The studio responsible for Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball Fighterz is looking to expand into other IPs, thereby creating potential for other hardcore anime fighting games. Hearing the news, anime fans have been quick to vocalize their dream crossovers.
Arc System Works has earned a reputation for creating high-quality fighting games — many of which have become staples in the competitive fighting game scene.
During a conversation with IGN, Arc System Works CEO Minoru Kidooka stated they were previously “very passive about collaboration with other IPs, and usually the IP owners proposed to collaborate with Arc System Works.”
Moving forward, however, the company appears to be shifting its strategy in that regard, with a more active approach in mind.
Kidooka continued: “If we have such an opportunity, we are actively pushing to collaborate with new IP owners.”
Arc System Works’ games, such as Dragon Ball Fighterz and the Guilty Gear Strive, have incredibly committed followings — with Dragon Ball Fighterz standing as Arc System Works’ best-selling release of all time.
Thanks to the well-rounded experience, continued updates, and incredibly popular IP, Dragon Ball Fighterz has sold over eight million copies since its launch. And despite having released in 2016, the game is still flourishing.
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The game’s success opened Arc System Works’ eyes toward the potential of borrowed IPs, something they used to shy away from. They are looking to cater to the Western market’s appetite with future projects.
Hearing the news, the Western anime gaming community is now incredibly excited — vocalizing demands which have often fallen on deaf ears.
Many fans have screamed for a polished Naruto fighting game, one which isn’t an arena fighter and has some semblance of balance.
Previous casual fighting games have existed for Naruto, and despite their faults, the most recent Naruto game entries still sold very well. Fans are certain a balanced, competitive Naruto fighting game would continue to trend.
Bandai Namco currently holds many of the licensing rights for anime games, such as Naruto and Dragon Ball. And considering Arc System Works already worked with Bandai Namco for Dragon Ball Fighterz, and to great success, a Naruto fighting game is definitely possible.
Ceo of Arcsys has stated that he wants to make more games based on Popular IPs that are especially popular in the West! They use to be hesitant but now want to be proactive. What IP would yall like to see? Naruto FighterZ guaranteed 10 million copies, or maybe Marvel by Arcsys 👀 pic.twitter.com/3U4QNQKLWk
— PS360HD2 (Anime Games News) (@PS360HD2) August 8, 2022
Though there’s a lot of excitement, it’s hard to tell what exact IPs Arc System Works is realistically looking towards next. Rest assured, we’ll keep you updated with any further developments.