Sega producer Seiji "Usiman" Aoki talks Virtua Fighter eSports (Ultimate Showdown) famitsu.com/news/202105/28…🇯🇵
https://twitter.com/famitsu/status/1398089214546178049
there had been regular discussions about reviving VF that went nowhere, but when talks of Sega's 60th anniversary started happening in 2019, that gave them they push they needed to finally bring it back
development hit full swing in February of 2020, right as pandemic measures…
development hit full swing in February of 2020, right as pandemic measures…
…set in, which obviously made things difficult: this was not only the first collab between AM2 & Ryu ga Gotoku Studio but it also involved a lot of overseas studios, and because it was a Sega 60th project, it absolutely had to be released before June 3, 2020—they just made it
the planning & programming was handled by AM2 staffers who had a legacy with both the arcade & home versions of VF, while RGG handled the visuals & implementation of the Dragon Engine, including collaborating with AM2's programmers to ensure everyone was on the same page
on why they're launching for free on PS+/Now: the idea of the project was to get the game in the hands of as many ppl as possible; they know there are generations who are aware of VF but haven't played it, so they wanted to make it affordable & what's more affordable than free?
ofc it won't be free forever: it'll leave PS+ after two months and the PS Now version is also limited, and they'll be selling DLC, bundles, etc concurrently with these promos
on the arcade version: there was never any question that there wouldn't be an arcade version, but the pandemic obviously made them nervous; one of the ways they've minimised risk is by releasing via the multi-game APM3 service instead of distributing new/dedicated cabinets
one concern was the location test, or rather, whether they could even do one, not just bc of the pandemic but bc the PS4/AC versions were to release simultaneously and they didn't want info from the loctest to spoil their rollout, so they ended up not doing a real loctest, but...
...one of the purposes of a loctest is to ensure arcade operators that their game is going to make money, so Sega actually ended up staging a mock loctest within the company to simulate how it might perform in a real arcade, which they've never done before
VF eSports AC will support player data from Final Showdown: ppl can mail their old IC cards to Sega and Sega will transfer their battle data to the new Aime card format, and the old VF.NET service has been succeeded by VFesports.net (¥440/mo sub)
the visuals were a big focus: VF5 looked fantastic in its day but modern visual standards have changed, so they wanted to upgrade the gfx without betraying the look of the original game
one concern was that when ppl picture VF5 in their mind, they imagine the entire game...
one concern was that when ppl picture VF5 in their mind, they imagine the entire game...
...looking like the high-res CG portraits you'd see on the character select screen, so they worried that even with all the work they'd put into upgrading the gfx, people might not realise just how different they actually looked, but comments from some old players put them at ease
they were also focused on implementing features that reflect the demands of competitive players: tournament & league modes, spectator modes, etc
with the pandemic in mind, you'll also be able to hold tournaments online, and there's more they plan to add in future updates
with the pandemic in mind, you'll also be able to hold tournaments online, and there's more they plan to add in future updates
in addition to the features they didn't have ready for launch (open tournaments, team battle, etc), they also want to try and respond to user feedback after launch (ROLLBACK TELL THEM YOU WANT ROLLBACK), as well as recreate & increase the number of customisation items available
on costumes/customisation items: all the costumes and customisation items were remade from scratch, so the currently available items are a subset of those from previous versions; they'd like to remake them all & add new ones, and maybe even do collaboration costumes
on the vision for VF eSports: he wants to hold many tournaments, including global tournaments; they're holding "season 0" of Challenge Cup in August-October & January-March, with the hope of transitioning into the fully-fledged professional circuit in April
another goal is to offer events delineated not only by pro/amateur but player skill, which they've done successfully with Puyo Puyo eSports
they're also bringing back versions of VF staples like 100-man kumite & tetsujin, but they don't want to lean too heavily into nostalgia
they're also bringing back versions of VF staples like 100-man kumite & tetsujin, but they don't want to lean too heavily into nostalgia
on interacting with the long-established VF fan communities: Usiman often held in-store events & regularly met with fans during his Border Break days, so he understands the value in doing so & wants to do it for VF, but he may have to find ways of doing that online, obviously
on Virtua Fighter 6: nothing's been decided so there's not much he can say, but given the choice between making VF6 or not, he'd obviously like to; VFes is one way to test whether the market wants a new VF, so he wants to make it a success that can hopefully lead to other things
in closing, Usiman reiterates that the game's free right now so as many ppl as possible can try it, so he wants new players to get a feel for it and go in as deeply as they like
he also asks that the oldheads be kind to newer players and help to foster a larger VF community
he also asks that the oldheads be kind to newer players and help to foster a larger VF community
that's June 3 2021* obviously, oops
(re: feedback, I'm not going to link to Usiman's twitter but he's out there and not too hard to find, but I think being publicly vocal & hitting your local Sega socials should get the message across
that and reviewers appropriately weighing the importance of adequate netcode)
that and reviewers appropriately weighing the importance of adequate netcode)
...oh and this, definitely do this
https://twitter.com/peacockjive/status/1398187929814536195
gonna stick this here too—the rest of this second interview covers all the same stuff but it does include this kinda nothing statement about the netcode, it'll be out in a few days so judge for yourselves
https://twitter.com/gosokkyu/status/1398518374687117314
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