Popular fighting game streamer and content creator Maximilian has addressed the issues surrounding Dragon Ball FighterZ’s current licensing debacle, hoping for a brighter future in light of Toei’s probable restrictions.
Max uploaded a video to YouTube on December 22 speaking out on the matter, noting that the game has been pulled from major tournaments such as DreamHack Atlanta and Anime Ascension, and is not making an appearance at the next Evo Japan. Max went on to speculate that developers ArcSys and publishers Bandai Namco were unlikely to have anything to do with the restrictions, citing Toei’s noted history of being “difficult to work with” as a likely culprit.
Despite the community’s concern during what Max called the “worst case scenario” for competitive players, he hopes for an eventual change of pace, calling back to Nintendo’s cease and desist order toward the Evolution Championship Series in 2013 in regards to Melee.
“It worked itself out, and I can only hope that’s what happens now because I feel bad for Bandai Namco,” Max said of the matter. “They’ve put a lot of time into making Dragon Ball a big, competitive thing.”
Max likewise hopes for a change to the game’s overall composition for the upcoming announcement at Jump Festa 2019, calling for a big tweak to its superdash mechanic among predictions for new characters.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dragonball FighterZ will no longer be run at Anime Ascension. We’re sorry for the inconvenience/disappointment! Please stay tuned for future announcements. pic.twitter.com/lLsUxQKicx
— Aksys Games (@aksysgames) December 21, 2018
Dragon Ball FighterZ has been at the center of controversy since its cancellation from DreamHack Atlanta in November of 2018. Since then, the game has been pulled from SoCal’s Anime Ascension tournament due to what organizers referred to as “unforeseen circumstances,” leaving players to cancel their flights and refund their registration fees.
With the game not making an appearance at the upcoming Evo Japan despite being a massively popular fighting game title, the FGC is at odds with Toei’s alleged licensing restrictions, calling for big changes to the company’s current agenda; although the reasons for why the game is being pulled from these esports events — and if it is indeed Toei responsible — are still unconfirmed.
Source: Maximilian Dood