Sega is reviving its first-ever fighting game franchise, Virtua Fighter, after leaving it in arcade purgatory for 18 years. The company is working on a new Virtua Fighter game for the first time since 2006, aiming to refresh the stale IP and connect with both old and new generations of gamers.
According to global head of transmedia Justin Scarpone, the challenge lies in reinventing these lesser-known IPs while appealing to younger audiences. “We have another Virtua Fighter being developed,” he says. “The interesting thing is you have a generation of folks who remember those titles fondly from their childhood or young adulthood, who are now in their 40s or 50s, and then you have a younger generation that really doesn’t have any connectivity to that IP.”
Scarpone’s team is exploring how to connect with new generations while retaining the essence of these classic IPs. The example he gives is the Shinobi franchise, which has both a game and a film in development. “So will that resonate or not kind of depends on if we have gotten better as storytellers, and if we can reach younger audiences while also reigniting the core fans.”
The new Virtua Fighter game’s details are scarce, but it’s likely to feature the signature low-poly graphics that defined the series. The game’s success will depend on Scarpone’s team’s ability to strike a balance between nostalgia and innovation, appealing to both old and new fans of the franchise.
Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fighting/sega-is-finally-reviving-the-worlds-first-3d-fighting-game-franchise-after-leaving-it-in-arcade-purgatory-for-18-years