Originally announced last year as Project Multi, the online multiplayer battle arena (MOBA) game had a short open beta before vanishing with little fanfare. Since then, fans have been left in the dark about the game’s future until now. According to SteamDB backend updates, the title Project Multi has now been officially renamed Gekishin Squadra, signaling that Bandai Namco is preparing for the game’s next big step. Check out the tweet from a Dragon Ball insider below:
For a little bit of context and for those who were not familiar with it before reading this, here is a quick look at one of the trailers for the open beta test that happened about a year ago.
The new name, Gekishin Squadra, is an interesting and not as well understood one. The part of “Gekishin” may be familiar to some of the older and longtime fans. The word appears in Dragon Ball Z II: Gekishin Freeza!!, a Famicom game released in 1991. While the second part of "Squadra" adds an Italian twist with the word meaning "team" its exact thematic connection to the Dragon Ball universe is still unclear. Although with it being a MOBA and part of a team it makes sense.
What is clear, however, is that Bandai Namco filed a trademark for this name some time ago. There is also a Youtube stream that will be up in about 2 days titled Latest Info From the Producers! | DRAGON BALL PROJECT : Multi, with that and the quiet backend appearance on Steam suggests a formal announcement of the re-reveal is imminent.
Along with the success in the fighting games department that Bandai Namco has seen with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, FighterZ, Xenoverse, and Kakarot dominating headlines and sales charts, Bandai Namco has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to expanding the Dragon Ball video game universe. A MOBA might seem like a head scratcher of a choice for the franchise, but with an enormous character roster and team-based dynamics already baked into Dragon Ball’s DNA, it’s not such a stretch to imagine.
After getting a few games to see how it feels, early beta players reported that Project Multi offered chaotic, class-based gameplay, possibly featuring different character archetypes (tank, support, DPS) taken straight from the show’s legendary cast. The hope is that Gekishin Squadra will deliver on this potential and carve a niche for Dragon Ball in the MOBA market. For those curious about what the early beta gameplay looked like, here is a video from the Youtube Channel Game Mojo with gameplay of our favorite main character Goku that we found down below:
The return of Project Multi under its new name, Gekishin Squadra, shows Bandai Namco is still moving forward with the game. Whether it shows up under a new name or not, fans can rest easy knowing the MOBA hasn’t been scrapped and that a full reveal may be just around the corner.
What are your thoughts on the new title for the game? Would you play a Dragon Ball MOBA? Let us know who they should add to the game in the comments below!