Bandai Namco Entertainment on Wednesday (Sep 10) released Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra, its first original Dragon Ball title for smartphones in seven years. The team-based action game is available worldwide on iOS, Android, PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5/4.

The free-to-play title supports nine languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. It offers cross-platform play and progression, allowing players to continue their game seamlessly across different devices.

New gameplay style

Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra introduces a four-versus-four battle format, where teams work together to break through enemy defences and secure the Dragon Ball to win. Bandai Namco said the design was meant to provide an “anywhere, with anyone” experience, taking advantage of advances in both consumer hardware and cloud technology.

Toshitaka Tachibana, chief producer at Bandai Namco Entertainment, said the collaboration with Google Cloud was critical. “From the earliest stages, the Google Cloud team operated as true members of our own, sharing our vision for the game,” he said.

Google Cloud partnership

The game is powered by Google Cloud’s global infrastructure to manage real-time, large-scale play. This includes:

Agones and Kubernetes Engine to scale dedicated servers for global launches. Cloud Spanner to ensure reliable cross-progression and player data management. Memorystore for Redis to support fast matchmaking with reduced wait times. BigQuery and Looker for post-launch analytics on player behaviour and balance.

Jack Buser, global director for Games at Google Cloud, said the collaboration reflected “the future of game development”, highlighting the infrastructure’s ability to support large-scale, cross-platform experiences.

The Dragon Ball franchise remains one of the world’s most recognisable anime brands, with multiple game adaptations across consoles and mobile platforms. The launch marks Bandai Namco’s return to original Dragon Ball titles on mobile, following the release of Dragon Ball Legends in 2018.

The emphasis on cloud infrastructure comes amid a broader industry trend towards cross-platform play and global scalability, as publishers look to retain large player bases across regions.

Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra is now available for download worldwide. Bandai Namco said it would continue refining gameplay and balance using player data and analytics tools provided by Google Cloud. Future updates are expected to expand content and in-game features.