The first Xbox wasn't such a big hit in Japan when it was first released. In fact, it never really managed to catch their eye at all. So when Microsoft prepared to launch the Xbox 360 they decided to take some extra steps to ensure the console would do better. Their plan consisted in developing a new game that mostly targeted the Japanese market, so they decided to get some of the biggest names in Japan's gaming industry to design and develop their project.

Hironobu Sakuguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, and Dragon Ball architect Akira Toriyama were the ones chosen to give birth to a brand-new role-playing game for the console. Their child was named Blue Dragon and it sung the cry of life for the first time in 2007. The game met its parents’ expectations and helped the Xbox 360 do a lot better than its predecessor. It won a Japan Game Award from the organizers of the Tokyo Game Show, but the “gaijins” still didn't manage to match swords with the local competitors.

After it outlived its usefulness for the Xbox 360, the game was eventually brought on Nintendo's DS as Blue Dragon Plus. And now, with the franchise making a name for itself, away from its parents' expectations, it will receive a third installment. Americans over at D3Publisher have announced that Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow will arrive on the handheld in the spring of 2010.

This third addition to the series will also get a new developer, and all Blue Dragon games will now have a completely different company behind them. The first one, the Xbox 360 version, was developed by Mistwalker, while Plus was developed by Brownie Brown, the same ones that co-developed Mother 3 alongside HAL Laboratory. Now, Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow rests in the hands of Tri-Crescendo, which also made Eternal Sonata for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Other details regarding the game are scarce at the moment, but news should start to arrive pretty soon.