EVO2015 has just concluded. While the primary draw for the fighting game tournament series is the intense level of competition in a variety of games, game companies are also taking EVO as an opportunity to interact with fans in a manner sort of similar to normal video game conventions.
On Friday, Capcom discussed some of their plans for Street Fighter V. All future balance changes (including data for new characters) to the game are going to be free, provided to gamers through downloadable updates. The base game disc includes sixteen playable characters. Characters to be introduced in the future will be unlockable in-game once Capcom updates your version of Street Fighter V. “Fight money” (hopefully not Balrog’s) can be accumulated by playing the game often. Alternatively, players can elect to purchase the characters that will be introduced later using their own money. “Zenny” is the form that your money will take on in Street Fighter V once it’s been transferred to the game. Both forms of currency can be used to unlock in-game content.
Fighting games are notorious for receiving updated releases with incremental additional content that need to be purchased as a disc, and Capcom and Arc System Works are obvious reference points in this regard. This could mean a lot of money saved for consumers. What this also suggests is that Capcom is really pushing the need for Internet connectivity in this new “Street Fighter V series” of games. Since online gaming is a popular idea, this suggestion is not too controversial for most people, but what we’re seeing here as far as establishing a new, consistent format for series updates moving forward is uncharted territory for fighting games. I’m also curious as to how this will impact tournament organizers.
In any case, Capcom is pushing Street Fighter V as “games as service”, so let’s see how this turns out. There must be an assumption that at least a respectable amount of people who buy the base game will opt to purchase the characters immediately, but it remains to be seen how many people will be in that number considering there apparently will be a cheaper, albeit time-consuming, option. It’s an experiment in terms of fighting game design, and since development is so costly for fighting games, it’s a surprising move. Among other things, it’ll be interesting to see how much Fight Money (i.e. the amount of time you spend in-game) and Zenny (real money transferred to the game) are valued within Street Fighter V. You can read more of Capcom’s statements and plans for Street Fighter V‘s design at the PSBlog article sourced at the end of this writeup.
Prior to the Top 8 player event for Street Fighter V on Sunday at EVO2015, Capcom played the character trailer for Necalli, the character teased earlier at San Diego Comic Con 2015 and shown above at the top of this writeup. Necalli is a character of unknown origin who fights with a brutal and animalistic style. Capcom’s PSBlog entry on the character describes him as someone who will suit those who prefer a “straightforward, hard-hitting character.” His V-Skill is “Culminated Power”, where Necalli slams the ground with his fists and produces a burst of energy on the ground. The location of the explosion can be horizontally adjusted with the control stick. His V-Trigger is the “Torrent of Power”, and Capcom’s preview of the character suggests that this state allows him access to new combos and better frame data on his attacks. And an even wackier hairstyle.
He is one of four original characters that will be a part of the base game of Street Fighter V. So far, half of the base roster is revealed for the game. Check out the trailer for Necalli below!
