After Fatal Fury, Street Fighter 6 Has Another Crossover Opportunity

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 24, 2024 3 Views 7 Min Read
After Fatal Fury, Street Fighter 6 Has Another Crossover Opportunity

Street Fighter 6 is still going strong after solidifying its reputation via consistent updates in a revitalized competitive scene, and the success of recent collaborations between Capcom and SNK. With Virtua Fighter 6‘s franchise return now having been announced at The Game Awards 2024, Sega has an opportunity to elevate its own flagship fighting game to a similar status. Although the release of VF6 is likely some time away, its existence already presents an exciting chance to crossover with Street Fighter 6 in a groundbreaking union between subgenres.

Fatal Fury’s Mai Shiranui joining Street Fighter 6 in early 2025 after Terry before her serves as the latest example of the ongoing work between two companies that were once rivals in the days of arcades. With Ken and Chun-Li set to appear in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves in a mirrored effort, there seems to be a practically unprecedented cooperative attitude at Capcom. If Virtua Fighter 6 can be treated with similar regard for its characters, the same treatment in SF6 would only further cement the success of the decade’s fighting game revival.

Street Fighter 6 Mai Expected

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What to Expect From Street Fighter 6’s Mai

Now that her appearance in Street Fighter 6 has been fully unveiled, Mai Shiranui appears ready to keep up the game’s Fatal Fury energy.

A Collaboration Between Street Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 6 Could Go Both Ways

The Potential for Interplay Within a Shared New Era

Both SF6 and VF6 represent new directions for their respective series, at the very least on an undeniable aesthetic level. Akira Yuki’s appearance in the Virtua Fighter 6 reveal trailer hints at the passage of time necessitating a revamped take on his world, while SF fans have already grown accustomed to a more mature Ryu and the likes of fresh faces such as Luke or Kimberly. This parallel could make the two titles natural fits for exchanging guest characters, as both of their old and new guards would probably have similar importance.

Capcom’s Admirable Support for Rising Contemporaries

SNK and Sega obviously aren’t small or new companies, but their flagship fighting game franchises don’t share the mainstream recognition of Street Fighter. The recent FF collaboration in SF6 has boosted that series’ profile ahead of CotW‘s release, and the same marketing benefit could easily apply to VF. Although Virtua Fighter 5‘s numerous rereleases have kept its name alive in a more niche capacity, the massive audience that Capcom has maintained could yield a far greater degree of interest.

How a Crossover with Virtua Fighter Could Make Up for One Area of Disappointment Among Street Fighter Fans

Bridging the Gap Between 2D and 3D Fighting Games Instead of Tekken X Street Fighter

It would take a more dramatic transition to bring a member of Virtua Fighter‘s cast into the 2D environment of SF, but this would also establish a relationship that gives hope to a lost concept that once held major hype. On top of being unexpected in the wake of the official cancellation of Tekken X Street Fighter, another guest character trade leading to a character like Ryu or Luke in 3D would be a groundbreaking callback to the days of Street Fighter EX. If VF‘s roster can resonate in the stylized art style of Capcom, then translating the likes of Guile into a highly realistic aesthetic could elevate the status of 3D fighters far beyond the monolith of Tekken.

There’s an inherent risk of diluting the identity of either franchise when it comes to challenging their core mechanics through guests, but examples like Geese Howard and Akuma in Tekken 7 show that these bold collaborations tend to have a net positive impact within the genre. If their gameplay can be designed with respect to their origins and the balance of Street Fighter 6‘s meta alike, then Virtua Fighter characters making it into the game could honor the rich legacies of both names for years to come.

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