Bandai Namco's Digimon franchise has been around a long time, and seen quite a few different incarnations, but Digimon Survive still looks like it could stand out from the rest. From the looks of things, Digimon Survive will have a significantly darker plot than most, with character's lives at stake, hanging on the player's decisions. Unfortunately for Digimon fans, there's no release date for the game yet, and due to a recent change in developers, it's unclear if the game will still make its 2022 release window. Until Bandai Namco says otherwise, though, hope remains for a prompt Digimon Survive release.
More broadly, though, Bandai Namco really ought to start discussing Digimon Survive more eagerly. That's because Digimon's longtime rival, Pokemon, is poised to have an extremely productive 2022. Just when Pokemon fans thought they had gotten the franchise's big 2022 game, Nintendo and Game Freak announced the next generation of Pokemon games. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet may be many months away, but nevertheless, they're bound to dominate the monster-training RPG genre in 2022 unless Bandai Namco really manages to make some noise around Digimon Survive. Without some enthusiastic support in the coming months, this unique new Digimon title could struggle to succeed.
Pokemon's Plans for 2022
The Pokemon franchise started 2022 with a bang thanks to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which overhauled lots of franchise conventions and gave players more freedom than ever to explore the Pokemon world. Although fans had some reservations going into Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the game has thoroughly proven itself to be a worthy new addition to the Pokemon family. What's more, its new Daybreak update suggests that Game Freak will release additional content for the game throughout the year to keep fans playing. Pokemon Legends: Arceus already presented a strong rival to Digimon Survive, but if updates keep PL:A relevant throughout the year, then it'll be even harder to contest.
Of course, Digimon Survive also has Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to bear in mind now. Pokemon Sword and Shield have received continued support from Game Freak in the last few years, but it seems the company is finally ready to move on to a new generation. Details on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are scarce, but its starter Pokemon and glimpses at a new region make the ninth generation of Pokemon look very promising. At the same time, a new generation of Pokemon games is the last thing Digimon Survive would want to release alongside, but due to potential delays after switching developers, odds are good that Digimon Survive will release near Scarlet and Violet if it still releases in 2022.
Digimon Survive Needs a Comeback
For the moment, Bandai Namco has an opportunity to make Digimon Survive thrive. Pokemon Legends: Arceus may still be current, and hype for a new Pokemon generation may be on the rise, but there's still a decent window in the middle of 2022 where these Pokemon games will be a few months in the past and future respectively. Hopefully, Bandai Namco seizes on summer 2022 to advertise and discuss Digimon Survive as much as possible while there's a lull in new Pokemon content.
There's certainly an argument to be made for delaying Digimon Survive out of 2022. The aforementioned change in Digimon Survive's developer could make a 2022 release hard to reach, and waiting until 2023 could allow Digimon Survive to dodge Pokemon hype more effectively. Still, it'd be a shame to see the game get yet another delay. Fans have been waiting on Digimon Survive since 2018, and it's already taken years longer to release than originally expected. If releasing Digimon Survive in 2022 is still feasible, then it'd be great to see the game release this year, even if it means fighting tooth and nail with Pokemon for publicity.
Digimon Survive releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
