The legendary creator of Danganronpa, Kazutaka Kodaka, has set his sights on a whole new series, building his very own multimedia franchise titled Tribe Nine. So far, we’ve gotten a solid glimpse into the world via the anime series, but Kodaka’s studio, Too Kyo Games, is working towards a Tribe Nine release date that will allow us to explore this dystopian world in the palm of our hands.
If you’re a fan of the Danganronpa games and Kodaka’s other works, be sure to check out our Master Detective Archives: Rain Code review and our Kazutaka Kodaka interview, in which we discuss his inspirations, goals, and plans for the future.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Tribe Nine game.
When is the Tribe Nine release date?
Unfortunately, we currently don’t have a Tribe Nine game release date. However, on June 6, 2024, the Tribe Nine Steam page went live, and you can now wishlist the game – so it looks like it’s on the way.
Prior to that, on February 20, 2020, Too Kyo Games and Akatsuki Games Inc launched a teaser site to announce their collaboration on the Tribe Nine project.
Too Kyo Games is, of course, a Japanese game developer founded in 2017 by ex-employees of Spike Chunsoft, including Danganronpa’s creator, Kazutaka Kodaka. To date, its works include World’s End Club and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code – on a personal note, the latter was easily one of my favorite games of 2023, and even made our Switch games of the year list as our editor Ruby’s pick.
On the other hand, Akatsuki Games Inc is a mobile game publisher best known for its work on Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle, Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator, and Romancing DaGa Re;univerSe.
Following this, on August 18, 2023, Akatsuki Games held an online presentation titled ‘Akatsuki Games Now’, discussing its upcoming projects. During the presentation, Akatsuki revealed a new key visual and teaser trailer for Tribe Nine, revealing that it’s a 3D action RPG and will be released on iOS, Android, and PC via Steam. Sadly, we didn’t get a release date or even a release window during this presentation.
Can I sign up for the Tribe Nine beta test?
You have until July 31 to sign up for the ‘Deadly Playtest’ Tribe Nine closed beta test. You can learn more about this in the announcements section on the Steam page, or you can head straight to the official website to sign up now.
We’ve not heard anything about an Android or iOS beta yet, but we think it’s likely that we’ll see one in the future following the PC CBT. Be sure to check back here, as we’ll add any new info as it drops!
When is the Tribe Nine beta test?
The Tribe Nine closed beta test runs from August 9 to August 15, 2024. Akatsuki Games Inc and Too Kyo Games will select participants via a lottery, and you will receive an email invitation if you’re selected to take part.
The beta is currently only taking place on Steam. The audio language will be in Japanese, but the game will be available in Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
What is the Tribe Nine creators program?
Alongside the Deadly Playtest CBT, Akatsuki and Too Kyo have also announced the creators program roll out. This invites streamers to upload videos in-theme with the global beta test. The people who post the top-performing videos on YouTube or YouTube Shorts with the hashtag #TRIBENINE and successfully pass the screening process will be awarded prizes.
You can sign up to participate by filling out the form on the program website. The sign-up period runs from July 24 until July 31, with the video submission period running from August 9 until August 30.
The winning conditions for the Tribe Nine creators program are:
- YouTube video: top 30 in cumulative views
- YouTube Shorts: top 50 in cumulative views
And here are the rewards for the Tribe Nine creators program.
YouTube video rewards:
- Top 1-5: gift card valued at $600
- Top 6-10: gift card valued at $300
- Top 11-30: gift card valued at $60
YouTube Short rewards:
- Top 1-5: gift card valued at $120
- Top 6-10: gift card valued at $60
- Top 11-30: gift card valued at $30
Is there a Tribe Nine trailer?
With the launch of the official Steam page, we also got access to a brand new Tribe Nine trailer, which you can see above. It gives us more of an insight into the gameplay than we’ve ever seen before, showing the fluid transitions between the 2.5D and 3D realms, fast-paced, action-style combat, some pretty funky puzzles, and even a couple of madcap bullet hell sequences.
If you’re looking for even more action, the Akatasuki Games Now presentation revealed another Tribe Nine teaser trailer, which you can check out here. This trailer gives us a sneak peek at the neon-noir, cyber vibes of Neo-Tokyo, showcasing some high-octane action and character art that perfectly aligns with Kodaka’s iconic signature style. I can 100% see Mondo Owada hanging out with the characters that pop up at timestamp 0:26, can’t you?
During the presentation, Akatsuki confirmed that the characters that appear in the video are the real models used in the game, which is pretty darn impressive if you ask us. On top of that, Akatsuki revealed two demo videos of actual game footage running on Unity and iPhone entitled the ‘Presentation Trailer’ and the ‘Emotional Trailer’. Despite the odd names, they certainly got us even more hyped up for the game’s release.
What is Tribe Nine?
Tribe Nine is set in a dystopian future and revolves around a group of disaffected youths who have formed their own tribes. But, of course, these tribes don’t play happy families for long – they soon turn violent and run rampant across the city of Neo-Tokyo, prompting the government to implement the new ‘SB Law’ which states that all future conflicts between Tribes will be settled through extreme baseball. Yes, baseball, but of the extreme variety.
These extreme baseball games are overseen by robotic umpires, and follow similar rules to regular baseball only with far less restrictions on equipment and field size. The only way to get an ‘out’ is to strike out the batter or tag out a baserunner while holding the ball – though games can also end if one of the teams is unable to continue… For whatever reason (as Danganronpa fans, we have a few guesses).
The 12-episode anime series aired from January to March 2022, but plans for the series certainly don’t end there, as Kodaka and Too Kyo Games have announced that, in addition to the videogame, a “webnovel and stage” are set to come in the future.
What is the Tribe Nine gameplay like?
Tribe Nine is set to be a hybrid 2.5D and 3D ARPG. From the aforementioned demo videos, the game appears to adopt several different gameplay sections. This includes a 2.5D traversal system, where you can run around the city, solving puzzles and engaging with enemies.
When you encounter an enemy, you enter a 3D arena where you control a team of three allies. From there, you can attack the enemies using a multi-skill system that reminds us of Zenless Zone Zero, seeing you switch between the characters as they continue to fight. There also appears to be some intriguing additional mechanics, including bullet-hell-style sequences that require a lot of dodging, a ‘tension’ meter, and more.
Beyond that, we don’t know much – though, if we were to hazard a guess, we’d predict that it’s going to be a gacha game, with banners featuring iconic Tribe members from the series.
That’s all we’ve got on the Tribe Nine release date for now. If you want to revisit Kodaka’s other iconic works while you wait, be sure to check out our Danganronpa characters, Danganronpa 2 characters, and Danganronpa V3 characters guides. Or, if you fancy diving right into cyberspace today, grab a ticket to the Astral Express with our Honkai Star Rail codes and Honkai Star Rail tier list.