Yo-Kai Watch 2 is launching in the United States on Sept. 30 on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo announced this morning.
Widely considered a direct answer to Pokémon, Yo-Kai Watch 2 will do a very Pokémon thing by launching with two editions: Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits, both featuring rare Yo-Kai only found in each game. Yo-Kai aren't monsters, they're invisible beings who inhabit the game's world, akin to gremlins who play pranks and disrupt normal life.
To support Yo-Kai Watch 2's launch, which will go head-to-head with Final Fantasy 15's release, Hasbro will add new items to its Yo-Kai Watch toy line. They include a "Yo-Kai Watch Model Zero," which resembles the one worn by protagonist Nate in season 2 of the accompanying anime.
That season will premiere on Disney XD this summer, Nintendo said. A DVD of the first season will be in stores later this year, and is on Netflix right now.
Yo-Kai Watch and Yo-Kai Watch 2 launched in Japan in 2013 and 2014 and the franchise already is an enormous hit there, generating well more than $1 billion in retail sales across its spectrum of offerings. A Yo-Kai Watch movie sold more tickets in Japan than Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the opening weekend for both.
For more on Yo-Kai Watch, see Polygon's review for the first game, which launched in November.