
Rock stars just can't help themselves. Having conquered the music charts, the next step is to widen their appeal (and their bloated heads) further by gate-crashing other media, such as TV, films, and yes, videogames. This article is an entertaining account of those so called pop stars that have appeared in games.

It's important in life to maintain a broad palette when it comes to culture and the arts. Hideo Kojima agrees, as he continues to use video games like Death Stranding to introduce people to music and other elements they might not otherwise discover.

In an interview, SEGA Sound Team lead composer Tomoya Ohtani revealed that Sonic’s global music success didn’t come from chasing trends overseas.
I think this is how Japanese devs need to think. Catering to the west is a terrible idea. I personally, seek out Japanese developed games because they bring a unique experience to gaming. They just stand out more that way.
The sonic music is iconic the mega drive games were some of the best on the system but i wouldn't say they were free of western influence especially since 3 was composed in part by Michael Jackson
But honestly most of the crush 40 soundtrack music lives in my head rent free
Uhhh that's a strange thing for him to say. Even in the interview he admits to listening to a lot of western music.

Mojang has partnered with Merlin Entertainments to build the world's first Minecraft theme park in the UK.
I had no idea about any of this stuff! Great read!