The fighting game genre has been around for decades, and while some series have come and gone, like Soul Calibur and Fatal Fury, some mainstays have evolved every few years, like Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter.
Though Tekken seems to be the only 3D fighting game that has survived this long, SEGA is looking to revive the OG 3D fighting game series, which has been dormant since 2006.
Virtua Fighter is Making a Comeback
In a recent interview with Video Games Chronicle, SEGA's global head of transmedia, Justin Scarpone, confirmed that the studio plans to re-release several legacy titles, including Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, and the classic fighting game Virtua Fighter.
Scarpone says, "The interesting thing about that is you have a generation of folks who remember those titles fondly from their childhood or young adulthood, who are in their 40s or 50s… And then you have a younger generation that, frankly, really doesn’t have any connectivity to that IP."
The last mainline entry in the Virtua Fighter series was Virtua Fighter 5, released in 2006. Since then, mobile game versions of VF and online versions have been released in arcades.
The Legacy of Virtua Fighter
The first Virtua Fighter was released in 1993 and is considered the first polygon-based fighting game. It has been confirmed that Virtua Fighter's 3D format inspired Sony to develop the PlayStation and focus more on 3D-based games.
The game started with eight initial fighters and the boss, Dural. Looking at the character roster of the last main entry, it's evident that VF also has all the main tropes expected of old-school fighting games. Not only did the characters come from different parts of the world, but they also fit specific tropes like the noble martial artist, the Chinese kung fu specialist, the wrestler, the ninja assassin, etc.
Tekken would release a year later with the same gimmick, and though that series has managed to stay relevant to the 2020s, Virtua Fighter was considered by many as the original 3D fighter game.
What Can Fans Expect from the Remake?
Though the remake is expected to cater to older gamers who had experienced the original game, the developers at SEGA are also making it a point that they would also try to capture the interest of younger players.
"So, the challenge is, if we try to reinvent these IPs, how do we connect? Which platforms and how do we evolve the lure for these lesser-known IPs, frankly speaking? And how do we connect with new generations?" said Scarpone.
Nothing has been revealed about the new Virtua Fighter so far, but with the recent announcement of multiple legacy IPs coming back, SEGA is undoubtedly planning a major reveal soon.
The best bet is probably around the time of The Game Awards later this year, but that's just speculation.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Virtua Fighter page.