Toei is stepping properly into games, and no, this does not mean we are instantly getting a new Dragon Ball fighter or a One Piece RPG under its new banner.
The Japanese entertainment heavyweight has announced Toei Games, a fresh game publishing brand that it describes as a “new challenge” for the company. Toei Company has been around since 1951 and is best known for film and television, but this new label is aimed at publishing games — starting on Steam first, with possible expansion later to consoles including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
That Steam-first approach is actually the most interesting part for Malaysia and SEA players. Console launches here can sometimes be messy depending on region, pricing, physical stock, and platform availability. But Steam usually means PC players in Malaysia can jump in faster, especially if the game supports regional pricing and doesn’t have weird storefront restrictions. Of course, Toei has not shared pricing, language support, or SEA launch details yet, so jangan hype sampai confirm lah.
Toei Games’ first title will be revealed on 24 April, but fans should manage expectations. The initial line-up will not be based on existing Toei IP. Instead, Toei says it will focus on new original games from creators in Japan and around the world.
That means if you were hoping for something directly tied to Dragon Ball, One Piece, Digimon, or Yu-Gi-Oh, this first wave probably is not that. Toei Company is the majority shareholder of Toei Animation, which has worked on those massive franchises, so the connection is obviously tempting. But for now, Toei Games is positioning itself as a home for original projects rather than simply turning famous anime brands into games.
Honestly, that could be a good thing.
Anime-based games can be fun, but they also come with baggage. Fans expect perfect character rosters, accurate story arcs, proper voice casts, and combat systems that match the source material. Original games give Toei Games more room to experiment without every trailer comment section becoming a warzone about missing forms, filler arcs, or power scaling.
For SEA players, this could be worth watching if Toei manages to back smaller creative teams with proper publishing support. Japan still has plenty of interesting mid-sized game projects that can struggle to get global visibility. If Toei Games becomes a bridge for those creators, especially with Steam as the first launch platform, we might see more Japanese-developed games reach Malaysian players without waiting years for a console port.
Right now, the official Toei Games website is live but still light on details. That is expected since the first game reveal has not happened yet. The real test will be what Toei shows on 24 April: genre, art direction, price range, languages, and whether it feels like a serious publishing push or just a cautious side project.
For now, Toei Games is one to keep on the radar. Not because it is promising anime dream games immediately, but because a company with Toei’s entertainment background entering game publishing could become interesting if it gives original creators enough budget and freedom.
Steam first, consoles later, original IP only for the early slate — that is the key takeaway.
Source: Nintendo Life