Sifu developer explains why the game’s latest update is its last

By Tomas Franzese September 7, 2023

Sifu, from Sloclap and Kepler Interactive, was one of 2022’s most memorable games thanks to tough, but fluid combat that felt like it was pulled straight out of a classic action movie. Over time, Sloclap improved the game through a series of updates that added more gameplay options, new modes, and difficulty customization. Now, Sifu‘s last content update is upon us.

That final update, which is available now, is focused on the game’s more hardcore players and fleshes out the Arena mode introduced in an update earlier this year. It includes six new arenas, 75 new challenges to complete within them, lots of new modifiers and cheats, and a Custom Arenas mode that lets players tailor their own challenges. Overall, Sloclap believes this adds 15 hours of gameplay.

Sifu's main character at age 70 in Sifu. — Kepler Interactive

When a game like Sifu is a surprise hit and sees healthy support post-launch, it can be tough for developers to move on from it. At a preview event held by Kepler Interactive prior to the announcement, Digital Trends asked Sloclap why it finally thought it was time to move on from Sifu. They revealed that most of these post-launch updates were mainly meant to make the game feel complete and that they were impossible to keep up forever because they were free updates and not DLC.

“After we launched Sifu, there were features that we didn’t have time to include, so we wanted to finish the game,” Felix Garczynski, Sloclap head of marketing and publishing, told Digital Trends. “We gave ourselves some time and dedicated part of the team to work on these updates, but as we chose to do only free updates and no DLCs, we couldn’t maintain updates forever. As parts of the team switched on to new projects, we’ve concluded our update run. We feel that, as far as free updates go, it’s been quite extensive, but we also wanted to start working on the next project. We’re a small studio, so it’s complicated to do both at the same time.”

Although the developers decided not to make any new story content, it’s a solid sendoff for a game that gives players the tools to keep playing for as long as want to with the Custom Arenas. Sifu is available now across PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, and its final update is available now.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Sega explains why it’s officially ditching the Yakuza name for Like a Dragon

Sakamoto Ryōma holds a sword in Like a Dragon: Ishin!

The Yakuza name is no more, as Sega plans to officially rebrand the series of crime dramas under the franchise name "Like a Dragon" moving forward -- a move that became apparent with the reveal of three new games prior to this year's Tokyo Game Show. Speaking to Digital Trends, a Sega of America representative confirmed the reason for the name change.
"I can confirm the series will be known as "Like a Dragon" moving forward to more closely align with the Japanese name," a representative for Sega of America tells Digital Trends.
In Japan, Sega has called the series Ryū ga Gotoku since its inception in 2005, and that phrase is even the namesake of developer RGG Studio. "Ryū ga Gotoku" translates to "like a dragon" in English, but Sega decided to call the series Yakuza when it brought the first game to the West in 2006. Now that the series is more popular than ever and largely moved on from telling stories directly focused on the Yakuza, it makes sense for Sega to give the series a similar title in all regions. Sega localization producer Scott Strichart pointed out on Twitter that 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon foreshadowed the change by naming a chapter "Chapter 12: The End of Yakuza." Strichart is not involved with the localization of upcoming Like a Dragon titles.
https://twitter.com/TriggerRedd/status/1569861939844780032
Three Like a Dragon games are in the works for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Like a Dragon: Ishin will be the first one of them to release, as it launches on February 23, 2023. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name follows later next year, while Like a Dragon 8 continues the mainline series in 2024.

Gaming

Sifu’s summer update is part of a push to give players more options

sifu fall update preview interview gameplay modifiers h5kitchen

Sifu garnered renown upon its release because of its dedication to being intense and tough. Compare it to Dark Souls if you want, but the game demonstrated the intensity of the quest its main character is on by making every enemy a real threat until players learn to master their kung fu moves and the game's unique aging mechanic. Over time though, developer Sloclap has made Sifu more and more approachable, even with more difficulty settings, while still retaining its vision for the game.
"Our intent was never to make a difficult game for the sake of it; it answers our intentions," game designer Theo Caselli tells Digital Trends. "We wanted a game that echoes the kung fu ethos of mastery via practice, and we wanted to put weight into the fight with a realistic approach. Fighting someone should be risky, stressful, hard, and feel like a single mistake could be the end. But we also understood that some people do not have the time or do not fancy this mentality, but still wanted to have the action movie experience nevertheless."
Sifu | Summer 2022 Content Update Trailer | PS4, PS5 & PC
To make progress on that approachability front, Sifu's spring update introduced an easy mode. Now, the newly announced summer update adds a plethora of gameplay modifiers. While some of these modifiers make the game more challenging by removing moves or buffing enemies, others, like infinite health, can make Sifu much easier for first-time players intimidated by the challenge. Mix in the update’s brand new scoring system and outfits, and it looks like the best time to play Sifu since launch will be after the August 31 update.
Modified mayhem
"The easy mode was really intended for players just wanting to enjoy the ambiance, the environments, and the story with cool fight scenes," Caselli continued. "At the other end of the spectrum, we also wanted to give the most skilled players an even greater challenge and introduce a harder difficulty. The same philosophy guided our choice on the upcoming summer update. Make the game more tweakable, to make it more accessible, or more challenging, or even a little bit of both at the same time, both cheats and modifiers."
Some gameplay modifiers that will make Sifu a lot easier include Bullet Time, infinite health, and unbreakable weapons. Of course, players who like how difficult Sifu can be can also ramp up the challenge by making enemies faster, removing moves like blocking, or giving themselves a single hit point. Meanwhile, the scoring system entices players to defeat groups of enemies uninterrupted for the maximum point reward.

Truly skilled players can also show off with a brand new outfit called Master Hand, which gives players a hat that will fall off if they are hit even once. If you want to beat Sifu with a hat on, you’ll need to be really good. Players who do want to get all of Sifu's trophies will also have to avoid modifiers that make the game easier. Felix Garczynski, Sloclap marketing manager, confirmed to Digital Trends that gameplay modifiers that make the game easier will disable trophies. Slocloap also believes gameplay modifiers have a place in helping players who want to improve. To get better at Sifu, Garczynski recommends disabling blocking, though maybe you can still turn on zero gravity and have some fun.
“Blocking is never a good option in the game,” Garczynski says. “You can use it while you try to learn the combat system, but are more rewarded if you manage to parry at the right time or evade the blow. I think disabling it is a good way to make sure you are actually learning and not reverting to the easy option. And if I wanted to choose one just for fun, I think the low-gravity option is really cool because you have all the pieces and items you’ve broken in the environment and enemies floating around and create some really poetic scenes.”
What's next for Sifu

Gaming

What is Embracer Group? Gaming’s new megapower, explained

The Lord of the Rings Return of the King Extended Edition

You might not have heard of Embracer Group, but you’ve probably played something a studio it owns developed. Have you played Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Valheim, Elex II, or Shadow Warrior 3 recently? Then you’ve been enjoying a game from Embracer.
While Embracer’s name might not be on the box or store page, this European holding company has subtly become one of the biggest companies in the gaming space. If there’s a AA game launching, this studio likely has a hand in it. The company made a big move earlier this year when it acquired major franchises like Tomb Raider after buying Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal. Now, it's continuing to assert its dominance with the acquisition of physical game manufacturer Limited Run Games and the rights to The Lord of the Rings IP.
These acquisitions speak to the continued growth of Embracer Group, which looks like it will become a bigger player in the AAA gaming space in the years to come. While Embracer Group has fallen under the radar for many people over the past decade, it’s worth paying attention to in the years to come.
Starting the embrace
“Embracer Group is a parent company of businesses led by entrepreneurs in PC, console, mobile and board games, and other related media,” the company boasts on its website. “The group has an extensive catalog of over 850 owned or controlled franchises.”

Embracer Group is a holding company that continuously buys a lot of new studios and IP, making it the somewhat obscure parent company of several notable publishers and developers. It doesn’t help that Embracer Group has actually gone by many names over the years.
Originally known as Nordic Games, the company has steadily acquired various IPs and studios since 2011. A significant shift happened in 2016 when the company rebranded to THQ Nordic AB after acquiring the trademark for, and many assets of, the defunct classic publisher at auction.
"Embracer is the best-kept secret in gaming."