Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is a hugely anticipated game for Dragon Ball fans everywhere. At Summer Game Fest 2026, we got a chance to talk to the series producer Masayuki Hirano. Masayuki Hirano has been one of the main producers for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 1, 2, and now 3! He has also produced many other Dragon Ball games for Bandai Namco. This was a huge honor for us in the Outerhaven! Let’s get started!
Q: You have been developing Xenoverse games for a long time. In my way of looking at how the games have progressed. The first one is kind of like a prototype of how the mechanics worked. Xenoverse 2 is like perfecting those systems for creating the ultimate experience. What is your aim for Xenoverse 3?
Masayuki Hirano: First off, thank you for playing Xenoverse 1 and 2. And I appreciate you saying that Xenoverse 2 perfected what the first one was attempting to do. How I see the Dragon Ball Xenoverse franchise is that we always want to deliver a new Dragon Ball experience, something the players have never seen or experienced before. That usually trickles down to systems and mechanics. One sort of guiding principle in development this time is the keyword “Connection” that you saw at the presentation. That can include the connection between the timeline. Xenoverse 3 takes place in the age 1000; there’s that connection. But also the connection to other characters as well. You saw that in the soul change and soul assist during the presentation. You can see it in the mechanics, to the world setting, etc. And I think we will be able to deliver something different and something that adds a lot, compared to 1 and 2.
Q: Xenoverse 2 had a lot of support from the community, and the development side with DLC and expansions. What was the ultimate deciding factor in moving from Xenoverse 2 to Xenoverse 3?
Masayuki Hirano: Xenoverse 1 and 2 had immense support from all directions, which is why we were able to sustain it for so long. But when I was doing a similar press tour with Xenoverse 2, I had committed myself to 1 year of additional support. Little did I know we made an additional 10-year journey, which the fans made possible. Xenoverse 2 was about exploring the depths of the Dragon Ball world. There were other things the players wanted to do. So there was little horizontal expansion that Xenoverse 2 was able to do. We went really vertical and deep. Thinking about players who wanted to do this and that in the Dragon Ball Universe. That was another driving factor in thinking about what we should do. Let’s rethink what Xenoverse could be. So while live-supporting Xenoverse 2, we were quietly under the surface planning what Xenoverse 3 might be.
Q: This might be a deep cut, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 takes place around the same time as the DBO MMO in age 1000. Will there be any similarities in structure or story between those two games?
Masayuki Hirano: This is one I don’t think I can go too deep into. I can say this world of age 1000, unlike the MMO, is something that Toriyama sensei has worked a lot on. From the lore to the setting, to the world, to the character design. We are not drawing from the online version as much as we are building this from the ground up using the resources Toriyama sensei left behind.
Q: One of the main features of the presentation demonstrated the soul assist, being able to utilize another character’s ability who would also help them in the attack. Is this an evolution of the Mentor system in Xenoverse 2?
Masayuki Hirano: I don’t know if I would say this is a substitute or a replacement in that respect. Of course, we recognize and know that players and fans alike want to play and interact with iconic Dragon Ball characters. I don’t know if it will be a mentor and mentee type of relationship, and there will be more information coming out, so look forward to that. It is an important element we feel to the core gameplay.
Q: What was the logic behind changing skills using the ki bar to becoming cooldowns?
Masayuki Hirano: In previous Xenoverses, 1 and 2, if you encounter a strong enemy, I think everyone kind of converges on optimizing with spamming multiple attacks, like really big attacks. We wanted players to be able to see the wide range of the Dragon Ball Universe. Play different playstyles, different types of attacks, and different types of experiences and skills. We wanted to be more accommodating so more people could see that, as opposed to all converging on one optimized playstyle.
Q: Xenoverse 1 and 2 go a lot of depth into the Dragon Ball Z Story. And in 2 specifically you get a lot of Super and everything after that. Will we be able to see anything from the original Dragon Ball in Xenoverse 3 or is it going to be more of Z and Super going down the line?
Masayuki Hirano: Great Question, well, since the game takes place in Age 1000, it’s a completely different universe. I know you are talking about Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Super. It’s not technically related, but we also know that Players have high expectations, so I will leave it at that.
Q: You have been developing Xenoverse 1, and 2 for a while. And you have been in the world of Dragon Ball for a while. Is there anything you haven’t done that you were hoping to do in Xenoverse 3?
Masayuki Hirano: The new world and story is exciting. It is something that no one has ever seen. And to think of Toriyama Sensei’s involvement in helping build that. He has so many character designs, lore, and documentation. So we are building his world as he imagined it together. This extends to fans and the audience. The more support, the longer we can stay in this world. Thats something I wanted to do, see what it would be like to live in this world of Age 1000. A lot of the gameplay and experience will focus on that. Likewise, the ability to play with more people simultaneously. I think in Xenoverse 1 and 2, there is a maximum set for how much in terms of interactivity and the number of people. As you saw (in the presentation), there were more enemies on the screen, and there were more players on the screen. I think there will be more ways to enjoy the game.
Q: Going to the hubs between Xenoverse 1 and 2 and expanding on how that works. Xenoverse 3 takes place (in what we can see) a lot of the time in Capsule Corporation. Does that still stem from the powers of the Supreme Kai of Time, or is it only going to be Capsule Corporation with Bulma?
Masayuki Hirano: Your line of questioning is just too excellent that I have less and less to say with each question. If you could just come back in time as a member of Time Patrol, then you will come back in time to this moment and be like Ah Ha!
Q: What is one thing in the Xenoverse series that you are super excited to bring out into the world, like from 1 or 2?
Masayuki Hirano: This is true for Xenoverse 1 and 2, but it is true for 3 in a way. This idea that instead of playing as Goku and Vegeta, this idea where players are able to enter the world of Dragon Ball. I think it’s a subtle nuance but a very big distinction for me. And that approach, where players can feel like they are immersed in the world of Dragon Ball, is a fresh take on the franchise, but also for in-game. I think being able to communicate with those characters, Goku, Vegeta, the GS Squad. I think that is something that we were able to do in 1 and 2, but hopefully we will be able to do even more of in 3. I think that was one of my biggest contributions.
Q: Xenoverse 1 and 2 have one specific problem, which is that Saiyans are the overloaded characters. Is there a way to make it so that the Earthlings, the Namekians, and the Majin have a reason to play as them?
Masayuki Hirano: That’s something that we have been very mindful of and careful with during development. In terms of the range of the character customization possibilities, I don’t think equal is quite the right word, but we have tried to make it as balanced as possible without losing the element of fun. As you saw in the presentation, there are other elements and mechanics such as Soul Switching, where some players could perhaps customize the way they fight in different situations. You could almost feel like you are controlling two different characters or perhaps enhancing one to continue that type of fighting. The customization is something that we tried to give the players the most tools as possible to be who they want to be.
Q: With the soul switching in Xenoverse 3, is that something you can have as any other character, or will that be from a selection of set characters that can be soul-switched?
Masayuki Hirano: Look forward to future reveals.
Q: Gotcha, To Be Determined! I will end with two more questions
Throughout your saga of working on the Xenoverse series, what is one thing you were happy to learn and to grow with in Xenoverse?
Masayuki Hirano: I have been involved with the Xenoverse series, of course, but also with Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dragon Ball Kakarot. In doing so, I think one realization I had is that the number of characters in a Dragon Ball game is important. I think the Xenoverse series in particular gave me a new perspective, and it almost revealed this idea that people want to play and interact and interface with the Dragon Ball universe differently and not simply just embody these titans of the world. I had this hypothesis that players wanted to enter into the world and play as themselves. I think by making Xenoverse and seeing player responses, it is almost like my hypothesis was answered in a way and proven to be true. There is a wide range of responses and answers I got from the community as well.
Q: For me, the game that made me want to enter into the game industry was Kingdom Hearts 2. Something that made me want to feel like I wanted to give something to this industry. Is there a game like that for you? Is there a moment in your life where you were just like “I wanted to be in this industry”?
Masayuki Hirano: Live a Live (Does that ring any bells?)
Scott: Yeah, I know what game that is! And we recently got a remake of it!
Masayuki Hirano: When I was really young, some games took all the headlines, like Final Fantasy and Romancing SaGa. These games had great stories, but for me, (Live a Live) was the first time a video game in a story brought me to tears. There was a huge emotional movement I experienced. It was the first time, I mean, in movies and novels it happens, but that one made me realize it was possible to deliver the same emotional journey or something even greater with a video game.
(That makes sense to me now, why there are some time-based mechanics in the Xenoverse games)
Thank you so much to Masayuki Hirano for the Interview and everything shown at the presentation!
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is currently slated to launch in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam.
