A comprehensive press release from Atari details the company’s plans post-“Budokai 3” as we head toward 2005:

BEVERLY, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Nov. 4, 2004 — On the eve of the highly anticipated Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 launch for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Atari, Inc. today announced the future of Atari published Dragon Ball games for the North American market. The four titles slated for release next year demonstrate Atari’s commitment to the Dragon Ball brand and to building video games that will excite the imaginations of millions of loyal Dragon Ball fans, anime lovers, and superhero aficionados.
“The Dragon Ball franchise is one of the deepest, most beloved properties in the entertainment industry today,” said Matt Collins, Director of Brand Marketing for Atari’s Beverly studio. “While Atari is proud to have been part of its interactive growth, we are even more excited to be part of its future. Because we listen carefully to fans and work closely with our development partners, we are optimistic that these future titles will be as successful and popular as the current slate of hit releases.”

The 2005 Atari product calendar currently includes:

* Dragon Ball Z: Sagas (Spring 2005): Sagas is the first cross-platform Dragon Ball Z game to launch simultaneously, the first Dragon Ball Z action/adventure game for console, the first Dragon Ball Z game for Xbox video game system from Microsoft, and the first Dragon Ball game to offer cooperative story mode play. * Dragon Ball GT: Transformation (Summer 2005): – Developed by Webfoot, creators of the hugely successful Legacy of Goku series and Boo’s Fury, Transformation is the first all-GT action/adventure title on Game Boy Advance. * Atari will have two more games based on Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT that will launch later in 2005. One will create an innovative combination of action and fighting game elements on PlayStation 2, while the other will allow players to recreate the most dramatic moments of the second half of DBGT on Game Boy Advance.

“Atari has raised the bar for video games based on entertainment franchises. Their commitment to the Dragon Ball franchise has created some of the most authentic video game experiences in the industry,” said Gen Fukunaga, president of FUNimation Productions, Ltd. the master licensor for the Dragon Ball franchise in the United States. “Atari’s future releases for the Dragon Ball trilogy will raise this bar even higher and for the first time bring fans into fully immersive Dragon Ball environments.”

About Dragon Ball Z: Sagas

The game that all Dragon Ball Z fans have been asking for; an action-adventure title with RPG elements that spans the storylines from the Saiyan Saga through the Cell Games Saga. Players will journey from Earth to Namek and beyond in a 3-D action-adventure featuring melee, ranged attacks and destructible environments.

More information regarding Transformation and other forthcoming Dragon Ball Z games will be released after the Holiday 2004 season.

What we previously knew as “DBZ Sagas: Evolution” will indeed be a cross-platform (PS2, GameCube, Xbox) release, and will be an all-out action game. Stories hinted at include the early Saiyan arc through the Cell arc. The game is slated for a spring release; note that EBGames lists a street date of 15 March 2005.

The “DBGT: Transformation” title that fans have seen sitting around on such sites as GameFAQs appears to be an actual game (and not one of the GBA Video titles)! Seemingly the next entry in the “Legacy of Goku” action/RPG series on the GameBoy Advance, it will also be developed by Webfoot. The game is slated for a summer release; note that EBGames lists a street date of 14 June 2005.

In addition to this, Atari notes that there will be another two games released in 2005. One of them (to be released for the PS2), “will create an innovative combination of action and fighting game elements.” The second, a GameBoy Advance game, “will allow players to recreate the most dramatic moments of the second half of [DBGT]” (can you say “Legacy of Goku V”…?).