Collect Gundam! A new table game based on the Gundam series has just been announced by Bandai Spirits, the toy division of Japanese entertainment company Bandai Namco. That’s in addition to the long-awaited collectible card game, titled Gundam card gameexpected later this year. Although not many details are available yet, the Gundam meeting The game uses a new line of two-inch-tall Gunpla miniatures based on characters from the iconic Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, which connect mecha from multiple series to get together at the table.
For the uninitiated, Gundam pioneered a subgenre of giant robot anime that has become one of Japan’s biggest science fiction franchises. The animated TV series first aired in 1979 Mobile suit Gundam (created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and the creative studio collective Sunrise known as Hajime Yatate) has grown into a media empire with dozens of shows, books and miniature model kits called Gunpla, which has reportedly sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. All told, sales of Gundam-related products amounted to about the total $925 million worldwidealmost doubling in the past five years. Banda Namco’s newest Chief Gundam Officer, Hiroshi Sakakibara, stated in a special feature for the franchise’s 45th anniversary that his goal was to expand Gundam’s recognition and presence internationally – and while Gundam meeting was not mentioned in that report, it appears that the table game is part of that strategy.
However, like many IP-based games announced recently, it appears that the Gundam meeting promotes itself largely on nostalgia-driven, hype-driven laurels built up over the past 45 years of publishing. There is currently very little information about what exactly this tabletop game will be. The company’s announcement states: “Each unit has abilities that reflect their unique characteristics, allowing players to enjoy scenarios that follow the original story, or deviate into situations that transcend the game’s world. Mobile suit Gundam series; providing both a sense of recreation and clear battles. The game’s trailer shows the Gunplas in action, both on miniature sets and on a square, multi-colored hex grid next to a pair of ten-sided dice.
Importantly, Bandai Spirits is not asking for money yet. The company’s announcement states that detailed rules and product specifications will be revealed at a later date, after which we may see pre-orders for the available sets. Will it end up being more of a board game, or something like the miniature skirmish games that are becoming increasingly popular? We will know more soon the Gundam meeting website.