Battle Arena Toshinden Revived by New Publisher After Sony Lets the Franchise Die

The series’ original Japanese publisher, Takara — now merged into toy maker Tomy — has licensed the titles to Edia for these re-releases. Notably, when Toshinden launched alongside the PS1 outside Japan in 1995, it carried Sony Computer Entertainment as its publisher.

Although a third-party studio developed the game, the first Toshinden was positioned as a first-party PlayStation release in regions outside Japan, much like how modern exclusives are handled today. Its 3D visuals may look primitive by contemporary standards — even for the PS1 — but at the time they felt revolutionary, which helped the title become an emblem of the console’s debut.

Sony handled publishing for Toshinden 2 and 3 on PS1 in Europe, while a variety of other publishers managed different ports in other regions — Capcom for arcade conversions, Sega for Saturn ports, and so on. Ultimately, the series is remembered for demonstrating the creative and technical potential of the PS1 era.

Rather than remastering its back catalog, Sony has mostly focused on anniversary merchandise and premium hardware, leaving actual game reissues to third parties. Bandai Namco has already revived franchises such as Hot Shots Golf, Patapon and Freedom Wars; with Edia now onboard for Toshinden, the momentum behind classic revivals appears to be growing. (Also: where do I apply to campaign for a Tokyo Jungle comeback?)

“A live-service game to me isn’t really a game,” former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden says: “I need a story, I need a character, and I need a world.”