Late last year, Sega co-COO Shuji Utsumi revealed to the Washington Post that the company is looking to bring back Virtua Fighter, its acclaimed fighting game franchise. Utsumi told the outlet that the company is looking to make the series “more dramatic,” moving away from the realism Virtua Fighter has been known for and more towards the fantastical elements that appear in games like Street Fighter. Nothing official has been said about the reboot since, but Sega leaker Midori (known on Twitter as @MbKKssTBhz5) has revealed potential new details about the direction that it’s taking. According to the leaker, the concept for this game has actually changed multiple times since 2021.ย
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Competing With the Genre’s Biggest Guns
The leaker claims that this new Virtua Fighter will be “a modern competitor to Street Fighter and Tekken,” which seems to line up with what Utsumi said last year. Sega is looking to appeal to the esports crowd, and the game will have a focus on online play, streaming, and spectating. The new Virtua Fighter will be “releasing on all major platforms with crossplay and rollback.” Presumably, that means PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and possibly the follow-up to Nintendo Switch. Midori has previously noted that several of Sega’s upcoming games are slated to release on Switch 2, but they did not specify in regards to Virtua Fighter.ย
Midori also claims that the game will feature new characters and story elements, so players can expect to see offline modes in addition to online. Midori has a very strong track record when it comes to games that are in development from Sega and Atlus, but readers should still take any rumor like this with a grain of salt pending official announcements.ย
Sega’s Franchise Revivals
News of Sega’s Virtua Fighter revival followed announcements made at The Game Awards 2023. During the show, Sega offered a glimpse at several new games in development, most of which are based on franchises that have been missing in action for several years, including Shinobi, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage. Virtua Fighter is a similar case; while Virtua Fighter 5 has had multiple releases over the years, including a PS4 remaster in 2021, the game originally released all the way back in 2006.ย
It remains to be seen whether these revivals will be able to find success, but Sega’s been getting a lot of positive attention as a result. The company owns several truly beloved franchises, but Sega has spent the last few years mostly focused on Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona, and Yakuza (now known Like a Dragon). Clearly the company is trying something very different, and it could give them a lot more relevance if successful. Hopefully these new titles will be able to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers alike.ย
Are you happy with Sega’s new direction? What would you most like to see from a Virtua Fighter reboot? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
