Fans may finally have some sort of idea as to when Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero will be released.
The upcoming Dragon Ball (DBZ) fighting game from Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco is set to take fans back to the 3D battlefields of the Budokai Tenkaichi series of games from the mid-2000s.
First announced at the 2023 Game Awards, fans are itching for more information on this PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S anime fighter, but information remains scarce on the title.
When Will Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero Be Released?
Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero (officially titled Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO) currently has no public release date.
Thus far, the game has gotten two official trailers (an official reveal and a roster breakdown), and no release timing has had any part in either of those pieces of marketing.
However, fans should not worry, as the game is likely coming very soon.
Some retailers have listed the titles with a release date of December 31, 2024 (via Video Game Plus). While this is likely only a placeholder date, it could mean the Dragon Ball title is lining up for a release later this year.
A 2024 release date for Sparking Zero would make sense.
The game is now available to add to wishlists for fans on Steam. No, this does not indicate any exact release timing, but why include the ability to pre-order if a release was not imminent?
The Sparking Zero team's last game was Jump Force, which was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2019. Five years to work on a new DBZ fighter feels like ample development time.
As for when in 2024 the game will be released, it could still be quite the wait for the Budokai Tenkaichi follow-up.
In the past, the Budokai games were released stateside anywhere between October and December.
That means, if Sparking Zero is primed for a 2024 release date, Q4 feels like a natural fit.
What To Expect in Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero?
If Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO was to hit in late 2024, it will have been 17 years since the last Budokai Tenkaichi game hit store shelves in 2007.
So some gamers may not be familiar with the experience they are going to get when Sparking Zero eventually debuts.
This 3D fighting game franchise is known for its land-to-air third-person combat, complemented by the building of instance power combos by way of the Dragon Ball anime's signature Super Saiyan abilities.
Seeing as Sparking Zero is picking up that Budokai torch, fans can expect a very similar experience in this next-gen fighter.
Another mainstay of the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise is its massive roster of characters.
When Budokai Tenkaichi 3 hit PlayStation 2, Xbox, and (eventually) the Nintendo Wii in 2007, it featured the largest cast of playable characters in a fighting game ever, totaling over 98 characters in 161 forms.
Sparking Zero may just eclipse that number when it is finally released.
Bandai Namco already revealed several characters coming to the game including 24 different forms of series figureheads of Goku and Vegeta. But - as revealed by the recent roster showcase - fans can expect at least another 140 more to be unveiled on the road up to launch.
This brings the total roster up to a minimum of 164 total characters and forms for gamers to duke it out as when Sparking Zero hits store shelves (per Polygon).
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
