{"rewrite":{"id":"r_cddebfd043f77aae014d38a6","clusterId":"c_0fd6ad8fe88f84e83db14fb6","slug":"dragon-ball-xenoverse-3-developers-explain-the-move-to-age-1000","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 Developers Explain the Move to AGE 1000","summary":"Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 will release in 2027. In a joint interview published on October 22 alongside a hands-on demo event, the development team explained why the game is set in the future era AGE 1000. Producer Masayuki Hirano said the team felt it had done all it could with the experience of entering the original Dragon Ball world and fighting there. With Xenoverse 2 having passed 10 million units, the team wanted to show a world no one had seen. Hirano said the direction was decided after consulting Akira Toriyama and the companies involved. The game keeps training and fighting alongside existing characters. Combat situations expand beyond one-on-one to one-versus-many, many-versus-many, and battles with special rules. The protagonist belongs to a team called the GS (Great Saiyaman) Squad. Co-op is built around four-player missions, and the retail version includes fights against large bosses.","whyItMatters":"The developers are framing the sequel's new era as a deliberate break from the original-world premise that carried Xenoverse 2 past 10 million units, with Toriyama consulted on the direction.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eHirano framed the shift as a concept decision: \u0026#34;as the series concept of a \u0026#39;new Dragon Ball experience,\u0026#39; we wanted to show a world no one had ever seen.\u0026#34; The master-student system returns as a basic feature open to every player, with growth choices layered on top.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoul Change or Awakening: the player picks which path to pursue.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoul Assist, Battle Style, and Equip Abilities: new customization elements that make up a character\u0026#39;s strength.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAssist-free fighting: Hirano says the option to battle without assists is kept, so freedom stays high.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo unified easy mode: key config and button layout changes are planned, but Hirano says a one-size-fits-all easy operation mode is not being prepared.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSimple controls: the design lets players fight by approaching the opponent and landing attacks.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo six-player mode: co-op is built on four-player missions, so the six-player Expert Missions format from Xenoverse 2 is not included at present.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePost-release updates: Hirano says the team is considering various things including updates after launch.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRandomized equipment: even gear with the same name gets randomly granted different effects, which Hirano describes as a hack-and-slash-style loop of grinding and selecting for ideal performance.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMission difficulty settings are being organized so players can challenge content at their own pace, which Hirano ties to the game\u0026#39;s large volume.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"AGE 1000 is the first era where Xenoverse 3's GS Squad can fight at all. The move from the original Dragon Ball era means the roster is a cast of characters whose power levels are essentially invented, not remembered.","twitterPost":"Xenoverse 3 sets itself in AGE 1000, so the GS Squad fights a future Toriyama signed off on, not a past fans already know.","threadsPost":"Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 moving to AGE 1000 means the GS Squad is fighting in a period with no established manga roster. The four-player co-op and large bosses fill that gap, since there is no canon fight to recreate.","newsletterBlurb":"The Xenoverse 3 team says the original-world premise had run its course, so the sequel moves to AGE 1000 after consulting Akira Toriyama. A new interview also details four-player co-op, random equipment effects, and the absence of an easy mode.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/22/173938.html\",\"title\":\"Why Does \\\"Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3\\\" Depict AGE 1000? Developers Discuss New Challenges: \\\"We've Done All We Can With Fighting Inside the Original World\\\"; Also Delve Into the Training Philosophy of Aiming for \\\"Your Own Strongest\\\" and Ideas Received From Akira Toriyama\"},{\"source\":\"Inside\",\"url\":\"https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2026/10/22/189650.html\",\"title\":\"Why Does Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 Depict AGE 1000? Devs on Their New Challenge: \\\"We'd Done All We Could With Fighting Inside the Original World\\\"; The Training Philosophy Aiming for \\\"Your Own Strongest,\\\" and the Ideas Received From Akira Toriyama\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":13991,"outputTokens":1319,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1792669927,"createdAt":"2026-10-22T11:47:04.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-22T11:51:05.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T11:51:05.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0fd6ad8fe88f84e83db14fb6","canonicalTitle":"『ドラゴンボール ゼノバース３』はなぜAGE 1000を描くのか？「原作世界に入って闘う部分はやり切った」開発陣が語る新たな挑戦。“自分だけの最強”を目指す育成思想や、鳥山明氏から受け取ったアイデアにも迫る","representativeArticleId":"a_c533fbe30b583afd1c19f2c1","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Akira Toriyama\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-22T08:45:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-22T09:20:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T11:51:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Inside","url":"https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2026/10/22/189650.html","title":"『ドラゴンボール ゼノバース３』はなぜAGE 1000を描くのか？「原作世界に入って闘う部分はやり切った」開発陣が語る新たな挑戦。“自分だけの最強”を目指す育成思想や、鳥山明氏から受け取ったアイデアにも迫る"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/22/173938.html","title":"『ドラゴンボール ゼノバース３』はなぜAGE 1000を描くのか？「原作世界に入って闘う部分はやり切った」開発陣が語る新たな挑戦。“自分だけの最強”を目指す育成思想や、鳥山明氏から受け取ったアイデアにも迫る"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3"],"studios":[],"people":["Akira Toriyama"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is set for release in 2027.","Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 recorded sales exceeding 10 million units.","Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is set in the future era AGE 1000, and the protagonist belongs to the GS (Great Saiyaman) Squad.","Co-op in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is built around four-player missions, with no six-player mode included at present.","Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 adds one-versus-many, many-versus-many, and special-rule battles alongside standard one-on-one combat."]}