Fighting game development

Through the release of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox , fighting game players were typically able to enjoy multiple new sequels or entries of their favorite series on their console of choice every year or two. Everyone playing fighting games now has come to learn that is no longer the case, however, with most major franchises only receiving one main title per console generation, so what do the developers making the games have to say about that shift in releases?

Well, longtime Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada previously sat down with professional Street Fighter 5 player Rohto Tokido where he dives deeper into the business side of making fighting games and keeping them supported.

Harada is quick to admit that he too would like to release more new games and sequels more often because it looks good for the companies and helps drive hype, but that's not the reality of where the industry finds itself in the post-HD era now. According to Harada, however, the workforce hasn't increased enough to match the costs in many cases, so projects take longer to create than they used to. You can't make a new game entry with a 1 billion yen development budget to be frank with you.

There's probably no fighting game that can be made for 1 billion yen. He goes on to suggest that simply releasing a new game does not guarantee they'll be able to recuperate those costs, but supporting a game for multiple years gives the developers a much better chance of turning a profit.

Subsequent sequels on the same hardware, like going from Tekken 4 to Tekken 5 on the PS2, almost always sells less than the previous fighting game, which is something Harada's team took note of over many years. Fighting game sales apparently also used to drastically drop off after just a few months following release which is no longer really the case, especially if the title continues to see support post-launch.

Tekken 7 is a prime example of that thinking since Harada says Tekken 7 sold about 3 million copies in its first year on the market and has now gone on to sell an additional 4 million since. This has led to the 'games as a service' business model that's captured almost the entire industry, which aims to try and keep the playerbase engaged for longer while the developers need more time to make the next thing — and all the while keep making money from DLC and new players.

NetherRealm Studios has released four entirely different fighting games over the past seven or so years from Injustice to Mortal Kombat They're in something of a unique position, however, as their titles tend to sell way more than pretty much every other fighting game with the financial backing of Warner Bros. Though he doesn't know for sure, the man who wears sunglasses because of Capcom believes Street Fighter probably costs about half as much to develop compared to Tekken because of its 2.

You don't have to agree with Harada's views or conclusions about the current state of making fighting games though it is still important to take notice of what those on the inside are thinking and feeling — and this is a rare chance to hear hard numbers.

The translated portion of the video can be found below thanks to Amola-Sense. The translations themselves aren't entirely accurate, and we had to do some of our own though you should still be able to get the gist of what Harada and Tokido discuss below. Tournament Results. Now the 2D vs. I wanna make a fighting game! Hi, just a 2 cent, I wish lots of great luck!

I second everything that was said here and will share my opinion I am indie game developer outside US making a 3D fighting game alone that uses 2. As such, other fighting games do not warrant their time or dollars. Tekken 7 is last ditch. The most important point, if you want to make a new fighting game, in my mind, is working on Game Design and balancing it.

What is the 3D engine used? Think about it — Street Fighter — can be summed in one word : Ryu. All these elements converge to make a solid fighting game. It was quite the extenive post, thanks for your opinion.

The game velocity is similar to Tekken so, moderately slow. Story mode plays like a visual novel with fights in-between; I also implemented character profiles and a character model viewer. I agree with most of your comments, though, but in my case I did it all out of passion! I wanted to create a game since I was 8 years old and going to elementary school. If so, can you give me a link to check it? Actually nearly ever big fighting game nowadays is using Unreal.

Capcom: Infinite and some more. I think the main reason for that is that Unreal has a very solid animation system. I agree with you. The fighting system etc is still using the same code as the Tekken games prior to Tekken 7. Can you link me some references? I look forward to your next article. I come from a programming background so I am most worried about the assets and animation.

I think I could learn to draw something simple and maybe make a sprite sheet, but I am not sure if I can come up with something of decent quality.

I think I might go that route unless I can get access to some motion capture equipment somehow, because 3D animations really need to look fluid, and I highly doubt I would be able to do that manually. Might look cool if you could do a good set of basic poses, but then have really rough sketch assets. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

Featured course. Join us! How about writing your own piece for IndieWatch? Join Us Now! My insane love for fighting games made me try to build my own one — Schwarzerblitz — and spending my time improving it. Hope this helps in any way, Thanks for reading. Just a 2 cent. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

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