Over the past few years, Japanese arcades have been infiltrated with a new type of game that uses the magic of RFID technology. Each card used in a game contains different content that can be placed on a playfield that players can manipulate to their will. Think of it as like a real-life YuGiOh! that you can play in the arcade. Today, the Bandai Card Division announced that they will be utilizing this technology in a new arcade game slated to release later this year: Gundam Arsenal Base.
Bandai opened a new teaser site for Gundam Arsenal Base, which shows a teaser visual of the ‘Strike Gundam’ standing in a dark hangar, and a silhouette photo of the game cabinet which seems to be a new model. Also, they have announced that the game genre will be a ‘real-time strategy type authentic arcade card game’. What exactly this means is still up in the air, as the developer has yet to announce any further details about the game. If I can speculate a bit, it would play a lot like the popular Dragon Ball Super card game or the Pokémon card game for arcade which is immensely popular with children all across Japan: players place cards on the playfield and the cards can be moved strategically to attack, defend, or dodge. Needless to say, you’ll be able to experience Gundam in a way never before seen.
Gundam Arsenal Base has yet to receive a solid release date. Bandai states that it will be hitting Japanese arcades sometime in 2021.