Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game Coming in 2022

An official Cowboy Bebop tabletop roleplaying game is on the way. Mana Project Studio and Don't Panic Games have announced that they are working on an officially licensed roleplaying game set in the world of the beloved anime Cowboy Bebop. The game will be designed by the Italian team Fumble, who previously designed the 2020 Italian Game of the Year award-winner Not The End. A Kickstarter will launch in 2022 to fund production of the game, with aims to have finished copies out to backers by the end of 2022. The launch for the game will include English, French, and Italian language versions of the game. 

"As a pioneer of Japanese animation in Europe and an early role-player, I have always dreamed of living adventures in the universes of famous anime. We are overjoyed that Sunrise, with whom we have worked for many years, has entrusted us with making this first experience possible." said Cedric Littardi, founder of Don't Panic Games, in a press release announcing the game.

"Cowboy Bebop is part of those anime that made up our cultural background. As fans of the anime, we are thrilled to be able to work on this project, a unique opportunity to design on both the themes of CBB and its strong visual identity. Our goal is to share our passion for Cowboy Bebop with you with this game!" says Michele Paroli, founder and lead designer of Mana Project Studio, in the same press release.

Originally airing in 1998, Cowboy Bebop is one of the most popular and beloved anime series of all time. The anime follows a group of bounty hunters bouncing from job to job on a score of different planets. The anime was almost universally praised during its release, in part due to a stunning jazz-inspired soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno. 

In recent months, Cowboy Bebop has seen a resurgence in pop culture, due to the upcoming live-action adaptation airing on Netflix later this year. That series will star John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda and Alex Hassell. Titan Comics is also publishing a Cowboy Bebop comics series later this year. 

Cowboy Bebop: The Role-Playing Game will be released in 2022.