I recently just got back into the Digimon fandom and even have started collecting the card games because they look so cool. Digimon con just happened, and while most of the announcements and releases target the Japanese audience, there are some cool announcements for those outside Japan to look forward to. There were a few interesting interviews with voice actors and artists that are worth looking into if you are a fan of the anime, but I will be focusing more on the trading card and game news. I will provide links to the videos and pictures where available.

Digimon World: New Order

With Digimon World: New Order releasing on February 22, 2023, we got news about new features coming with this port. We got a bit of the initial gameplay, nothing too exciting, but it did provide insight into the type of game this will be for those of us that never got to play the original. The new port comes with a new “beginner” difficulty setting aimed at newcomers. There is also 1.4x speed to make travel over the world quicker. I always appreciate these types of quality-of-life changes because, for those of us that are too busy for gaming, this allows us to enjoy the game without being bogged down by its mechanics. 

New Order’s gameplay places its focus on how you raise your Digimon. They showed different ways to raise your Digimon. You have to feed, train, talk to, and even discipline your Digimon to help it grow. Like any pet management game, it is looking like a very relaxing experience with a solid story behind it. The way you treat your Digimon, how you talk to them, train them or even discipline them affects their Digivolution path. It might be necessary to have a guide handy to make sure that you get the Digimon you want. As long as I get a Wizardmon, I will be okay.

I announced my excitement for this game previously and still plan on playing this game on Launch. Watching the bits of gameplay has only made me more impatient for the 22nd to come around.

Digimon TCG News

What I was most excited about for Digimon Con was news about the Digimon TCG. While I am disappointed that there was no announcement for an online client, there are a fair amount of promos to be had.

The first screening of the Digimon Illustration Competition 2023 was announced, and there are some cool-looking designs to look forward to. From this group, one design from each Digimon will be selected to be made into promo cards. 

Which ones are your favorite?

3rd Anniversary Set Announcement

The 3rd Anniversary set has been revealed for Japan. This collection showcases 9 golden promo cards that come in a nice holder with some very cool art. As of writing this, pre-orders are only available for the Japanese market. Those of you fans outside of Japan will either have to pay the premium and get your hands on the Japanese edition or gamble on a global release.

Get Magnamon

The “Get Magnamon” campaign was announced in Japan for March and April 2023 where players of the TCG will be able to compete in Tamer Battles and Tamer Exchange events for a chance to win a new alt version of the BT8 Magnamon. I love the classic style of this card and pray that we get a US release of this promo.

Digimon Card Game Championship 2022 Finals

The Digimon TCG Championship Finals are around the corner, and the promo cards for participating in the event and the prize cards have been announced. These cards look very nice, and I envy those players who were able to make it this far. The Finals will be on February 24 – 26, 2023 at the Los Angeles Conversion Center. Those who qualify will move on to the World Championship finals on March 11, 12, 18, and 19.

Digimon Fan Meetup 2th Anniversary Echibition

But that isn’t all. The convention will also be home to the Digimon Fan Meetup pop-up event. This museum will exhibit over 140 art pieces from the Digimon IP. It is free to everyone but get there quickly because they are giving away some cool promos. Those who attend will get their hands on a special guidebook that is sure to have some cool art and a pack of the alt cards of last year’s winners of the Digimon Illustration contest. Get there quickly because these promos are only available while supplies last.

Digital Monster 25th Anniversary Project

The biggest focus for the convention seemed to be on the Digimon Vital Bracelets. They announced the Digital Monster 25th anniversary project which seems to be a comic, some live-action shorts, and products centered around the Vital Bracelet game. This came with the announcement of the new Digimon Loogamon and an introduction to his story. This is an attempt to expand on the experience for those who play the game which I hear is fun but lacking. If the story is good enough, I can see it selling more of the toy. I wish this game would come out for the smartwatch. I don’t want to have to wear two watches to have access to this game. 

 More news of the story is set to be announced closer to its release but at the moment we know that it will be a darker Digimon story where 3 factions fight for dominance. There are the Crackers who work in the shadows, the Digipolice that fight Digimon crime, and the Hackers who work somewhere in the middle. Art for the project has been released, but I am not sure how invested I will be in something that I won’t have access to.

Loobamon’s Vitabracelett has been announced, but preorders are only open for Japan at the moment. This Digimon is cute, and I can’t wait for the card versions.

There are a few other announcements specific to the Digivice games that are cool for any collector:

The Digimon Con Kenji Watanabe Editions

Winners of the Digmion Evolution Results

Voting has begun for the upcoming Bird/Angel Bememory for those fans of the game.

Closing

I thought the event was interesting as a fan of Digimon. Since I am only a fan of the game and the TCG, I found the announcements to be a bit underwhelming. I enjoyed the live performances and even some of the more silly content like the card matches, but I was hoping for news on an online client. I want to be able to play the card game online like I can with Pokemon or even MTG, since locals isn’t really accessible for me. I guess I will keep waiting.

If you play the Vital Bracelet game, there was a lot of cool sounding information for you. I wish they could port this game to smart watches. I would love to play this game, but I don’t see the point of having two watches. Either way, I enjoyed it enough to do this again next year. There was a lot to go over but I tried to condense it to the most important.

**All images and video were taken from the stream or Bandai site. I don’t own these images**