Digimon games have somewhat stalled over the past few years. The last big release was Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition in late 2019, with mostly silence since then. The Digimon anime is going stronger than ever, with the kid-friendly horror slant of Digimon Ghost Game pleasing old and new fans alike. Digimon is one of Bandai Namco’s larger multimedia franchises, so it wouldn’t hold up the flow of game releases for no reason; Digimon Survive has certainly given it a reason.
This visual novel crossed with a strategy game has been a sore point for fans and developers since it was announced in July 2018 with a proposed 2019 release. That date has moved back year after year, and is currently sitting some time in 2022. A recent ESRB rating implies the wait could be over soon, but fans are still waiting for Bandai Namco to say as much. The chance to do so might be coming up soon, as the first-ever digital Digimon Con will be premiering worldwide on February 26. It seems like the perfect place to discuss Digimon Survive, and there’s a good chance it will be there.
Digimon Survive is Almost Guaranteed to Appear at Digimon Con
Bandai Namco has all but confirmed that Digimon Survive will appear at Digimon Con in some respect. A couple days ago, it released a digital form asking for fan questions to read out during the gaming news segment of the show. A wide range of acceptable questions are stated on the form, including ones about old games, new games, ongoing production, and requests for certain Digimon games fans would want to see. Among these, Digimon Survive is specifically named as a topic that can be addressed.
This seems to indicate it is Bandai Namco’s intent to address Digimon Survive at this show alongside other Digimon games and media. Not only that, it seems plausible that this will be an information blow-out that leads into Survive’s hopefully upcoming release. The main section of the game news segment will likely pull back the curtain on Survive, while the Q&A section can cover additional details on the game. It’s unclear what other games could share the spotlight with Digimon Survive right now, especially in the English version of the stream.
Digimon Survive Needs to be Detailed Soon
A focus on Digimon Survive after years of minimal details will be welcomed by fans, even those who just want Survive to come out so Digimon can address whatever is coming next. Digimon Con should give fans a better look at what the core gameplay loop of Survive is like, how Digimon staples such as Digivolution play out in a tactical context, and what form the advertised dark, branching story will take. There should be a clear vision for what the game is after so many years spent in development, and potential buyers should be on the same page as the creators.
It bears repeating that Digimon games have stalled in the era of Survive’s development, and it’s best to move past that. Digimon Con ought to bring out news of other Digimon games coming after Survive, even if there isn’t much that can be said about them yet. The popular Digimon Story series and experimental Digimon World titles still have room left to grow, and a new console game would also be exciting. Digimon Con will present a look into the future of the Digimon franchise, and after years of uncertainty fans probably won’t want to miss it.
Digimon Survive is scheduled for release in 2022 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.