Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! get a treat in the new year: Konami recently announced that three new video games based on the franchise will arrive in 2016.
The first game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links arrives for smartphones, on both iOS and Android, in spring 2016. A Nintendo 3DS game is also on its way that summer, followed by an online PC game arriving in winter 2016.
Unfortunately, Konami has not yet released further details about the games, other than the news that they're coming next year.
Yu-Gi-Oh! began its life as a manga by artist Kazuki Takahashi. In the manga, there is a fictional trading card game called Duel Monsters. That card game served as inspiration for the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game by Konami in 1999. In 2009, that trading card game became the top-selling card game in the world, with more than 22 billion cards sold worldwide.
The card game became so popular that it launched several anime adaptations of the manga, as well as video games based on both the card game and the manga. Yu-Gi-Oh! main character Yugi also made appearances in two Japanese fighting games: Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars.
The most recent video game of the franchise was Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelest, a card duel simulation game created by Konami for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. That game is available now on both consoles for $19.99 as a digital release: it was the first time a Yu-Gi-Oh! game became available on next-gen consoles.
Meanwhile, Japan gets a movie: Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions opens there in April. To date, the film has sold more pre-sale tickets than any other film by Toei Animation.
The latest anime series based on the franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V started airing in Japan in 2014 and has an international release following this year.
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Takahashi made his first appearance at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015, where he initially announced the new film in the franchise. He also received SDCC's Inkpot Award.
"I am deeply honored to receive Comic-Con's Inkpot Award and am humbled to be held in the same regard as the revered animators, authors, filmmakers and artists that have been recognized for their passion and contributions to the arts," said Takahashi in a statement, as reported by Crunchyroll.
