A new esports game based on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise in development.
According to 4Gamer, the esports game was announced by Bandai Namco Chief Gundam Officer Koji Fujiwara during the first annual Gundam Conference, and plans to expand into this market include hosting tournaments. This was among several upcoming projects discussed, including Gundam: Hathaway, the upcoming live-action movie by Legendary Pictures and the new Gundam SEED movie.
While Bandai Namco announced plans to host a tournament in the future, Gundam already has a history with competitive gaming. The Gundam Grand Prix was a Bandai Namco tournament for Mobile Suit Gundam EXTREME VS. Maxi Boost ON, and the same game will be featured in a side tournament for this year's EVO. Gundam Versus was previously featured at the event in 2017, and its release marked the first time a game of the Vs. series had a Western console release in 13 years.
While Gundam is popular in its home country of Japan, it's more niche overseas. The company hopes the upcoming game and tournament will expand the international player bases for its existing games, such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2 for PlayStation 4 and Gundam Battle: Gunpla Warfare for iOS and Android.
No further information about the Gundam esports game is known at this time, but Fujiwara urged attendees of the conference to "please wait for the follow-up report."
While it's unclear how far along in development the game is, there are several Gundam installments releasing soon, including the film Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway. The movie is directed by Shūkō Murase and premieres July 1 on Netflix, both subbed and dubbed.
Source: 4Gamer
