Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 Emerges from the Future as Bandai Namco Unveils Age 1000 Project and New Anime Developments at Battle Hour 2026
The Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour took place in Los Angeles where it became the main platform through which the franchise unveiled its new gaming development strategy. While the event showcased various competitive tournaments, the industry focus remained on the official confirmation of the Age 1000 project, now titled Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3.
The upcoming RPG main series installment will take place more than 200 years after the timeline of the original series according to Bandai Namco. The game located in Age 1000 presents a futuristic version of the Dragon Ball universe. The audience was informed by Executive producer Akio Iyoku and producer Masayuki Hirano that Akira Toriyama had maintained a long term creative presence on the project until his death in 2024. The world building and future environment depiction and character conceptualization for main characters including Bulma's aging version all come from his creative vision.
The gameplay trailer revealed a protagonist with white hair who can transform into Super Saiyan, confirming that players will be able to create their own custom heroes, which is a series tradition. Dimps remains at the helm as the developer, focusing on an online first architecture that prioritizes multiplayer engagement. Bandai Namco will release the game worldwide in 2027 for PC and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms.
The event brought new information about the franchise's multimedia strategy, which extended beyond the main Xenoverse announcement.
The Dragon Ball Super anime will present its Galactic Patrol arc, which includes storylines from both the Universe Survival and Galactic Patrol Prisoner arcs. The showcase featured Dragon Ball Super Beerus, which presents a new cinematic interpretation of the Battle of Gods story. The project is currently heading toward a Japanese theatrical release between September and December of 2026, which features vocal work from Masako Nozawa and Koichi Yamadera.
Xenoverse 3 marks the first major release for the sub franchise, which has been dormant for almost ten years. The sequel establishes itself as a crucial transition point for the franchise's next 25 years through its combination of narrative elements from the late creator's vision and its introduction of entirely new story territory.
