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After a decade in limbo, could Strider finally return?

Strider 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s been a long, long time since Capcom made a game starring its red-scarf wearing, sword-wielding freedom fighter Strider Hiryu. He’s gotten guest spots over the years, most notably as a preferred fighter in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it’s been nearly a decade and a half since he starred in his own game. After years of rumors hinting at a comeback, Steam and Xbox Live have leaked hint that Capcom may be ready to announce a downloadable Strider 3 in the near future.

NeoGAF user canIhasAnAccount first spotted images for what looked like cover art and a logo for a new game called Strider at the end of January. On Monday night though, a logo for achievements unlocked in the game were uncovered in Valve’s Steam database.

Achievements have leaked information about new Capcom games well before they were publicly announced before. Resident Evil: Revelations Unveiled Edition wasn’t announced for Xbox 360 until February, but an achievements list for the game leaked to the web back in January.

The last proper Strider game, Strider 2, was first released in arcades in 1999 and later hit the PlayStation in 2000. That game came out more than a decade after Capcom made a NES spinoff of the original arcade game, as well as a licensed sequel for the Sega Genesis made by Tiertex.

Despite the relative obscurity of the series, Capcom has been toying with the idea of bringing the character back for years. In 2012, Anait Games leaked a concept trailer for a new 3D Strider reboot that was in production at defunct studio GRIN back in 2009. GRIN closed that same year after the failure of another Capcom reboot it made, Bionic Commando.

Capcom may take the lid off this new Strider at PAX East on Friday or GDC the following week. The publisher said in February that it has two unannounced titles that it’s bringing to the show. The first of these, a PSN and Xbox Live version of arcade brawlers Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara, were announced last week. Could Strider 3 be next?

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Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
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