In a coordinated tweet across Shueisha’s V-Jump account and various international Bandai Namco accounts, the company has announced a forthcoming “action RPG” under the codename “Dragon Ball Game Project Z” for planned release in 2019, with initial details coming in next week’s March 2019 issue of V-Jump.
Rumors of a non-fighting, action RPG entry for the franchise have been heavily circulating for some time.
Alongside the announcement, a more formal tease of additional downloadable content for Dragon Ball FighterZ was also made. During the company’s pre-recorded live stream earlier this week, when asked specifically about a “season two” of additional content, game producer Tomoko Hiroki asked players to stay tuned during the Red Bull Final Summoning tournament occurring January 26 to 27. In this morning’s aforementioned tweet, Bandai Namco specifically teases: “The warrior from Universe 11 is joining the fight!”
In 2019, the project of a New Game focusing on the World of Dragon Ball Z begins! And more news coming to DRAGON BALL FighterZ! The Warrior from Universe 11 is joining the fight!
More information to be revealed at the DRAGON BALL FighterZ World Tour Finals January 26th ~ 27th! https://t.co/IFnJchTE4z
— BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment UK (@BandaiNamcoUK) January 16, 2019
Dragon Ball FighterZ is a 3-on-3, “2.5D” fighting game developed by Arc System Works and is currently available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (via Steam), and Nintendo Switch. Playable characters include Son Goku, Son Gohan (Cell arc design), Vegeta, Freeza, Cell, Boo (Good), Trunks, Piccolo, Kuririn, #16, #18 (with #17), Yamcha, Tenshinhan (with Chiaotzu), Ginyu (with teammates), Nappa (with Saibaimen), Gotenks, Son Gohan (Boo arc design), Boo (Pure), Hit, Beerus, and Goku Black (with Zamasu), as well as “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan” (SSGSS, or “Super Saiyan Blue”) versions of Goku and Vegeta that can be accessed early via pre-orders or unlocked through gameplay. The Akira Toriyama-designed “#21” is a new character central to the game’s story mode.
The game’s current $34.99 “FighterZ Pass” covers eight total additional playable characters (also available individually at $5 each); these include Broli, Bardock, Vegetto, Merged Zamasu, (non-Super Saiyan, “black hair”) Son Goku, and (non-Super Saiyan, “black hair”) Vegeta, Coola, and No. 17.
Dragon Ball FighterZ was originally released 26 January 2018 in North America and Europe, and 01 February 2018 in Japan, with the Switch release coming later in September. Alongside its Japanese release, Bandai Namco announced that they had shipped two million copies of the game, making it the fastest-shipping game in the franchise’s history.