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Bandai Namco Ent. Reveals Sword Art Online Variant Showdown Smartphone Game With Planned Worldwide Release
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the Sword Art Online Variant Showdown smartphone game in the Sword Art Online franchise on Sunday. The action game will get a worldwide release, and is slated for this year. The game is free to play but will have optional in-game purchases.
Bandai Namco Entertainment describes the game's story:
Cross Edge. A game supposedly designed by a middle school genius. It's a title Kirito has heard before. One day, two rumors about the game come to his attention. The first: There's a mysterious player who attacks out of nowhere. Losing to them means losing a portion of your own memories. The second: This player goes around wearing a hood pulled low to hide their eyes… Kirito can't help but recall Laughing Coffin, the player-killer guild he faced in SAO. In part to investigate these rumors, Kirito and his friends begin playing Cross Edge, and are soon targeted in a surprise attack.
The game will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the anime franchise. Bandai Namco Entertainment has opened a website and Twitter account for the game.
Bandai Namco Entertainment will host a livestream to reveal more information about the game on April 2.
Update: Replaced game summary with official English summary, added in English video.
Source: Sword Art Online Variant Showdown game's website, Dengeki Online
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
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