You probably know that Street Fighter 6 is launching on June 2nd of this year, but it’s actually much later in the year than longtime fans of the series are used to.
Prior to Street Fighter 6, major titles in the series usually debuted in their respective years, usually around February. The game’s producer, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, is well aware of this, and spoke on its long development cycle in an interview with Game Informer. (opens in new tab),
“It’s very rare to see games that are successful where they’re able to deliver everything the team was aiming for,” Tsuchiya says. “There’s always some kind of compromise or ideas that have to be scrapped because of budget, schedule, resource issues.
But for the time being, about the basics of Nakayama-san [Street Fighter 6’s director] Wanted to fulfill our dream project, it looks like we really didn’t have to make any mistakes or compromises for this title.”
In his comment, Tsuchiya could have been referring to the controversial launch of Street Fighter 5 in 2016. The PS4 fighter was initially received lukewarmly, due to its small roster of characters and lack of modes and content outside of its online suite.
Street Fighter 5 eventually blossomed into a content-rich package, with its final roster clocking in at 45 characters. And much of its DLC is now available for purchase in the discounted Street Fighter 5 Champion Edition upgrade.
avoid the same mistakes
It looks like Capcom wants to avoid the rush of a second launch. Street Fighter 6, compared to its predecessor, looks to be packed with content at launch. While we await the final batch of trailers for the characters appearing in the base roster, it looks like there will be more fighters available to play on day one than Street Fighter 5.
Street Fighter 6 is also getting a full single-player campaign in World Tour mode, where players can create their own character and learn from iconic Street Fighter characters who act as mentors. On top of that, all of Street Fighter 5’s modes are also returning, so it looks like there’s going to be a lot to do on day one whether you’re playing online or off.
Street Fighter 6 has had a long and arduous development, which hasn’t been made any easier by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s refreshing to hear that Capcom is committed to launching a quality, feature-rich game on day one, without any glaring omissions.
You’d think those extra few months in the oven would benefit the game in the long run. Fortunately, we’ve already seen a lot of positive feedback from the two closed beta tests we’ve done so far.
Plus, if you’re picking up Street Fighter 6 when it launches, you might want to check out our best fight stick guide if you’re looking for an authentic arcade experience in place of a more traditional pad.