After over a year with no developments, Dragon Ball FighterZ will finally get its first Rollback netcode beta. The long-awaited netcode change will kick off on the PC platform. This development was announced by Bandai Namco through the official Dragon Ball Games Twitter account. The Beta will be available for a limited time.
You can watch the announcement video featuring Game Producer Tomoko Hiroki below:
Are you ready for the Dragon Ball FighterZ Rollback Beta Test?
The newly implemented rollback netcode in #DBFZ will be available for testing on Steam from November 30 to December 10. pic.twitter.com/kRRgfHzzKD
— Dragon Ball Games (@dragonballgames) November 26, 2023
The surprising announcement of the Dragon Ball FighterZ rollback netcode beta does have a few caveats attached. For one, it’s only limited to owners of the Steam version of the game. As such, console players will not be able to participate on the upcoming beta since the game doesn’t have any crossplay functionality. Secondly, the rollback netcode beta will be available for a limited time. The beta is expected to run from November 30 to December 11.
Hiroki states that the development team has worked hard to build a satisfying player environment. This probably took a while to implement due to a myriad of issues that presented themselves when transitioning from Delay-based netcode to Rollback. While the latter is the better option for many reasons, it does come with its fair share of issues.
Some of the issues that can be brought by rollback netcode in a game such as Dragon Ball FighterZ are pointed out in a video by player MoldyBagel. In it, we see the unraveling of issues that can come from a transition such as this.
Still, even with the challenges that transitioning from Delay-based to Rollback-based presents, it is still a worthwhile change. Players expressed their delight at the fact that Bandai Namco has finally made enough progress on this long-awaited feature that should help its online community shine. Now, it’s a matter of maintaining that positive momentum. We’ll keep an ear on the news for other developments, such as when this long-awaited update hits consoles.