To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, Konami has announced a digital-only release of classic Yu-Gi-Oh! games for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam – including titles that have never before ventured outside of Japan.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is the big ticket item, set to include a selection of very early games in the franchise. While the full list is yet to be revealed, Konami confirmed that Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists will be included.
Having been originally released on Game Boy Color in 2000, this will not only mark the first time that the game is available on PC (and of course, on Switch), but also the very first time it will be available outside of Japan.
The announcement was part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: The Legend of Duelist QUARTER CENTURY event – a weekend-long celebration of the franchise, which took place in Tokyo, Japan between 3-4 February 2024.
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Also revealed as part of the event were a new VR experience entitled Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links Presents SOLID VISION EXPERIMENT – which brings illustrations from the cards to life – and an AI-based project for Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL, which would see the AI play as an opponent that learns the more it duels.
For long-standing Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, this announcement is sure to pique curiosity – especially for those who have been around since the franchise was first introduced. Release dates are firmly under wraps, but with the Early Days Collection touted as being “in development,” it seems likely we’ll be waiting for a while. In the meantime, keep a look-out for further titles confirmed to be part of the collection.
