Gundam 50th anniversary celebrations kick off with new anime projects and official holiday

April 7 is now officially Gundam Day in Japan. Celebrating the day when the first episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime aired in Japan, April 7 1979, this day is now officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association as Gundam Day. An historical moment for the franchise that keeps fascinating fans all over the world, and making a lot of money for its owner Bandai Namco.

But that’s not all. More exciting news was announced during a streamed event aired on the official Gundam channel on May 15 by Hiroshi Sakakibara, chief Gundam officer (yes, that’s a real title) of Bandai Namco and president of Bandai Spirits, and by Naohiro Ogata, director of Bandai Namco Filmworks.

First, the already-announced Gundam Seed Freedom Zero, the prequel to Gundam Seed Freedom, has been revealed as a movie with an upcoming theatrical release. Fans of the 2024 movie and of the Cosmic Era timeline must be quite excited right now. A short teaser video was also included in the stream, which you can watch below.

Then, fans of the beloved classic Gundam Wing could also finally see their wishes come true, as a mysterious new “visual project” has been announced. Finally, the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam anime that started the franchise will get a remaster, a “refreshed version” for modern audiences, which aims to be released in 2029 to coincide with the anniversary.

The stream also mentioned that the live-action Gundam movie developed by Netflix has begun filming in Australia. Finally, Gundam-con, the “largest event” in the franchise’s history, has been announced for 2027. It will involve creators from Gundam history and include every aspect of the franchise with exhibitions, interactive areas, and tournaments. While the inaugural event will take place in Japan on January 9 2027, this is a “global event,” so fans can expect to see it in various regions of the world.

What else could you ask for as a Gundam fan? What about a brand-new anime video to celebrate 50 years of the franchise? You can watch it starting on minute 5:42 of the Gundam Conference 2026 stream, but it will surely be uploaded separately soon.

With Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe just days away from release, it looks like there is not stopping the classic franchise, which will surely only keep growing bigger leading to its historic 50th anniversary in 2029.