10 Years of DLC Later, Xenoverse 2 Signs Off July 8

Few games get a decade of post-launch support. Fewer still get it from a publisher the size of Bandai Namco. But Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, which originally launched in October 2016, is about to close out its DLC run with Future Saga Chapter 4 on July 8. Bandai Namco and developer Dimps confirmed the date in a new trailer posted today.

The DLC is a proper send-off in terms of content. It includes two new playable characters, Chronoa in a new form and Goku sporting what appears to be a heroic variant of Ultra Instinct, complete with a crystallised design and greenish-blue energy. Beyond the roster additions, the pack brings one extra mission arc, two parallel quests, four additional moves, six costumes and accessories, four Super Souls, one new stage, and eight loading screen illustrations. Bandai Namco is also teasing additional reveals on July 4 and July 5 before spotlighting Chronoa's new form on July 6 and Goku's on July 7.

The sheer length of Xenoverse 2's support cycle is staggering. This is a game that launched on PS4 and Xbox One, got a Switch port in 2017, made the jump to PS5 and Xbox Series, and kept shipping expansions through all of it. The Future Saga chapters alone have introduced Ultra Supervillain forms for multiple characters across several paid updates. Maintaining a live content pipeline for a fighting game this long, while a sequel exists in the public eye, is something I can't think of a parallel for. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 has already been revealed, and resources will naturally shift there, but Dimps clearly wanted to give this game a proper ending rather than just letting it fade out.

Xenoverse 2 holds a 73 top critic average on OpenCritic, solid if unspectacular scores that don't really capture how much staying power the game ended up having. It's available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam. Future Saga Chapter 4 launches across all platforms on July 8.