An explosive hit in Japan (see “Bandai’s ‘Battle Spirits TCG’”), Bandai is preparing its Battle Spirits TCG for a North American release this summer. Retailers will have the first chance to try out the game at April’s GAMA Trade Show, with previews and demos scheduled at conventions throughout the summer, culminating in the game’s full release at Gen Con Indy.  Currently, Battle Spirits ranks as the #3 trading-card game in Japan, behind only Duel Masters and Yu-Gi-Oh! 

The first demos for the game will be at GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas, April 14-17, and Bandai will be displaying the game at conventions such as Origins, Anime Expo, and San Diego Comic-Con. The U.S. Championship will be held in November in Orange County, Calif., with the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan in December.

Battle Spirits will be a hobby-exclusive product through 2009, boasting an extensive organized play system with free launch kits and tournament kits with prizes for weekly tournaments.

In the fantasy world of Battle Spirits, players utilize an innovative “core” mechanic to summon spirits to do their bidding. The core mechanic allows for quick, action-oriented gameplay right from the start of the game.

Battle Spirits:  Call of the Core is a 154-card set in both 40-card Starters and 8-card Boosters.  The rarity scheme is six Commons, 3 Uncommons, and 1 Rare card per pack, with Master Rares at 1:6 packs and 4X Rare Cards at 1:12 packs. 

There is a Battle Spirits anime and a manga, both being driven by the popularity of the game.  While Bandai is in discussions to bring the anime to the U.S., no plans are currently set.