Darwin’s Game is one of the successful science fiction anime released in 2020. Originally a manga-based script is written and illustrated by FLIPFLOPs in 2012. The anime adaptation was created by the Nexus studio and appeared on January 3, 2020. Nexus studio is a Japanese animation studio that has been working in recent years but has proven that it can do well with this anime. We also know the studio from the beloved series, Chivalry of a Failed Knight. The first season of the anime, which aired 11 episodes in total, was also featured in Crunchyroll and Funimation, and Aniplex of America also licensed the anime. It is also available on Netflix and Hulu TV. In this way, the popular anime series found audiences from all worldwide. After more than a year, fans are worried about the second season. So has the series been renewed for a second season?
What was the plotline of Darwin’s Game?
A message arrives on Sudo Kaname’s phone. By clicking on the fake link in this message, Kaname finds himself in a game called Darwin’s Game. He does not care much and continues his school day. Hours later, a message arrives on his phone, and a player states that he wants to play with him. Kaname accepts the offer of the panda-costume user with a knife in the image on the phone, and in reality, a man with a knife in a panda costume appears and attacks. Kaname, who survived this attack, realizes that he can no longer leave the game, and tension-filled moments begin at this point.
Spoiler
Darwin’s Game‘s finale was quite meaningful. Fans didn’t expect such a finale and were impressed. It was liked in the final episode that the protagonist captured the territories and banned the D-Game in those areas. They also went outside the rules of not killing in the finale and took the series to a different dimension. Those seen in the series’s final episode could feel that the second season would be a completely different Darwin’s Game.
Will there be a second season of Darwin’s Game?
Although some sources say that the series is renewed for a second season and will meet the audience, unfortunately, the news is not true. No worries yet, as of May 29, 2022, there is no cancelation, but the series has not yet been renewed for the second season. Studio Nexus, Manga publisher Akita Shoten, FLIPFLOPs, or any related company are keeping quiet about the anime’s new season. Although there is no official statement yet, it is possible to speculate about the new season. Animes receive new season approvals under some important criteria. Let’s take a look at these main factors together.
Manga status
The anime is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by FLIPFLOPs, as mentioned in the beginning. The manga started airing on December 12, 2012, and it is still ongoing. For the manga published in Bessatsu Shōnen Champion magazine, 25 volumes have been published so far, and the latest volume was published on January 7, 2022. The continuation of the manga series is important both in terms of source material availability and the idea of a new season as an advertisement for the manga.
Anime is very faithful to manga for its story and drawings. The first season covers 30 chapters of the manga. It is approximately the eighth volume. It is good news because the manga can provide enough source material for at least another season. There is already stock material available for at least more 2 seasons.
The popularity of the anime
The manga series is one of Japan’s best-selling manga series, and the anime feeds it. According to the Myanimelist ranking, it is ranked 392nd, which is an above-average ranking. Darwin’s Game is an anime available worldwide as Funimation and Crunchyroll license it, but popularity in Japan often determines a new season of the anime. The Twitter account of the anime has been followed by 40k users so far. This figure looks average but not strong enough to promise a new season. We see that animes renewed for the new season usually have over 100k followers. From this perspective, it looks like Darwin’s Game needs more.
What about the disc sales?
Disc sales are important because animes are for-profit products. For an anime to have a new season, it is expected to have an average of 4,000 sales. When it falls below this figure, the decision committee usually does not give the green light for a new season. Unfortunately, Darwin’s Game is one of those anime that could not achieve its desired goal in disc sales. The anime only sold 734 copies in the first week, and in the following weeks, it did not exceed this number.
Possible release date of Darwin’s Game
As of May 29, 2022, at the time of writing, anime has not yet been renewed for a second season. It is not yet clear whether Nexus has any work on this issue; it has not yet shared any anime plan for 2021 or beyond. But it looks like Darwin’s Game seems to be one of the most profitable products in the studio despite low disc sales. Since there is no renewal yet, it is not possible to see a new season in 2022. For the time being, the best release date forecast for the new season of the series will be 2023 – 2024.
Is there a released trailer for season 2?
The anime has not yet been confirmed for season two. For this reason, it is not possible to see a new season trailer right now. Although there are new season trailers made by collaging from past episodes on YouTube, they are not official and do not contain new season details. The new season trailer may be released in the coming months.