When Dragon Ball FighterZ was first announced at E3 2017, it seemed like a dream come true. It was possible to finally see Dragon Ball becoming a “proper” fighting game. When it was also revealed that Arc System Works — the kings of anime fighting games like Guilty Gear and Blazblue — would be developing it, fighting game fans rejoiced. Now, over three years later, a potential Dragon Ball FighterZ 2 seems more likely than ever.
When the game was released in 2018, the hype was almost entirely justified. The game played great and looked gorgeous. Aside from some minor launch hiccups, it was a fantastic product overall. Over time though, like all competitive games, some cracks began to show. While this didn’t detract from the game’s popularity or deter its rabid fan base, it became pretty clear that there was definitely room for improvement. With Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta releasing at the end of Season 3 last month, and no sign of a fighter pack in sight, it seems like Dragon Ball FighterZÂ has come to its natural conclusion.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, either. The game has been active for three years and has gained three seasons of post-launch DLC content. It is more than a lot of other fighting games have ever received.
Gogeta certainly feels like a “final character,” too. This is due to his unique mechanics and overall level of power. Personally I agree with the community, which hopes the team at Arc System Works takes this opportunity to conclude the game and focus on what can be done for a potential sequel. Because there absolutely will be a sequel. A game doesn’t sell a million copies, especially a fighting game, and never appear again.
Building a better Dragon Ball FighterZ
In this two-part series I will go over some things that I think a Dragon Ball FighterZÂ sequel could do to improve on some elements from the first game. This first part will tackle everything outside of the actual gameplay of Dragon Ball FighterZ. After, the second part will talk about everything specifically related to gameplay.
