New Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game in development
Bandai Namco just confirmed that a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game was in development. The game is currently early in development, with the company only releasing a short teaser.
The company dropped the teaser during its “Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour” live stream. The teaser, which you can see below, goes over past games in the franchise before showing off what looks to be in-game footage of Goku powering up to his Super Saiyan Blue state.
The release of a teaser for a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game during a tournament for Dragon Ball FighterZ is quite interesting. Players tend to see the arena fighter subgenre, to which the Budokai Tenkaichi series belongs, as less competitively-focused compared to traditional fighters like FighterZ.
Indeed, other arena fighters that Bandai Namco has released, such as Jump Force, have failed to gain the same competitive traction as esports as their more traditional offerings.
That said, announcing the revival of a beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series during an esports event could indicate that Bandai Namco is going for a more competitively-focused game than its more recent Dragon Ball releases (outside of FighterZ). Both the Xenoverse sub-series and the more recent Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot focused more on role-playing and story aspects. (Read: Bandai Namco is working on a multiplayer Dragon Ball survival game)
The Xenoverse games, in particular, are more known for allowing players to create their own characters that they can then insert into the franchise.
That said, the company has released arena fighters that gained some competitive traction with the Gundam VS games. Perhaps it’s looking to recreate what those games have been able to do for Gundam with the Dragon Ball franchise.
Finally, there’s also the question of whether or not the new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game is a continuation of the previous games or a reboot of the franchise that remakes or at least revisits the material covered by the PlayStation 3 original. Whatever the case, fans of the series will likely be waiting with bated breath for more information on this game.
If you like reading our content, why not show your appreciation by treating us to a cup of coffee? (or two, if you’re feeling generous)
