Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio continue to work hard on the next Virtua Fighter game, having released several trailers that highlight fighting as the central focus of what we’ve seen so far. Stepping into an all-new chapter of the series is a daunting task, so we sat down with producer Riichiro Yamada to discuss the balance between old and new elements, Wolf’s redesign, and the approach behind the trailers released up to this point.
For Yamada, it’s an honor to work on the newest Virtua Fighter installment. He shared his deep respect for the series’ early contributors, especially Yu Suzuki, and expressed both excitement and nervousness about carrying on their legacy.
One of the biggest challenges has been deciding which features and aspects of the series should be preserved and which should evolve. To help ensure that players find the elements they expect and that the fighting remains well-balanced, the team enlisted the help of a battle manager who was deeply involved in previous Virtua Fighter titles.
When it comes to new opportunities, Yamada explained that the team considers several factors, such as each character’s motivations for fighting and their story positions following Virtua Fighter 5.
Take fan-favorite character Wolf Hawkfield, for example. We’ve seen that he is apparently coming out of retirement to enter the ring once more. Yamada revealed that for Wolf’s return to pro wrestling, the team embraced the flashy entertainment side of the sport, shifting Wolf’s design toward more of a showman rather than the almost strictly athletic battle gear he sported in previous games.
Figuring out where to innovate versus where to keep things familiar for longtime fans has been a difficult balancing act — one that Yamada thinks about every day. Fans can look forward to seeing how this thoughtful approach shapes the next chapter of Virtua Fighter.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146022/new-virtua-fighter-project-interview