Good morning all! My name is Seiji Aoki and I am the Chief Producer of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. I’m very excited to share the story of the development of the new game in the groundbreaking Virtua Fighter series and to immerse myself in some new features you can look forward to when it launches on PlayStation Plus tomorrow, June 1st. *
Virtua Fighter holds a special place in Sega history – many of us on the dev team still remember playing the original 3D fighting game when it launched in arcades ago. almost 30 years. Its strategic depth, balanced combat, and realistic martial arts gameplay have stood out in the genre for decades, and it’s high time a new game entered the ring.
60 years of Segae Anniversary, a massive community project celebrating the most iconic games in our company’s history, finally gave us this opportunity. Sega has assembled a new team of developers from AM2, the original creators of the VF series, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios – combining extensive console expertise with a deep passion for the franchise to kick off the development of a Virtua game. Definitive fighter for the new generation. .
Remade for a new generation
When development started in 2019, we knew there was a whole generation of players who had never seen or played Virtua Fighter. For us, the 2012 Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown was the pinnacle of the series – the result of nearly two decades of tuning and development. But many younger fans had never experienced the fluid 60fps, finely balanced and reality-anchored martial arts combat that this game perfected in its day. We knew from the start that we wanted to recreate this experience on modern consoles.
While Final Showdown is at the top of its class from a gameplay standpoint, the graphics, UI, audio, and especially online play, needed a revamp. Using RGG’s Dragon Engine technology, we’ve dramatically improved the look and feel of the game, completely redoing the character models and stages from scratch. Visual effects like lighting and shaders received a major overhaul, while modern CG expanded the range of effects we could produce. A brand new opening cinematic added the final layer to the presentation.
In addition, we wanted to give the same love to music. Many of our most passionate ideas have come from longtime members of the Virtua Fighter sound team. In the end, we composed new background music for each stage of the game. Players who choose to purchase the new Legendary Pack (DLC) that will be released with the game tomorrow can also check out the selection of classic and never-before-seen background tracks for Virtua Fighter’s full audio experience.
While the core game systems of the classic Virtua Fighter 5 remain largely intact – combat balanced and perfected over years of development – we didn’t want Ultimate Showdown to look like a revival of a retro game. Every change we made was to serve our purpose of moving the series forward for a new generation.
New competitive online features
While redesigning the look and feel of VF5 was important, rethinking competitive online play was vital. Competition – proving yourself against the best fighters in the world – has been at the heart of the VF experience since the early days of the arcade, and we knew we had to add a ton of new online features to take Ultimate Showdown to the next level. modern.
New round robin-style tournaments and league games, private rooms for up to 16 players, and an all-new room user interface for improved communication between players are just a few of the features we’ve designed. to support our competitive community.
Along with the new modes, match types, and user interface, we’ve also added new features to improve the viewing experience. Improved achievement markers make battles more satisfying and dramatic, while spectator mode allows participants to watch matches in real time from inside their room. Stamps and other messaging tools make communication easier and add a fun layer of participation. Auto-replay showing recent matches between the world’s top ranked players is built right into the game’s main user interface. It’s a great tool for new players looking to learn from the best while looking to master their own. fighting style.
Legendary DLC Pack
Finally, we are delighted to announce that the new Legendary Pack (DLC) will be released tomorrow alongside the PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now editions of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown!
The Legendary Pack celebrates the rich history of the entire series. A huge range of customization items (over 2000), alternate character costumes, spectator stamps, and new and classic background music options complete the DLC. But our favorite items have to be the fully recreated UI and character models of the original Virtua Fighter! Our designers had a lot of fun rebuilding the old models for all 19 playable characters in such a modern game (two classically styled models for each character – including each new character from subsequent entries):
To all Virtua Fighter fans, we are more than grateful for the passion and loyalty you have shown over the past 27 years. Remaking this beloved fighting game has been a truly special experience for our entire team, and we can’t wait to see new World Fighting Tournament champions emerge in the weeks to come. Thank you for your support – we’ll see you in the ring tomorrow!
* Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown will be available to PlayStation Plus members until Monday, July 5.
