Bandai Namco Entertainment and developer Spike Chunsoft made video game history this week as Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO shattered the all-time concurrent player record for traditional fighting games on Valve's Steam platform, surging past an astonishing 91,000 simultaneous users.
Remarkably, the record-breaking numbers were achieved entirely during the exclusive 72-hour early access window reserved for pre-order purchasers of the Deluxe and Ultimate Editions, days ahead of the title's general worldwide public launch on October 11.
Budokai Tenkaichi Revival Eclipses Established Genre Heavyweights
By peaking at 91,005 concurrent players according to SteamDB trackers, the arena brawler easily eclipsed the all-time highs of top competitive fighting games on Steam, surpassing Street Fighter 6 (70,573 peak), Tekken 8 (49,977 peak), and Mortal Kombat 1 (38,129 peak).
The release marks the triumphant revival of the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi franchise following a 17-year hiatus since Budokai Tenkaichi 3 debuted in 2007, delivering fast-paced 3D aerial arena combat rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5.
“Bringing back the legendary Budokai Tenkaichi franchise with modern graphical fidelity and an unmatched 182-character roster has ignited passionate enthusiasm among anime gaming fans across the globe.” — Bandai Namco Entertainment Publishing Statement
Massive 182-Character Roster and Nostalgia Fuel Viral Global Success
Community enthusiasm has been propelled by the game's staggering base launch roster of 182 fully playable fighters spanning the original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super sagas, alongside robust custom battle creation tools.
With high praise across streaming platforms and overwhelmingly positive user reviews, industry analysts anticipate Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will cross multiple millions in global sales across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S within its opening week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What concurrent player record did Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO break on Steam?
It reached 91,005 concurrent players during early access, surpassing Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 as the biggest fighting game launch on Steam.
How many characters are playable in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO?
The game features a massive launch roster of 182 playable characters spanning the entire history of the Dragon Ball anime series.
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