There has been a lot of talk around Virtua Fighter making a comeback and Sega has finally made it official. The series will receive a new installment in the form of Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown as a part of Sega’s 60th anniversary.
Virtua Fighter is a classic Sega fighting game series that hit the scene in 1993. The first title is one of the first 3D fighting games ever released. Since its debut, Virtua Fighter has gone on to receive five mainline sequels among numerous spinoffs.
Ultimate Showdown is a remake of 2006’s Virtua Fighter V. The new version includes enhancements to separate it from the original such as updated graphics using a new engine and new background music. It’ll feature new online features such as 16 player lobbies, tournament modes, and a spectator mode.
The game is developed by a team consisting of members of Sega AM2 and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios. It will launch on June 1 and be a digital exclusive title for the Playstation 4.
The original 2006 release of Virtua Fighter 5 was a hit in arcades and later was ported to PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Both this initial release was met with praise when it launched. Some may recognize the game and its main character, Akira Yuki, from Sega’s Yakuza series and guest character crossovers such as in Dead or Alive 5. Yuki also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an assist trophy.
Sega is hosting a full live stream on its YouTube channel at 4 a.m PT on Thursday, May 27. The stream will go more in-depth on the game and Sega’s announced “Virtua Fighter x esports” project.
