A Bleach game, based on the popular manga and anime from creator Tite Kubo, is reportedly in development for Nintendo Switch. The anime had a resurgence in 2022 with the long-awaited Thousand-Year Blood War arc currently being animated, concluding the manga’s storyline. However, Bleach also has a following in the gaming world and it looks like Switch players might be getting one soon.
The rumour originates from reliable leaker Midori who claims that a Bleach game is coming to Nintendo Switch. She added that it will be published by KLab, meaning it’s likely a port of Bleach: Brave Souls, a free-to-play gacha fighting game originally released on mobile back in 2016 before coming to PC in 2020 and PS4 in 2022.
While fans clamour for a new Bleach game, it seems like this might simply be a port of a gacha game that has already been available for quite some time now. On the other hand, there’s also a small chance that it could be an entirely new game, though it wouldn’t make sense to only release it on Switch unless a deal had been struck between the companies.
A title related to the Bleach series will be released on Nintendo Switch hardware.
— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 26, 2024
Unlike One Piece and Naruto which have both received a steady flow of fighting and action/adventure games from Bandai Namco, Bleach‘s gaming offerings haven’t been the most enticing over the past decade. This was mainly due to the anime’s popularity dwindling after its initial run concluded without completing the manga’s story, though with Thousand-Year Blood War now airing, there seems to be a revitalised interest in the franchise again.
Despite receiving lukewarm reviews at launch, the 2011 PS3 exclusive Bleach: Soul Resurreccion has developed a cult following over the years and there has been an outcry for a remaster or modern-gen port of the title for a while.
Source: Midori