After Sega revealed two years ago that they were finally going to seriously explore their gaming history again and release new titles in iconic series, rumours began to circulate that Virtua Fighter would also get a new instalment. This is something fans have been clamouring for for nearly two decades, with Virtua Fighter 5 appearing in Japanese arcades in 2006.
Since then, several new and improved versions have been released, but we haven't seen any sign of a full new game. However, exactly one year ago, it was confirmed that Virtua Fighter 6 (the title is not yet confirmed though), developed by Yakuza/Like a Dragon studio Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, is finally on its way.
Automaton interviewed its producer, Riichiro Yamada, who had a lot of exciting information to share. Among other things, he openly stated that the goal is to deliver Game of the Year and offer something new in the genre:
"Of course, our goal is to make a game worthy of being nominated for Game of the Year. Like the very first Virtua Fighter, we want a title that doesn't just sit within the 'fighting game' mould.
"The fighting game genre tends to be seen as a special, niche category. But Virtua Fighter actually isn't like that; it's easy for anyone to pick up and play, and I think that's one of its strengths.
"If a game isn't something anyone can enjoy, it won't reach the level of recognition needed to even be considered for GOTY. This is the meaning behind our target of "making New Virtua Fighter a GOTY-worthy game."
The interview offers several interesting details for fighting fans and is well worth checking out. Hopefully, we'll get to take a closer look at the game at The Game Awards next week, but it still seems to be a few years away, so there's a high possibility that we'll have to wait a while longer to see if it has the potential to be a Game of the Year candidate.