At the Dengeki Bunko Haru no Saiten 2016 event today, staff of the upcoming Sword Art Online film announced that the film will be hitting cinemas in Japan next year!

They also revealed that the title of this film, which takes place after the Mother’s Rosario arc, will be called Sword Art Online – Ordinal Scale.

Ordinal Scale is the name of a new ARMMO-RPG game that features in the film. The game uses a next-generation augmented reality device called ‘Augma’, a wearable multi-device which is far superior to the ‘Amusphere’ due to size and portability.

The official website states:

Augma doesn’t have a full-dive function, however, its AR function is greatly enhanced to compensate for it. It can transmit visual, audio and tactual sensation data to players while they are awake, thus enabling the users to enjoy fitness and health management like a game.

The character designs for Kirito and Asuna were also unveiled:

Voice actors Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Haruka Tomatsu will be returning to play Kirito and Asuna in the new film.

There’s no mention of an Australian release of the film at this time, but watch this space for any new announcements to do with Sword Art Online!

For more details on the Japanese release check out the official Sword Art Online Movie website.