Summary

  • Sega confirmed a new Virtua Fighter game to join the roster of classic franchises getting new entries.
  • Fans suspected Virtua Fighter revival after teasers; Shuji Utsumi expressed franchise was overdue for a revival.
  • Virtua Fighter series involves traditional fighting game mechanics with rounds, knockouts, ring outs, and a limited control scheme.

Sega is working on a new Virtua Fighter game, keeping the classic fighting game series alive more than 18 years after the re-release of its most recent main-series title. Following a big announcement last December including several other classic game franchises, Sega is now adding Virtua Fighter to the list of Sega IPs getting new entries in the near future.

The Virtua Fighter series dates back to its original 1993 arcade game, which was ported to Sega Saturn in 1994 and 32X in 1995. A revolutionary 3D fighter and one of the company's best-selling arcade games of all-time, Virtua Fighter was lauded as ahead of its time in terms of gameplay and presentation. While there have been four main-series sequels since that time, with the last being released for arcades in 2006 and on PlayStation 3 in 2007, the total franchise encompasses 24 different titles including special editions and mobile game versions, with the most recent game being an arcade-exclusive release that was made available in 2023.

At The Game Awards 2023, Sega revealed it was bringing back classic franchises Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, and Shinobi. Now Virtua Fighter will be joining the ranks of those classic Sega franchises that have new games on deck. In an interview with VGC, Sega global head of transmedia Justin Scarpone listed Virtua Fighter among several other previously mentioned classic game franchises that the company is currently working on drawing up new entries for. "So we have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket, which we announced last year at The Game Awards; Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and we have another Virtua Fighter being developed," he said during the interview.

Sega Adds Virtua Fighter to its Revived Franchises List

While exciting for fans of the fighting game franchise, the news is not completely unexpected among the Sega faithful. Fans believed Sega was teasing a Virtua Fighter game in early October. At that time, Sega's official Twitter page posted a short video of an older Virtua Fighter game under the word "SE6A," leading fans to believe that word was alluding to a future Virtua Fighter 6. Despite Scarpone's recent comments, there has been no official statement that the game in development will be a main-series title or about what form it will take.

That wasn't the first time that Sega had addressed a Virtua Fighter revival's possibility. While it wasn't included in the showcase at The Game Awards 2023, some fans had been expecting a Virtua Fighter tease during the awards ceremony based on pre-show marketing from Sega that used the same stylized font as the Virtua Fighter games. Additionally, Sega of America CEO Shuji Utsumi had made comments that the franchise was past-due for a revival.

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Virtua Fighter Tag Page Cover Art
Virtua Fighter
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Fighting
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Systems
arcade png greyscale PC-1
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Released
October, 1993
ESRB
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Developer(s)
Sega-AM2
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Fight the best martial arts masters with over 700 precision moves! Unleash hair-trigger punch/kick combos, throws and crushing stomps!

• Eight unique fighters - Each warrior has a personal fighting style, attack strength and special moves!
• Rapid, realistic 360° combat with 3-D polygon graphics!
See the fighters from all sides!
• Fluid animations look just like real fighters! Get totally wrapped up in the action!

Plus these NEW FEATURES only on Sega Genesis 32X!

• Multiple camera angles - low, high and bird's-eye view and more! Change angles in mid-bout!
• See every bone-jarring hit again in FULL MATCH REPLAY!
• Customize your fighter's clothing!
• Fight in group competitions with ALL NEW Tournament Mode!

Publisher(s)
SEGA
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer
Franchise
Virtua Fighter
Platform(s)
Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC
Genre(s)
Fighting
Virtua Fighter
3 Images