For a few years now, game publishers have been heavily leaning on outside licenses to sell their games. This is usually the stage in the market where publishers start fishing in the anime and manga realm for licenses to carry their games. However, unlike the last couple of times we got to this stage, there are already established publishers working with anime and manga IPs as their mainstay; namely companies like Japanime Games, Bushiroad, UVS, and Bandai.
From this point on, newer and some seasoned publishers will likely duke it out to get what they can on the anime and manga IP end, while the companies that were already producing these games continue releasing thier games. It was apparent that this trend was occurring based what I saw on the floor of GAMA Expo. There were all sorts of anime and manga IPs crossing over between companies for different games; the IP that was the best example of this struggle was Attack on Titan, which will have a TCG booster set arrive in 2025 from two different TCG brands (see “‘Attack on Titan’“).
The competition for IPs actually works out to retailers’ advantage because they can just pick and choose between IPs for their store stock. The hottest anime-adjacent IP on the floor at GAMA Expo was clearly Avatar: The Last Airbender. Three different companies were making Avatar-licensed games products: Ultimate Guard (deck boxes), Wizards of the Coast (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’“), and Bad Crow Games (see “‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Board Game“). Presumably, this is all in anticipation of the new series coming out (see “‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Series“).
As for other interesting products with anime IPs, Bushiroad will be releasing a Rurouni Kenshin Weiss Schwarz set (see “Two ‘Weiss Schwarz’ Sets“). People often forget just how hot the Rurouni Kenshin IP was, as the manga spawned a hit anime series, two hit animated movies, and more recently, what many consider the best anime-based live action films ever made. Also, on the TCG side of things, UVS Games had Challenger Series: Solo Leveling come out recently (see “‘Challenger Series: Solo Leveling’“). Solo Leveling, with an anime based on the Korean webtoon, is easily one of the hottest anime-tied IPs out there right now.
One of the often forgotten names in card protection products is Player’s Choice, a sister brand of Japanime Games. This company produces an array of sleeves and playmats that feature licenses like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, and others. These are definitely interesting products that complement the various TCGs being produced.
It is also worth noting that the One Piece license is all over the place right now as well. It started with the rise of the Bandai card game (see “October 2024“) that was coupled with popularity of the anime series. The IP has since moved onto to other board and card game releases (see “‘One Piece’ Board Game“). It should continue to be hot through 2025.
The latest trend for anime-licensed games is likely tapping some of the older licenses that fans remember fondly. Bandai is totally all in with this notion, as they are gearing up Gundam for a run. In 2025, they will release both a Gundam CG, which they have over 17 years worth of content for from the Japanese edition of this game, as well as a tabletop miniatures game (see “‘Gundam Assemble’“). Both of these products are buzzworthy.
As this games market matures to wherever it is headed, the battle in the TCG space will continue (see “The Battle Brewing in Anime IP TCG Space“) and we will likely see more and more anime IPs mined for board games and RPGs. The broadest place for retailers to be in this market is clearly gaming accessories, as these items appeal to all sorts of different anime and manga fans for different types of games.
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Source: ICv2
