Digimon Story: Time Stranger launched in October 2025 to widespread acclaim, becoming the fastest-selling entry in the entire franchise. But that success came after an agonizing eight-year development cycle that began right after Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory released in 2017. Producer Ryosuke Hara recently confirmed what fans suspected: Time Stranger’s lengthy production was plagued by story rewrites, technical challenges, and ambitious goals that pushed the small team to its limits. The good news? The team is now expanding and has plans for future games that won’t take nearly as long.
Why It Took So Long
In an interview with 4Gamer, Hara addressed the elephant in the room. Eight years is an eternity in game development, especially for a mid-budget JRPG. The team actually wanted to release Time Stranger much sooner, but two major factors caused repeated delays. First, the narrative took far longer to develop than anyone anticipated. The team was determined to build a story that truly highlighted the bond between humans and Digimon while properly exploring the Olympos XII mythology, which had very little established lore to work from.
According to a YouTube interview cited by fans on GameFAQs, the previous producer was eventually let go after repeatedly expressing dissatisfaction with the storyline and demanding constant revisions. That kind of development churn is poison for timelines. When leadership keeps changing direction, entire months of work get thrown away. The fact that Time Stranger eventually came together coherently despite this turmoil speaks to Media.Vision’s perseverance.
The second major challenge was technical. Time Stranger features over 450 different Digimon, each requiring updated 3D models for modern hardware. While the team could reuse some motion data from Cyber Sleuth, basically all character models had to be remade from scratch due to jumping from PS Vita to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Every NPC Digimon in towns needed unique animations. Mountable Digimon required riding animations. Creating special abilities and signature moves for 450 creatures with varying levels of established canon was a massive undertaking.
The Fastest Selling Digimon Game Ever
Despite the troubled development, Time Stranger became a breakout hit. The game sold 1 million copies worldwide in just two months after its October 3, 2025 launch. To put that in perspective, it took Cyber Sleuth four years to reach 800,000 copies. Digimon World: Next Order took eight years to hit 1 million. Digimon Survive still hasn’t reached that milestone despite releasing in 2022.
The Steam launch was particularly impressive. Time Stranger peaked at over 70,000 concurrent players on the platform, which is 16 times higher than Cyber Sleuth’s peak and 32 times higher than Next Order. For context, that’s more concurrent players than legendary titles like Helldivers 2 had at certain points. The game shot to the top of Steam’s best-seller charts and currently maintains a Very Positive rating from thousands of reviews.
Compared to other JRPGs, Time Stranger’s performance is remarkable. Shin Megami Tensei V, the fastest-selling non-Persona Atlus game, took six months to reach 1 million sales despite moving 500,000 copies in its first three days. Digimon achieved the same figure in a third of the time. That success suggests the franchise is climbing toward the same tier as series like Tales, with potential to rival even bigger names if Bandai Namco can maintain momentum.
What Made It Work
Reviews consistently praise Time Stranger for improving on Cyber Sleuth’s foundation in nearly every area. The visuals are gorgeous, with detailed environments that make the Digital World feel alive. Central Town is packed with Digimon NPCs living their own little stories across the game’s timeline. Players genuinely feel like they’re visiting a real place rather than just navigating between quest markers.
The time travel mechanics add emotional weight to character relationships. Digimon you meet as rookies in the past eventually Digivolve into powerful allies in the present, remembering the impact you made on their lives. That multi-generational storytelling creates bonds that feel earned rather than forced. Kotaku’s review specifically highlighted how Aegiomon, despite technically being a partner character, arguably becomes the main character due to his childlike determination to save those he cares about.
Gameplay improvements include unlimited freedom with Skill Discs, meaning any Digimon can learn any move without restrictions. The new Personality system influences stat growth similar to Pokemon Natures, adding strategic depth to team building. Quality-of-life upgrades address complaints from previous entries, making progression smoother and less grindy. Combat remains turn-based but incorporates enough strategy through attributes, elements, and customization to stay engaging across 30 to 40 hours.
The Team Is Expanding
The most important revelation from Hara’s interview is what comes next. He acknowledges that eight years is unsustainable, stating the Digimon team is now gradually expanding in scale and working to establish a structure that allows for sustainable growth. That suggests Bandai Namco is investing resources to prevent future games from suffering the same prolonged development cycles.
Hara mentions the team already has various things in mind for future releases, encouraging fans to look forward to what’s coming. Director Shunsuke Tomono commented that Time Stranger was developed to appeal to a broader audience, including adults who grew up with the franchise. For future projects, he wants to aim for something new again, potentially a Digimon game that could serve as an entry point for people completely unfamiliar with the series.
That expansion makes business sense. Time Stranger proved there’s massive demand for quality Digimon games when executed properly. The franchise is experiencing a genuine resurgence thanks to the card game’s success, mobile game Beatbreak, and now Time Stranger’s sales performance. Bandai would be foolish not to capitalize on this momentum with a faster development pipeline that can deliver games while interest remains high.
Learning From Past Mistakes
Time Stranger wasn’t the only Digimon game to face development hell. Digimon Survive underwent a complete reboot just months before its eventual 2022 launch. Producer Kazumasa Habu publicly apologized multiple times for delays caused by changing development teams mid-production, which forced extensive rework. That game ended up taking nearly as long to complete as Time Stranger, suggesting systemic problems with how Bandai managed Digimon projects.
If the publisher can genuinely address these management issues, future titles should arrive more quickly. Part of the problem seems to be small team sizes attempting ambitious projects without adequate support. Time Stranger’s 450 Digimon roster, fully voiced story, multiple endings accessible through time travel mechanics, and current-gen visual fidelity required resources the team simply didn’t have for years.
Hara’s comment about making the game thanks to the development team’s passion, or rather madness, reveals how close Time Stranger came to collapsing entirely. Games finished through pure developer dedication rather than proper project management rarely turn out well. That Time Stranger succeeded despite everything working against it is almost miraculous.
What Comes Next
Fans are understandably nervous about waiting another eight years for the next Digimon Story game. The good news is that Time Stranger’s success gives Bandai Namco strong financial incentive to fund a larger team for faster production. The bad news is that expanding development teams takes time, and there’s no guarantee the next project is already in production.
Some fans hope for a new Digimon World entry, as that subseries hasn’t received a proper new game since Next Order in 2016. However, opinions on World games are divisive within the community, with many preferring Story’s more traditional RPG structure. Following Time Stranger’s breakout success with another Story game makes more commercial sense, even if World fans feel neglected.
There’s also the question of what platforms to target. Time Stranger launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, skipping last-gen consoles entirely. That decision to focus on current hardware allowed for better visuals and performance but limited the potential audience. Future games might launch on Nintendo’s next console as well, further expanding reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did Digimon Story Time Stranger take to develop?
The game took approximately 8 years to develop, with production beginning shortly after Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory released in 2017. Producer Ryosuke Hara confirmed the lengthy development in a January 2026 interview with 4Gamer.
Why did Time Stranger take so long to make?
Development was prolonged due to extensive story work exploring the Olympos XII with limited existing lore, repeated narrative rewrites demanded by a previous producer who was eventually replaced, and the technical challenge of creating over 450 Digimon with updated models and animations for modern hardware.
How well did Time Stranger sell?
Time Stranger sold 1 million copies worldwide in just two months, making it the fastest-selling Digimon game in franchise history. For comparison, Cyber Sleuth took four years to reach 800,000 copies, and Digimon World: Next Order took eight years to hit 1 million.
Will the next Digimon game take 8 years too?
Producer Ryosuke Hara stated the Digimon team is now gradually expanding in scale and establishing a sustainable development structure. This suggests future games should have shorter development cycles, though no specific timeline has been announced for the next entry.
What platforms is Time Stranger available on?
Digimon Story: Time Stranger launched on October 3, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. The game skipped last-generation consoles to focus on current hardware capabilities.
How many Digimon are in Time Stranger?
The game features over 450 different Digimon, the largest roster in the series history. Each required updated 3D models, unique animations, and signature moves, contributing significantly to the lengthy development time.
Is Time Stranger better than Cyber Sleuth?
Reviews and player feedback consistently praise Time Stranger as an improvement over Cyber Sleuth in virtually every area, including visuals, story, gameplay systems, and quality-of-life features. The game currently maintains a Very Positive rating on Steam.
What is the next Digimon game?
No specific future Digimon games have been officially announced. Producer Hara mentioned the team has various ideas in mind and is working to create something new that could appeal to both longtime fans and complete newcomers to the franchise.
A Franchise Reborn
Eight years is a long time to wait for anything, let alone a video game. Fans who finished Cyber Sleuth’s Hacker’s Memory expansion in 2017 probably assumed a sequel would arrive in three or four years maximum. Instead, they watched Digimon Survive get delayed repeatedly before finally launching in 2022, then waited another three years for Time Stranger. That’s a decade without a proper new Digimon Story RPG.
But the wait paid off. Time Stranger isn’t just good, it’s exceptional. Reviews praise the gorgeous visuals, improved gameplay systems, emotional storytelling, and massive Digimon roster. The game captured what made Cyber Sleuth special while fixing its flaws and adding meaningful innovations. More importantly, it found an audience far larger than previous entries, proving Digimon can compete with major JRPGs when given proper development resources and time.
The franchise is in its best position in years. The card game is thriving. Mobile game Beatbreak attracted significant players. Time Stranger sold faster than any previous Digimon game. There’s genuine mainstream interest in the property again, not just nostalgia from fans who watched the anime in the late 90s and early 2000s. Bandai Namco would be insane to squander this momentum.
Whether they can avoid repeating the mistakes that led to eight-year development cycles remains to be seen. Expanding the team is the right move, but expanding smartly requires good management, clear vision, and adequate funding. Previous Digimon projects suffered from constantly changing direction, small teams attempting ambitious goals, and producers who couldn’t commit to creative decisions. If those problems persist, no amount of additional staff will help.
For now, fans can celebrate that Time Stranger exists at all. Games that spend eight years in development usually collapse under their own weight, releasing as buggy disasters that fail commercially. That Time Stranger not only finished but became the best-reviewed, fastest-selling Digimon game ever made is nothing short of remarkable. The team’s passion, or madness as Hara called it, pushed them through impossible circumstances to deliver something genuinely special. Here’s hoping the expanded team can channel that same energy into future projects without requiring another decade of suffering to make it happen.