When it comes to fighting games, none have the longstanding history or reputation of the Street Fighter series. The newest addition, Street Fighter V, releases next week on February 16th and it promises to rewrite the rules with a new approach toward storytelling and planned post-release DLC content. And let’s not forget Street Fighter‘s ever-growing eSports league.
Matt Dahlgren, Director of Brand Marketing at Capcom, talks to [a]listdaily about how Street Fighter‘s enduring warrior spirit is set to take on the world once again.
In what ways does Street Fighter V bring the fighting game franchise to an all-new level?
Street Fighter V is a game that learns from all of its predecessors, both in terms of gameplay and in terms of how we support the product long term.
It has a new core gameplay mechanic called the Variable system, which is very simple to use and helps bring out the individuality of every member of the cast. Every character has a unique V-Skill and V-Trigger, both executed by only pressing two buttons at the same time. Each V-Skill adds a new level of utility to a character, like a new movement option, a parry, or a way to deal with a projectile. The character’s V-Trigger unleashes their true potential, and intensifies the aspects that the character is known for. Ryu gains the ability to charge up his Hadokens, Chun-Li gets multi-hit properties on all her attacks, and Ken gets to go bonkers with his flame attacks. The fighting is very intuitive and much closer to the original formula, which made the series great, so it is the perfect time for newcomers to join the action.
We have also transitioned how we handle development. We will continue to developing the product post launch, and as new content is finished, it will be released. We want to reward our players who stay engaged with the game, so we have a new in-game currency called Fight Money, which can be used to earn post launch content for free. Anything that can affect the outcome of a match needs to be earnable. Our new system also promises free balance adjustments throughout the lifespan of the product, and as an ever-evolving platform, there will always be something to look forward to in the future.
Additionally, we have a rapidly growing eSports league, The Capcom Pro Tour, with over 40 major events worldwide and at least a half million dollars up for grabs. The future will continue to have record setting opportunities for our competitive players, and this is the most exciting time to be a Street Fighter fan.
With a brand new iteration of a beloved franchise and a progressive new player friendly strategy, the launch of Street Fighter V is going to mark the start of a new era of fighting games.
How have you been getting the word about the new features and characters?
We worked with this agency called Ayzenberg, not sure if you’ve heard of them, but they helped us create some pretty killer trailers to celebrate each of our character announcements, as well as our TV spots which are currently running.
We are also console exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and have a huge partnership in place with Sony. They have helped us immensely to spread the word about Street Fighter V, and they share our vision for what we can accomplish with the fighting genre.
Street Fighter also runs a very heavy event circuit, both with our Capcom Pro Tour events and strong presence at just about every major gaming trade show. Our Street Fighter fans are very culturally diverse and artistic, and help us promote the game as well.
What are some of the challenges in promoting a long-standing series like Street Fighter, especially now that it has so many characters in its roster?
Yes, when you have such a huge roster of characters in the Street Fighter universe, it is difficult to appease everyone when you are starting off with only 16. But, at least at the beginning of the game’s lifespan, we want to make it easy for players to find their character of choice, as well as ensure that every character is truly unique. As an ever growing platform, there is still hope that your favorite character will get implemented into the game, and you have the ability to voice your opinion on who you’d like to see.
But I think the real difficulty in promoting Street Fighter isn’t the roster, it’s the fact that it requires a lot of effort from the player. Like a real martial art, getting good comes with its fair share of cuts and bruises, and being a 1-on-1 game, there is nothing to blame your loss on but yourself. A lot of people love the characters and universe, they are just a little nervous to play the game itself. But for those that push through and start improving, Street Fighter delivers an intense form of competition that anyone can enjoy.
Tell us about Street Fighter V’s new and unique approach toward storytelling.
For Street Fighter V, we have two types of story content. At launch, each character has an individual character story that will get the player familiar with each of the character’s personalities and motives for fighting.
In June, we are delivering a huge cinematic story expansion. This will be a first for the franchise and will bring the Street Fighter universe to life like never before. With over an hour of cinematics alone, this will be a very meaty update, and is the type of story content we believe our fans have been looking for.
The cinematic story update doesn’t release until June. How will you be promoting Street Fighter V’s single-player content until then?
At launch, we will have all of the character stories, as well as survival mode. Both of these modes should help players get familiar with the basics of the new engine, before taking the battle online. We also will be releasing challenges in the March update. All of these modes will also help the player generate Fight Money, so they can earn post launch content for free.
What has been the reaction to the Season Pass, which will be made up of characters that can be earned freely in-game?
This has definitely been the most positive reception we have had in terms of a business strategy for our fighting games. While releasing “Super” and “Ultra” editions in the past was necessary for that era of fighting games, it was misunderstood and somewhat confusing. This time around, players have way more freedom for how they can get content post launch, and if you play Street Fighter V regularly, we will happily give you much of it for free.
It’s been almost 28 years since Street Fighter first hit arcades. What is it about the series that helps it stand the test of time?
Street Fighter was the true innovator in the fighting game space. Often imitated, but nothing really compares to putting in that first quarter and going toe-to-toe with your opponent. That game started a cultural phenomenon and a new form of competition that anyone could participate in.
I also think the global influence of the game helps it resonate across the world. Every region has a true fighting spirit, and people love to root for their hometown. I think the message of being a World Warrior, and travelling across the world to be the best you can be, is a strong message that hits home with a lot of people out there.
