Retro-Game Rides Nostalgia Wave As Tamagotchi Goes Back To The Future

As the 2020s continues to bask in nostalgia, from the rise of music cassettes to the hype around a possible Blockbuster return, the original digital pet care game is making a comeback.

Debuting at Tokyo’s huge Toy Fair last week, an all-new device called Tamagotchi Uni marks the brand’s first simultaneous global launch, available for pre-order before worldwide realise on July 15.

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For those perplexed by what or who a Tamagotchi is, the keychain-sized gaming devices were first created by Akihiro Yokoi and Aki Maita in 1996 and, beyond their simple concept, they did much to shape the gaming world.

Just as the very traditional style Squishmallows won Christmas (and featured at the recent Warren Buffet-led Berkshire Hathaway
BRK.B
investor meet-up), so Tamagotchi is jumping aboard the nostalgia train and memories of simpler times.

But can they become the schoolyard must-have again?

The Tamagotchi Phenomenon

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In the late 1990s a whole generation of children were given licence to forget about their real-life pets in favor of keeping a pixelated pet alive through constant nurture.

First released by Bandai in Japan on Nov. 23 1996 Tamagotchi featured a 32×16 pixel screen and three small buttons, each of which performed a simple function, like feeding the Tamagotchi — the name of both the device and the little creature — playing a game with it or turning off the lights in its room.

Improbably, roles also included cleaning up your Tamagotchi’s plentiful poop.

Flunk these simple tasks and, with ear-piercing beeps and a death wiggle, the Tamagotchi disappeared forever into cyberspace. No wokeness for Nineties kids.

It became an instant phenomenon, with students chancing being caught by the teacher during class because Tamagotchi’s life was not pausable, a continual play feature which was revolutionary and became a key feature of many future games.

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Since its release, Bandai has sold more than 91 million Tamagotchi units and the company still releases and sells new versions every few years, still with three buttons.

Its success, according to Bandai, is because it appeals to the human nurturing instinct and offered children a sense of responsibility and obligation to keep their digital pet alive and well.

How Tamagotchi Changed Gaming

Importantly, Tamagotchi was also one of the first video games to primarily target girls in an era where consoles like Nintendo featured exclusively in the boy’s section of the likes of Toys R Us.

Just as quickly as they had arrived, the pocket playthings pretty much disappeared — largely replaced by smartphones — while games giant Nintendo took the concept and channelled it into its hugely successful Nintendogs series.

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Increasingly complex life simulators also emerged across the big gaming platforms.

The new generation Tamagotchi will “connect fans globally” with a device created for the “modern digital world”, according to the press launch by Bandai.

Tamagotchi Uni will allow fans to connect via the Tamaverse, the metaverse for the Tamagotchi world, and play together with the Tamaverse’s Tama Arena, Tama Parties, Tama Fashion, and Tama Travel features.

Tamagotchi characters will also have different looks, personalities, and even hobbies, while the ability to connect to Wi-Fi will enable users to connect, customize their characters and have access to downloadable content and updates.

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Tamagotchi characters will also speak for the first time, with a choice of seven languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Tamagotchi Uni is available for pre-order on Amazon before launching fully on July 15, and Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America has chosen Charli D’Amelio as global ambassador.

Later this month, D’Amelio will kick off the global launch with a series of TikTok videos, Instagram content, press and interviews, plus an event preview in New York.