Fans Cheer as ‘Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3’ Gets Official Delay

The Dragon Ball community has never been shy about speaking its mind, and the reaction to the upcoming action RPG Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 proves it. Fans were thrilled when the series was confirmed to be returning after more than ten years. That excitement faded once developer Dimps showed its first gameplay footage. One change in particular drew a harsh response: Super Saiyan transformations now run on a timer.

That was only the start of the complaints. Publisher Bandai Namco now seems to be answering the flood of feedback by pushing back the release window for Xenoverse 3.

In the first two Xenoverse games, a character who built up enough energy could go Super Saiyan and stay transformed until the end of the stage. That gave players the power fantasy people expect from a Dragon Ball game. Early footage of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 showed something different. The transformation appears to expire after about a minute. Fans voiced their frustration on social media. One Reddit user urged the whole community to keep criticizing the idea relentlessly. Their reasoning was that the developers would ignore the backlash if they could treat it as the view of a small minority.

The timer wasn’t the only complaint. Some players were unhappy with the interface and visual presentation. Others noted that content creators who tried the game early reported serious connectivity problems. The general feeling was that the game wasn’t ready to be shown.

How has Bandai Namco responded to the criticism?

It appears the publisher has been paying attention. After sharing new details on battle customization and PvE missions, Xenoverse 3 producer Masayuki Hirano addressed fans directly. He said the team had been revealing new information steadily for several months and had received valuable feedback in return, for which he expressed sincere gratitude. He added that, drawing on that feedback and on survey results, the team had already talked with the developers and announced areas where improvements are planned.

Hirano made no concrete promises, such as changing how the Super Saiyan transformation works. Even so, it seems entirely possible that it is one of the improvements he had in mind.

He also described Dragon Ball Xenoverse as a series built together with its players, both at launch and long afterward. In his words, the team wants to deliver on its goals for the launch experience and for the content it plans to support later. To do that, the release window is now the second half of 2027.

Hirano didn’t use the word “delay.” The game was previously listed only for a broad 2027 window. Still, it sounds like the team chose to give itself more development time in response to the criticism. Delays usually go over badly, but most fans appear pleased with the news. They see the extra time as a chance for more polish and possibly a rethink of the Super Saiyan mechanic.

Hirano also warned that the next update may take a while. He said the team is fully committed to making 2027 a great year for Dragon Ball game fans and will do everything it can to get there.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is planned for release on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Source: Polygon