Hey everyone!
We just announced some big Street Fighter V news today at the Capcom
panel here at EVO 2015. There is quite a lot of information to take in,
so buckle down and read carefully!
First and foremost, Street Fighter V will feature a brand new
service-based approach with regards to post-launch content. With this
approach come several key changes to our content strategy:
- The initial release is the only disc you will ever need to own
- All balance and system adjustments will be available for free
- All post-launch gameplay related content will be earnable for free by playing the game
That’s right; Street Fighter V will be the first iteration in the
franchise where it is possible for dedicated players to earn all
gameplay related content (such as characters) for
free,
simply by playing the game. Long gone are the days of forced Super and
Ultra upgrades! Enjoy free balance updates as soon as they become
available, and find and choose the post-launch characters that you want
to get.
Pre-order for Beta Access
Speaking
of characters, Street Fighter V will launch with a core roster of 16
playable characters, with 4 of them being brand new fighters to the
Street Fighter universe. Post-launch, we will be adding new characters
to the roster on a continuous basis, which will provide new content for
players to enjoy. Again, every post-launch character released will be
earnable for free through gameplay!
Looking back on the Street Fighter IV series, we had always released
bundles of content all at once, like with Super Street Fighter IV and
Ultra Street Fighter IV. While these one-time updates did revive
interest in the series every few years, it was difficult to keep players
engaged for long periods of time unless they were competitive. This
also punished players who took a break from playing the game, because if
they wanted to start again in a few years, they would be forced to
purchase an upgrade to join the existing player pool who had already
moved on to a new version. On top of that, this old method also forced
players to purchase all of the new content, even if only a few
characters may have appealed to them.
With Street Fighter V, we want to change the way that players
interact with the series, and create an ever-evolving environment for
players to enjoy. By releasing new characters on a regular basis, it
will ensure that there is always new content to look forward to in the
short term, and it prevents the competitive environment from ever
becoming stale.
Players also have more freedom in their decisions, as they only need
to purchase or earn the content that appeals to them. This will also
create more long-term engagement, because the more you play the game,
the more you are rewarded and can earn new content. The player base is
never shrunk by requiring a paid update like in years past. Players can
take a break from the game, but then come back at any time and continue
to play with the characters they already own, with the newest gameplay
balance.
We are able to execute this service-based model by introducing an
in-game economy to Street Fighter V. There are two types of currency
that make the economy go round:
Fight Money
- This is basic currency that players earn through playing the game.
Once players accumulate enough Fight Money, they can use it to earn new
post-launch gameplay content, such as characters, for free!
Zenny
- This is premium currency that players can purchase with real money to immediately gain access to post-launch content.
We will be using later beta phases to test the economy and ensure it works in a fair way for everyone.
Phew! That was a lot of info, so we hope it all makes sense to
everyone. We are extremely excited about this new post-launch strategy,
and we’ll be talking about more specific details at a later date. For
now, we hope everyone is excited to start playing and earning content!
