Affirmed as one of the dominant video game franchises in recent years, Dragon Ball Z underscores Atari´s ability to identify cultural trends and opportunities, and maximize their potential in the interactive entertainment space. According to recent data from the NPD Group, as of March 2004, the Dragon Ball Z franchise has combined to sell more than 5.7 million units in the U.S. alone.
"Right from the start, our main aim was to create a faithful Dragon Ball Z video game experience," said Martin Spiess, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Atari Europe. "By working closely with Bandai throughout and hitting the high standards the franchise demands, we have seen the fan base grow beyond the hardcore Dragon Ball Z audience. With an incredibly strong 2004 product lineup on the way, it´s a trend that looks set to continue."
"Atari´s work to date has established Dragon Ball Z as a very significant franchise within the interactive entertainment industry. What most of our fans want are games that not only satisfy their devotion to the Dragonball Z universe, but also offer a great gameplay experience in their own right," said Naoki Eguchi of Bandai Europe. "Atari´s skills in these areas mean it is uniquely placed as a company to bring these elements together, and as a result continues to release fantastic DBZ games."
Packed with new features, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 is the third in the successful PlayStation 2 series developed by DIMPS, and promises to be the ultimate DBZ fighting experience on next-generation consoles. Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors for Game Boy Advance, developed by Banpresto, offers the 10 million European Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP owners challenging DBZ action wherever they go.
The Dragon Ball Z anime cartoon series continues to be broadcast in countries across Europe, attracting a devoted audience. Web sites for the Dragon Ball franchise receive more than 8 million hits per day and the term "Dragonball" was a Top 10 search term on the Lycos 50 Daily Report for a total of 200 consecutive weeks. With more than $3 billion in related merchandising worldwide and over 15 million home videos sold, the Dragon Ball brand has created a new standard for animated action series.