Coliseum

We recently reported on the fact that Team NINJA will be adding the King of Fighters’ Mai Shiranui to Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. This isn’t exactly anything new for fighting games in general–other games such as Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct have also been piling on crossover characters. Meanwhile, Dead or Alive has arguably had them from the start.

In light of all of this, PVPLive’s Chris Bahn sat down with Team NINJA’s Creative Director Tom Lee to talk about the subject of crossovers, why they’re so compelling, and why we shouldn’t expect them to go away any time soon.

Regarding Dead or Alive’s history of crossovers and guest characters, he relates how when making the first game, Team NINJA realized that Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa would be a natural fit due to the former’s emphasis on ninjas.

As for why there has been an increase in the number of crossovers and guest characters as of late, Lee points out how they’re a good way to maintain fans’ attention on a game. “There are so many options for fans to get into or be distracted away from what they enjoy,” Lee states, “so, the recent spike in crossovers and collaborations between established franchises and licensed IPs is a move from publishers to keep their aging franchises relevant without ‘reinventing the wheel’. Collaborating with another company for a crossover,” he continues “can breathe new life into that game.”

Lee also points out that this is something that isn’t just limited to video games, and that you see the same thing happening in traditional media such as TV and films. As such, he doesn’t expect this trend to slow down anytime soon.

Of course, this is just part of what they talk about, head on over to PVP Live to read the full interview, including Lee’s list of other characters he’d like to add to DOA5 Last Round.

Source: PVP Live

The San Diego Comic-Con is a great place for many creators to interact with their fans. As such, it’s no surprise that, even those outside of comics, tend to hold panels at the event.

One such company is Bandai Namco, who will be holding a panel on Friday, July 22. The panel will include Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada, Senior Producer Michael Murray, and will be moderated by none other than Mark “MarkMan” Julio.

While the panel itself will be primarily about their upcoming fighter, Tekken 7, they will also be holding a special discussion about Bandai Namco’s other 3D fighting franchise, Soulcalibur.  Specifically, they will be talking about the series’ 20th anniversary (while Soul Edge launched in arcades in December 1995, 1996 saw the release of arcade Ver. II before hitting PlayStation in December).

For those who’re going to SDCC and are interested in checking the panel out, it will be taking place at Room 25ABC of the San Diego Convention Center from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM on Friday, July 22.

Source: SDCC via 8WayRun