A teaser trailer for Sand Land Project from Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has been released by Namco Bandai Entertainment. Details regarding the teaser are extremely limited, but anything related to Toriyama is certain to draw the attention of fans of his manga. Further, Bandai Namco does promise to share more information, soon. Still, considering the Sand Land manga's age and short release, a Bandai Namco project based on it is certainly a surprise.
Sand Land, for those who aren't familiar, is a manga written by Akira Toriyama in 2000. It ran in Weekly Shonen Jump for just four months, though it was always intended to be a short story. It's about a land torn by natural disaster and war, where water is scarce. A motley crew decides to seek more water, but face the ire of the land's tyrannical king and his army. Toriyama notably wanted to tell a story about a man and a tank, but grew frustrated with the book because the tank was such a pain to draw.
Bandai Namco's teaser for Sand Land Project reveals very little. The trailer shows one of the manga's main protagonists, Beezelbub the Prince of the Underworld, standing in the desert pondering why the world had become the way it is. Otherwise, Bandai Namco only says that it plans to introduce everyone to the "world, characters, and vehicles of Sand Land" as created by Toriyama. A full announcement for Sand Land Project is slated for December 17.
What makes the reveal of Sand Land Project so mysterious is that Bandai Namco doesn't actually outright state that it's a game being worked on. It's simply referred to as a project. The trailer doesn't appear to hint at any gameplay or in-game assets. It's hard to imagine Sand Land Project being anything other than a game, but it's possibly an animation or interactive story of some kind.
Given the popularity of Dragon Ball, it's easy to see how Sand Land Project could be successful regardless of what it is. Tying Akira Toriyama's name to the project is guaranteed to garner at least some attention. However, not every past game associated with Toriyama has become an instant success. The Tobal fighting game series and Blue Dragon stand out as examples. Sand Land Project will have to stand out on its own.
Whatever Sand Land Project is, fans of Toriyama's work won't have to wait long to find out more information. Further details will be shared on December 17, just over a week from now. Bandai Namco will assumedly share a trailer or video of some kind, as no specific event or presentation for the Sand Land Project reveal is mentioned.
Sand Land Project is in the works.