Like many who can call themselves a “gamer,” I’ve dabbled with the Street Fighter franchise. Hell, I have memories of somehow finding my way to a proper arcade cabinet a couple times in my childhood. However, I cannot say that I capital-p Play Street Fighter in the way that many do. Sometimes professionally. But even I, a casual dabbler, saw the Street Fighter 6 trailer during the June 2022 PlayStation State of Play and went, “Holy shit, that looks amazing!”
After years and eons of rumors, Street Fighter 6 was officially announced in February with a short teaser trailer. By contrast, the new trailer is the first time fans have gotten a deep look at what the game might be like. And it sure made it seem like Street Fighter 6 will be a massive evolution for one of the most iconic fighting series of all time. The trailer appears to begin in the new “World Tour” mode, which PlayStation’s copy calls “an immersive single-player story experience.” In other words … this version of Street Fighter will have an adventure-looking story mode. It seems like you can even wander around the city. And that city looks vibrant as hell—the kind of place I’d want to stroll around and look for people with cardboard boxes over their heads to beat up, for sure.
I honestly had no idea I was watching a Street Fighter trailer until Chun Li popped up, looking badass and very intimidating. And then the parade of familiar faces began. Ryu’s even got a new beard. The trailer also featured Luke, who only debuted in Street Fighter 5, and a completely new character named Jamie. In a separate announcement, developer Capcom also said Street Fighter 6 will be the first installment of the series to offer in-game fight commentary. Of course, fans of the tried-and-true Street Fighter formula don’t need to fear. It seems one of the game’s three modes, Fighting Ground, will provide the classic Street Fighter experience. There’s also the Battle Hub, which could be an online thing? Time will tell.
Although it was featured on a PlayStation presentation, Street Fighter 6 will also be released on Xbox Series X/S and Steam. “When” is another matter, though. The trailer says the game’s coming in 2023, but offered no further information. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise for a game as cloaked in rumors and mystery as Street Fighter 6 has been. It feels like it could be a summer game, maybe?
(featured image: Capcom)
