Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA have finally revealed more details about the newest Virtua Fighter game.

A city you’ve never seen before. A story you’ve never heard. During Summer Game Fest, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio unveiled a first look at Virtua Fighter Crossroads, a new installment in the Virtua Fighter series set for release in 2027. The trailer, which features new fighter Cielo, offers a glimpse of the cinematic narrative and intense action that will define Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s unconventional approach to the fighting game genre. The game retains the series’ core legacy of pure, realistic combat with simple controls that have made it an industry staple.

Virtua Fighter Crossroads breaks from traditional competitive fighting games by delivering a narrative-driven, action-adventure game in which story and combat seamlessly intertwine. Centered on the theme of “crossroads,” players will experience a high-stakes omnibus narrative through the eyes of four protagonists, each driven by their convictions and burdened by their pasts. Along the way, players will be able to explore a living, breathing city filled with activities and chance encounters. The choices they make in and out of battle will forge alliances, determine consequences, and shape destinies.

Throughout the story, players will experience a variety of intense combat situations, including multi-opponent brawls and boss encounters. This distinct mode coexists with a robust Versus mode, which features a full suite of local and online options. The control scheme carries forward Virtua Fighter‘s signature streamlined and intuitive design, enhancing tactical depth and visual realism while elevating the mind games to a new level.

A team of acclaimed writers from various entertainment and genre backgrounds has come together to work on the game’s story. The team includes David Hayter, world-building supervisor of X-Men, Watchmen, and Wolves; Brad Kane, lead writer of Ghost of Tsushima, which won Game of the Year at the 2020 Game Awards. Kane was also the lead writer of As Dusk Falls, a nominee for Game for Impact at the 2022 Game Awards. He was also the writer and co-producer of You vs. Wild: Out Cold, which won Outstanding Interactive Program at the 49th Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards. The team also includes Tsuyoshi Furuta, scenario director who worked on the Like a Dragon series, Judgment, and Lost Judgment; and Shinji Yamamoto, scenario writer of Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Persona 3, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the King Abaddon.

In the year 20XX, the Arma Carta ended an era of bloodshed in Vilasapara, allowing the crime syndicates operating there to establish a tenuous balance. Until now. President Bato has made Vilasapara a key part of his reelection campaign. He is positioning the city’s “Vila Fight Fest” as the solution to the country’s economic woes. He plans to bring the underground fighting tournament to the world stage as a national sport. His plans are probably unrelated to the recent series of attacks on martial artists by a man dubbed the “Bakunawa Killer,” but who can truly say? It is at this crossroads that the fates of four strangers will intersect, causing phantoms from decades past to stir and changing Vilasapara forever.

This island city, known as the “City of Martial Arts,” is composed of multiple distinct districts, including a walled central city, entertainment districts, and resort areas. In addition to the main storyline, players can explore various side stories and quests. Each one features unique locations tied to its narrative and highlights the connections formed with the locals. RGG Studio has richly brought Vilasapara to life as a melting pot of hidden agendas that shapes the world of this story.

Virtua Fighter Crossroads is set to release in 2027, though a specific platform has not yet been announced.

Source: Gematsu