Summary
Sega is working on a newVirtua Fightergame, keeping the classic fighting game series alive more than 18 years after the re-release of its most recent main-series title. Following a big announcement last December including several other classic game franchises, Sega is now addingVirtua Fighterto the list of Sega IPs getting new entries in the near future.
TheVirtua Fighterseries dates back to its original 1993 arcade game, which was ported to Sega Saturn in 1994 and 32X in 1995. A revolutionary 3D fighter and one of the company’s best-selling arcade games of all-time,Virtua Fighterwas lauded as ahead of its timein terms of gameplay and presentation. While there have been four main-series sequels since that time, with the last being released for arcades in 2006 and on PlayStation 3 in 2007, the total franchise encompasses 24 different titles including special editions and mobile game versions, with the most recent game being an arcade-exclusive release that was made available in 2023.
At The Game Awards 2023,Sega revealed it was bringing back classic franchisesJet Set Radio,Crazy Taxi,Golden Axe,Streets of Rage, andShinobi. NowVirtua Fighterwill be joining the ranks of those classic Sega franchises that have new games on deck. In aninterview with VGC, Sega global head of transmedia Justin Scarpone listedVirtua Fighteramong several other previously mentioned classic game franchises that the company is currently working on drawing up new entries for. “So we have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket, which we announced last year at The Game Awards;Crazy Taxi,Jet Set Radio,Streets of Rage,Shinobi, and we have anotherVirtua Fighterbeing developed,” he said during the interview.
Sega Adds Virtua Fighter to its Revived Franchises List
While exciting for fans of the fighting game franchise, the news is not completely unexpected among the Sega faithful.Fans believed Sega was teasing aVirtua Fightergamein early October. At that time, Sega’s official Twitter page posted a short video of an olderVirtua Fightergame under the word “SE6A,” leading fans to believe that word was alluding to a futureVirtua Fighter 6. Despite Scarpone’s recent comments, there has been no official statement that the game in development will be a main-series title or about what form it will take.
That wasn’t the first time thatSega had addressed aVirtua Fighterrevival’s possibility. While it wasn’t included in the showcase at The Game Awards 2023, some fans had been expecting aVirtua Fightertease during the awards ceremony based on pre-show marketing from Sega that used the same stylized font as theVirtua Fightergames. Additionally, Sega of America CEO Shuji Utsumi had made comments that the franchise was past-due for a revival.
Virtua Fighter
Fight the bestmartial arts masters with over 700 precision moves! Unleash hair-trigger punch/kick combos, throws and crushing stomps!• Eight unique fighters- Each warrior has a personal fighting style, attack strength and special moves!• Rapid, realistic 360° combatwith 3-D polygon graphics!See the fighters from all sides!• Fluid animationslook just like real fighters! Get totally wrapped up in the action!Plus these NEW FEATURES only on Sega Genesis 32X!• Multiple camera angles- low, high and bird’s-eye view and more! Change angles in mid-bout!• See every bone-jarring hitagain in FULL MATCH REPLAY!• Customizeyour fighter’s clothing!• Fight in group competitionswith ALL NEW Tournament Mode!
