Summary
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois the hyped upcoming fourth entry in theBudokai Tenkaichiseries of arena fighters, as it’s expected to feature a massive roster with an updated set of mechanics. While plenty of promotional material has been released following the game’s initial announcement in March 2023, there’s still no confirmed launch date. Fans have speculated that several different release windows are possible, but the rate of character trailer drops so far indicates a particular timeframe that the overallDragon Ballfranchise is no stranger to. With rumors of a launch earlier than some may anticipate, however,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois most likely to launch during one of several specific periods within the next few seasons.
A prediction can be made from the history of thepast titles of theBudokai Tenkaichilinebeing consistently released during Fall of their respective years, but it’s also important to recognize thatSparking Zerois serving as a long-awaited revival afterBT3’s 2007 release. It could still follow its predecessors, but it’s also reasonable to assume that patterns set by the launch dates of more recentDragon Ballgames may be continued instead.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Seemed Almost Certain to Launch in 2024
Sparking Zero’s Store Listings and Release Rumors
Changes to its store pages, with it even being removed fromthe Xbox storerecently, have some fans predicting thatSparking Zero’s release date announcement could be impending. It’s technically available for pre-order with several retailers as well, but they list it with the placeholder date of the final day of the year. While it’s not always true, developers usually only begin taking pre-orders when the release of the title is a few months away.
An alleged leaked August 2024 release got attention and hype, but proved to be a faked image made by a fan. There has been recentspeculation aboutSparking Zero’s ESRB ratingseemingly indicating the game is ready to be shipped, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be coming during Spring of this year.
The Most Likely Timeframes for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Release
The Potential for Fall 2024 or Early 2025
Given when previousDragon Balltitles have been released over the past few years, Fall would be the most predictable timeSparking Zerocould launch. This precedent has been set not only by all the previousBTgames, but the long-term success that has beenXenoverse 2. TheRaging Blastgames and evenTenkaichi Tag Teamall followed this trend as well, making it the most common time of the year forDragon Ballarena fighters.
On the other hand, the likes ofFighterZandKakarothave formed another pattern of launching early in the year.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s huge rosterseems set to feature over 160 fighters, leaving plenty of time to show them off in chunks unless many are shown at once to speed up the process. Given the success of older titles and the rate that characters are being unveiled at currently, a release around February 2025 would also make sense.
It might be discouraging to face a longer wait, but this could be a blessing in disguise if it gives the development team the proper time needed to refine the gameplay and possibly includesplit-screen versus inDragon Ball: Sparking Zeroafter all. Several fans have instead anticipated a launch closer to July despite, as there’s a history of other recent Bandai Namco anime titles releasing relatively soon after their first trailers are shown. Given the impressive visuals in trailers and scans so far and the discourse surroundingSparking Zero’s release, it’s safe to say that it has a good chance of arriving no later than Q1 of next year.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
