Namco Bandai Obtains Dragon Ball Rights
Look who is grabbing Dragon Balls now!
Published: July 2, 2009
Let me start by saying I have never read, watched or played anything related to Dragon Ball. I know exactly who Akira Toriyama is (thanks Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest!) and I am not above watching a bit of anime here or there. But somehow I have remained blissfully unaware of Dragon Ball beyond it's existence and it's mysterious "Z" suffix. But that all changes today with the earth-shattering announcement of Namco Bandai obtaining ALL platform rights for Dragon Ball videogames. Not one to be shy, Namco is pushing 3 DB titles out in 2009, although only one, Dragon Ball : Raging Blast, is coming to the PlayStation 3.
As I am sure many of you know, the Dragon Ball Saga follows the orphaned boy Goku, apparently a martial-arts master, as he matures into an adult. Does the series included a high school dating simulation? Later in the story arc, the focus shifts to Gohan and Goten, Goku's son and grandson. The series itself has spawned 11 years of manga, 500 TV episodes, TWENTY-THREE feature films and more games than you can shake a stick at.
Namco Bandai is no neophyte to the video games industry, with franchises that date all the way back to Pac-Man, and including long-running series like Soul Calibur and Tekken. No word yet on the exact details of Dragon Ball : Raging Blast but you can bet Namco will get the marketing machine going soon now that they have completed this acquisition, and we will see updates on the direction this testosterone-driven action-packed series is going to be taking in this generation. Stay Tuned!
As I am sure many of you know, the Dragon Ball Saga follows the orphaned boy Goku, apparently a martial-arts master, as he matures into an adult. Does the series included a high school dating simulation? Later in the story arc, the focus shifts to Gohan and Goten, Goku's son and grandson. The series itself has spawned 11 years of manga, 500 TV episodes, TWENTY-THREE feature films and more games than you can shake a stick at.
Namco Bandai is no neophyte to the video games industry, with franchises that date all the way back to Pac-Man, and including long-running series like Soul Calibur and Tekken. No word yet on the exact details of Dragon Ball : Raging Blast but you can bet Namco will get the marketing machine going soon now that they have completed this acquisition, and we will see updates on the direction this testosterone-driven action-packed series is going to be taking in this generation. Stay Tuned!
