The free-to-play MOBA game Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra celebrates its second anniversary in September, and to mark this occasion, Bandai Namco has provided a development update.

The big news is the game will be getting a major update, “or rather overhaul” that makes significant gameplay changes, steering it in a new direction. The reason behind the changes are due to the “high barrier to competitive play” and wanting to make the game more accessible to wider audiences for “years to come”.

Here’s the rundown about this from the developer letter:

Since its conception, GEKISHIN SQUADRA’s goal was to be an experience where players could enjoy Dragon Ball team battles anytime, anywhere, and with anyone.

However, over time, we found that the game’s strategic depth and knowledge-based mechanics often created a large cap between the top performing players and everyone else in terms of game literacy.

As a result, new players often encountered lopsided matches and a high barrier to competitive play, leading to a gameplay experience that did not fully meet their expectations.　

With feedback from the community, the entire development team carefully and extensively discussed the future of the game and established the following update direction so that GEKISHIN SQUADRA can continue to entertain a wide audience for years to come.

The changes to be made will be updates to the camera perspective, gameplay rules, role system, expanded customisation, visual updates, and a simplification and expansion of game systems. Here’s what’s on the way and how you can expect the title to transform in the coming months:

1. Camera Perspective Changes

The top-down camera perspective made it difficult for players to fully experience the intensity of battle and immerse themselves in the world of Dragon Ball.

To address this, we will introduce a new camera perspective that brings players closer to both the characters and the action, allowing for a more dynamic and engaging battle experience.

Alongside this change, portions of the game’s visuals will also be updated.　

2. Gameplay Rule Changes

The complexity of the current game rules has often led to large differences in understanding among players.

We will be redesigning the game rules and maps to deliver a battle experience that better captures the action-packed excitement players expect from a Dragon Ball game.　

3. Role System Changes

The current role system has, in some cases, made it difficult for players to freely enjoy their favorite characters due to role-based performance differences.

We will simplify the role system and create an environment where players can more easily choose and enjoy the characters they love.　

4. Expanded Customization Features

Many customization items have had limited opportunities to truly shine during matches.

Together with the camera perspective changes, we will expand customization options and enhance in-game presentation, allowing players to enjoy richer, more impactful visual effects and battle experiences.　

5. Simplification and Expansion of Game Systems

Based on feedback that character acquisition and various interconnected systems can be difficult to understand, we are reviewing these features.

We plan to simplify character acquisition while expanding long-term gameplay elements for players looking for deeper engagement.

The aim is to launch these updates at the end of 2026, after the game’s first anniversary campaign. The same developer letter notes how this decision was not made “lightly”, and the team understands there may be “potential ramifications”, but it will continue to share updates about this overhaul in the coming months.

Fans of the title are already sharing their thoughts about the gameplay changes. The development team will be hosting an “Overhaul Q&A” on the game’s official Discord as part of this announcement. For now, here’s a look at what’s on the way, along with a roadmap and the anniversary broadcast: