One thing Capcom has been incredibly adamant about concerning Street Fighter V is its permanence. The phrase “game as a service” has been used extensively since the upcoming title was first revealed, and everything that’s been revealed so far, from the in-game economy to the regular updates, supports that statement.
But how do the developers expect Street Fighter V evolve? Gamasutra recently sat down with producer Yoshinori Ono to learn just that.
As has been reported in the past, Street Fighter V will feature Fight Money, which can be earned simply by playing the game, and Zenny, which is the equivalent of real-life cash. While games like League of Legends and Dota 2 have grown up with the concepts of in-game currency, it’s a rather new commodity in the world of consoles. Season passes, on the other hand, are more familiar, and that’s what Ono expects many players will wind up using.
Of course, keeping with their philosophy of mixing old and new, they will be able to keep tabs on the community more than ever before and see where things land.
“It’s really going to be a matter of us watching how the community handles this. And then after we see this for awhile, that’s when we decide where the center of gravity is going to be,” Ono explained. “That conversation is going to be ongoing; we’re going to take a look at the player-base online, and it’s going to be a constant dialogue with everyone as we move forward and adjust things as we move forward as well.”
As for the far-away future, Ono expects Street Fighter V to enjoy a six-year lifespan, similar to the gap between Street Fighter IV and Ultra Street Fighter IV.
“In terms of how the [research and development] team has looked at this, in reality, it’s all very similar to what we’ve done in the past. It’s very, very similar in terms of having updates over time. The only thing that’s really different is the methodology of doing it, because the technology has changed,” Ono continued. “[T]here has been so much learning that has been done from the non-service games. It’s never really going to go away, because it serves as the basis of what we’re doing. It’s a baseline for what’s happening.”
Will console fans be able to adapt to the “game as a service” model that has allowed PC titles to thrive? That remains to be seen, but it’s reassuring to know Capcom is keyed into the community for insight into how they should move forward.
For more of Ono’s conversation with Gamasutra, be sure to follow the link below.
Source: Gamasutra via Patrick Miller
