More Digimon games could be in the works at Bandai Namco, as recent comments indicate the video game publisher is still invested in its collaborative works with Toei Animation. Digimon has been around since the late '90s, but a recent resurgence in popularity sounds like it's providing a spark for more games down the road.
The most recent game released in the digital monster franchise, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, has performed well with fans and professional critics alike, putting players into the role of a covert investigative operative whose work accidentally lands them in the middle of a civil war raging in the Digital World. With a 94 percent player approval rating on Steam and an even better 100 percent on OpenCritic, Digimon Story: Time Stranger beat Pokemon Legends: Z-A in fan reception, achieving a rare win against the king of monster-battling game franchises.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Producer Comments on Pokemon Comparisons
The producer of Digimon Story: Time Stranger shares his thoughts about the frequent comparisons between the Digimon and Pokemon franchises.
Bandai Namco Doubles Down on Digimon
It sounds like the folks at the top of Bandai Namco want to keep that success rolling. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, Digimon Story: Time Stranger producer Ryosuke Hara and director Yusuke Tomono were asked about the possibilities for the future of games in the Digimon franchise. Hara took the opportunity to point out that Bandai Namco is focusing on its collaboration with Toei and other companies affiliated with Digimon, and plans to continue producing games collaboratively. That's not a far stretch of the imagination, considering that both companies hold partial ownership of Digimon, but those words could stand to bolster fans' hopes for the future.
It's not clear exactly when the next Digimon game will be announced, but Hara's comments make it sound like fans may have some time to wait. "I also feel that there are points of reflection and areas that need to be tightened," he explained while describing Digimon Story: Time Stranger during the interview, which could point to an extended planning period before the development team is deployed to work on actually building the game. Digimon Story: Time Stranger features 42 main story missions, putting the story at around 40 to 50 hours to finish, and full completion taking 60 to 80 hours. That makes for a pretty sizable game, and while putting it all together took eight years of development, Hara said the team behind the game is "gradually expanding its scale and creating a system that allows it to continue to grow," which means such a wide time gap probably shouldn't be expected the next time around either.
As for what a potential next game in the franchise will entail, details are scarce, but Tomono may have provided some insight. Under their original broadcast branding in Japan, there have been 10 different Digimon anime series (though the first four were condensed into Digimon: Digital Monsters for western audiences) and 20 different films. Tomono indicated that with the last few games that have been released, there has been an emphasis on anime connections and the franchise's longevity, targeting longtime adult fans in addition to children. While he doesn't seem to be abandoning that idea, he indicates that with the hypothetical next game, he'd also like to focus on attracting new audiences who may not be as familiar with Digimon.
While Digimon Story: Time Stranger is among the most well-received video game titles in the franchise, there have been nearly 60 games released over the course of the past quarter of a century, ranging from RPGs to fighting games to digital novels. That number includes seven entries in the Digimon Story series, which has been around since 2006, with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth's reviews in 2015 placing it close in reception to the newest game. A second RPG series, Digimon World, has been around since 1999, and while its most recent game debuted in 2017, the series hasn't reached the critical heights of Digimon Story. Additionally, the franchise has spawned multiple fighting game series, like Digimon Battle Spirit and Digimon Rumble Arena, but given the success of the Digimon Story line, it's likely that future efforts will stay centered on the RPG genre.
- Released
- October 3, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Media.Vision
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, RPG, Creature Collector
Source: 4Gamer