SEGA is planning to release a new version of a fifteen-year-old game (indeed: Virtua Fighter 5 started in 2006), but it will get a new technological coat.

SEGA will release the game only digitally, and it’s going to use Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s (Yakuza) engine, the Dragon Engine. The game has been remade for a new generation, and it will keep the basics of the gameplay, but the background music, the user interface, the opening movie, the lighting, and the shaders will all be brand new.

Here’s what SEGA’s press release says: „Widely celebrated by classic fighting game fans for its strategic 3D gameplay, intuitive mechanics, intricate balance, and intense martial arts combat, Virtua Fighter 5 has received popular updates throughout its history, most recently with the console re-release in 2012. Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown re-envisions the visceral experience of the original with gorgeous HD graphics, new online features, and all the bone-crunching, martial arts combat of its renowned predecessor.

[…] Play classic Virtua Fighter 5 in glorious HD with updated character models, stages, cinematics, and background music. Create private rooms for up to 16 players and take on all challengers in round-robin style League Matches, Tournament Matches, and other new online match types. Spectate in real-time and communicate live with stamps as the battle heats up! Enter the ring with one of 19 playable characters. Master each of their unique fighting styles across a variety of solo and online modes. Experience the pinnacle of Virtua Fighter 5 combat in classic modes like “Rank Match,” “Arcade,” “Training,” and “Offline Versus” as you battle to become the next World Fighting Tournament legend!”, SEGA wrote.

And for the twist: Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown will launch on PlayStation 4 (the PlayStation 5 will get backwards compatibility, but no Xbox or PC version in sight) on June 1. The day when Sony is replacing the May PlayStation Plus titles with the June games. And this game has been rumoured to be in the line-up for the next month…

But when will SEGA get to Virtua Fighter 6? Will it EVER happen?

Source: Gematsu