After Just a Few Months, Dragon Ball's Newest Project Is On the Cusp of Total "Failure": Report
During an extended period in the 2000s, Dragon Ball was largely dormant in terms of new anime releases. The iconic Dragon Ball Z enjoyed reruns outside of Japan which continued funneling in new viewers and growing the IP's global fan base. But until 2013's Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the franchise went over a decade without releasing a new anime series. It was during this time that video games kept Dragon Ball up and running, with titles from the Budokai or Sparking! series gaining massive popularity.
In Japan, an arcade card game titled Dragon Ball Heroes was released in 2010, and became an almost instant smash hit. Earning millions in revenue every year, Heroes enjoyed over 13 years of success, before ceasing operation in 2024, to the dismay of countless fans. It didn't take long for a replacement to arrive, however, as Dragon Ball Super Divers was released in November of the same year, and was intended to take over for the somewhat dated Heroes. Unfortunately, it seems the newest project isn't going so well.
Dragon Ball Super Divers Appears Doomed to Fail
Dragon Ball's Latest Project Is Not Performing as Well as Its Predecessor
As pointed out by X user, Venixys, several stores in Japan are discontinuing any purchases relating to Dragon Ball Super Divers only months after the game's initial release. In hopes of creating a smoother transition for long-time players of Dragon Ball Heroes, the game implemented 'Heroes Mode' only days following its launch, but it seems the mode still isn't enough to attract the player base its predecessor once boasted.
Dragon Ball Super Divers has been met with a mixed reaction from fans of the overall franchise. While many feel Heroes needed a face-lift following 13 years of service, others have been critical of the decision to abandon the established, highly popular brand. It was always going to be a difficult task for the game to attract players who had spent countless hours and resources on Heroes, and would now have to start building a collection from the ground up once more.
Considering the revenue the game once brought in, top executives tied to the Dragon Ball IP cannot be happy with the performance. Fans in the replies to Venixys' original post are already calling for Dragon Ball Heroes to be re-launched, though the franchise's plans moving forward remain unknown.
Dragon Ball Super Divers Differs From Heroes in a Key Way
One of Heroes' Strongest Selling Points Is Absent from Super Divers
A likely reason for the underwhelming performance of Dragon Ball Super Divers is its lack of creative, non-canon characters, which was a major selling point of its predecessor. Dragon Ball Heroes was known for offering fans the chance to see characters they could have only dreamed of. Some include Super Saiyan 4 Vegito and Gohan, as well as Super Saiyan God Trunks. Dragon Ball Super Divers instead brings fans back to the familiar canon characters they already know so well, denying them the creativity Heroes offered.
Whether Dragon Ball Super Divers makes changes to attract a larger player base remains to be seen, though as things stand, the game is not a healthy state. Dragon Ball's other recent gaming release, Sparking! Zero has also drawn criticism as of late, despite being one of Bandai Namco's most successful releases ever. Series producer Akio Iyoku has alluded to new projects currently in the works, and only time will tell if the performance of its most recent project might affect future plans.
Source:Venixys on X (formerly Twitter)
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date
- April 26, 1989
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku's never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
