners.

(iii)Without in any way limiting, expanding or amending the Terms of Service at http://www.sega.co.uk/legal/terms.php which Terms of Service policy shall remain in full force and effect, if Sponsor is duly notified that any element of an Entrant’s Submission infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Submission because of such infringement, such Submission may be removed and disqualified from the Promotion, as Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion. Further, no Entrant will be eligible to receive a prize unless Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such Entrant’s Submission has been or can be sufficiently cleared for legal purposes and such Entrant has complied with the terms of these Official Rules.

(iv) Past experience has shown a promotion such as this one may generate similar submissions which closely resemble concepts and ideas developed by the Promotion Entities whether before, during or after the Promotion. Entrants may see a presentation that seemingly incorporates an idea or concept or includes materials similar to that contained in their entry (e.g., Submission). Any similarity may be purely coincidental and is always unavoidable in light of the volume of ideas that the Promotion Entities routinely consider in the course of their content development. Consequently, the Promotion Entities must, and have adopted policies and procedures to protect themselves from potential liability and claims and as part of these Official Rules requires all Entrants (and, if eligible minors, their parents or legal guardians) to agree that: (a) the Promotion Entities may use any and all ideas, concepts, material and expression, in whole or in part, submitted or contained in a Promotion entry, or other material you submit, including, without limitation, the Submissions and all copyrights and other intellectual property rights therein; and (b) all entries and entry materials (including, without limitation, the Submissions) become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

(v) The use of machines, computers or any automated technique (“Automated Cheats”) to enter the Promotion is prohibited. Sponsor has the right to invalidate any entry if its sole opinion Registered User has engaged the use of Automated Cheats at any time.  All decisions of the Sponsor are final.

(vi) Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, late, delayed, misdirected, garbled, illegible, incorrect or inaccurate information or entries that are misdirected or misrouted as a result of interrupted or unavailable network connections or internet transmissions for any reason, or any failure of the website during the Promotion Period, or for any computer, phone, phone line hardware or software malfunction, failure or error of any kind, whether mechanical, human or electronic. Any attempt by an entrant to interfere with the operations of this Promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws; Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent permitted by law. If, for any reason, any Promotion is not capable of running as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Promotion, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion and select winners in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received prior to the cancellation. All entries are the property of the Sponsor.

(6) Release: By participating in the Promotion, all Entrants release and hold the Sponsor and its indirect and direct parent companies and their respective affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents, employees, representatives, shareholders and all entities associated with the development and execution of this Promotion harmless from and against any and all losses, damages, claims, liabilities and actions of any kind with respect to and in any way arising from (i) participating in this Promotion; (ii) acceptance, possession, use of misuse of  or defect in the prizes; (iii) any injury or damage to an Entrant’s or third person’s property related to or resulting from the Promotion, the Entries and/or its prizes; (iv) damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an Entrant’s participation in the Promotion or downloading of information in connection with the Promotion; and  (v) publicity or privacy rights and/or defamation. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS SHALL EXCLUDE OR LIMIT THE SPONSOR’S LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED BY ITS NEGLIGENCE.

The Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel the Promotion in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the Promotion becomes technically corrupted.

 (7) Data Collection – Sponsor collects personal information from you when you enter the Promotion.  By entering the Promotion, you agree to all of the terms and conditions of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.  For information about how personal information may be used, see Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, which is available at http://www.sega.co.uk/legal/privacy.php.

(8) Law and Jurisdiction: These terms are governed by English law and any claim or matter arising out of these terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England.

(9) Winners List: An accumulative list of winners from the most recent month is available via email request to communityteam@sega.com.

Sponsor: SEGA Europe Limited, 27 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9BW, UNITED KINGDOM.
(c) SEGA. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All rights reserved

Attention Sonic the Hedgehog 4 fans! Episode Metal, a special unlock able story, will be available exclusively to players who have purchased both Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II on the same platform.

In Episode Metal, you’ll experience an all-new adventure that bridges the gap between Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II! Take control of Sonic’s greatest rival, Metal Sonic, across four reworked Acts from Episode I as he rebuilds himself to challenge Sonic once again in Episode II!   

Sonic 4 Episode II, and Episode Metal, will be available on May 16 for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 (1200 points), and on May 15 for PlayStation Network ($14.99), PC Digital Download ($14.99), Android Devices, iOS systems, and Windows Mobile Phones.

Check out the newest trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II and Episode Metal below!

Need a little more Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II in your Xbox avatar’s life? Starting today, it can all be yours!

All items listed below are available worldwide. Prices are listed in MSP.

Apparel

Sonic 4 Episode II T-Shirt – Pick up the official Episode II T-Shirt and get ready for an all-new chapter in the Sonic 4 saga! 80 MSP. Male and female avatar versions.

Sonic Hoodie – Featuring the hedgehog’s iconic blue color and spikes, don this Sonic stylized hoodie in celebration of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II! 240 MSP, unisex.

Tails Hoodie – Take a lesson in style from Sonic’s high flying pal with this stylized Tails hoodie! 240 MSP, unisex.

Metal Sonic Helmet – Being bad never looked so good! Strike fear into the hearts of your rivals with this Metal Sonic Helmet! 240 MSP, unisex.

Tails Costume - Touch the sky as Miles “Tails” Prower and join Sonic in his fight against Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II! 320 MSP, male and female versions.

Props

Metal Sonic Toy – Metal Sonic is back and ready for action in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II. Race around your own, miniature Metal Sonic with this remote controlled toy! 240 MSP, unisex.

Drawstring Tails Plushie – Up, up, and away! Inspired by Sonic’s longtime friend, take to the skies with the Drawstring Tails Plushie! 240 MSP, unisex.

Badnik Duo Toy – Featuring two brand new badniks from Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II, check out the playful side of Dr. Eggman’s creations with the Badnik Duo Toy! 240 MSP, unisex.

Capsule Toy – Save a captured critter from being turned into one of Dr. Eggman’s badniks with your own Capsule! 240 MSP, unisex.

Sonic 4 Episode II Game Cartridge – Add on to your Sega Genesis collection with the Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II Game Cartridge!  240 MSP, unisex.

Half-Pipe Special Stage - Race like Sonic through the Special Stage half pipes of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II and collect your own Chaos Emerald! 240 MSP, unisex.

Get your avatar items now!