The first three PS1 Battle Arena Toshinden games are getting a re-release on modern platforms
The Toshinden series was Tekken’s main rival in the early PS1 days
The first three games in the Battle Arena Toshinden series are getting re-releases on modern platforms.
Japanese media company Edia, which has been acquiring and licensing classic game IPs, has announced that it has signed a licensing agreement to mark the 30th anniversary of the first Battle Arena Toshinden.
Edia – which says it is “accelerating its efforts to commercialise a wide range of retro game IP” – says it will release Toshinden, Toshinden 2 and Toshinden 3 on modern consoles.
“We will commence porting development of contracted titles to current-generation systems, targeting release between fiscal year 2026 and 2027,” the company said (via machine translation).
“We will leverage our accumulated expertise in porting and commercialising retro games to advance product planning, aiming to create offerings that will not only be simple ports but will be enjoyed by many fans. Details regarding the specific product line-up will be announced as they are finalised.”
The first Battle Arena Toshinden was a PS1 launch title in the West, arriving on the console a couple of months before Namco released Tekken. It was also one of the 20 games included with the PlayStation Classic mini console in 2018.
The game focuses on weapons-based combat, and while Virtua Fighter predated it as the first polygonal fighting game, Toshinden could lay claim to being one of the first to feature 3D movement, since players were able to sidestep in circles.
The second game offered more of the same, with an improved roster of 12 fighters, while Battle Arena Toshinden 3 was a complete revamp with a new engine and a much larger roster of 32 fighters.
Unusually for a console game from the ‘90s, Battle Arena Toshinden 3 is one of the first examples of a game with what’s known today as Performance and Quality modes, allowing players to choose between a detailed game running at 30 frames per second, or a far more basic-looking 60fps game.
A fourth game, simply titled Toshinden 4, was also released on PS1 but doesn’t appear to be part of Edia’s agreement.
