{"id":15192,"date":"2026-10-09T01:11:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/?p=15192"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:44:40","slug":"street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/10\/09\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Fighter 6 Producer Reveals How He Helped Save Capcom\u2019s Iconic Fighting Game Franchise From \u2018Dying\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Street Fighter 6 producer Shuhei Matsumoto revealed how dire things were for Capcom\u2019s flagship fighting game franchise during the Street Fighter V era and explained how he and director Takayuki Nakayama worked together to save the series from death.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It\u2019s no secret that Street Fighter V stumbled massively when it launched in February 2016. Many players felt that it was shipped out in an unfinished state, as it lacked basic elements like an arcade mode or story mode, on top of its incredibly unstable netplay.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Shuhei Matsumoto \u2014 who stepped in as producer for Street Fighter V near the end of its lifetime following Yoshinori Ono\u2019s exit from Capcom in 2020 \u2014 alongside director Takayuki Nakayama, recognized that the franchise as a whole was in peril, and believed that the Street Fighter IP might actually fade into obscurity within the next decade if they didn\u2019t act fast.<\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Screens  &#8211;  Street Fighter V: Champion Edition<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Character Select Screen of the 2020 &quot;Champion Edition&quot; version of Street Fighter V, available as a retail package or as an update to previous versions of SF5.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;When the two of us were talking during Street Fighter V, we realized that if we didn&#8217;t do something about Street Fighter, the Street Fighter IP would probably die in 10 years. It was critical. So, we had to make it a game where people would get to know it all over again and play it again,\u201d Matsumoto said during an October 2026 interview with Karin Ohira.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Matsumoto explained that SFV\u2019s aging playerbase was one example of this issue, saying Capcom needed to target younger players if it wanted Street Fighter to live.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;At that time, the player base for Street Fighter V was roughly 35 to 45 years old. In 10 years, these people will be 60. It\u2019s difficult to sustain the franchise if we only rely on that group,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;&#8230;It had become a distant presence. People knew of the scene, but weren&#8217;t actually playing the game, which made us think, &#8216;This is bad.&#8217; In the end, we&#8217;re a game company, yet people weren&#8217;t playing our game. Isn&#8217;t that the most fatal thing? So that was the biggest danger. We didn&#8217;t know if those people would continue with the same level of passion, and naturally, there&#8217;s a lifespan to things, right? That&#8217;s when we talked about how, if we left it as it was, the IP would likely die in 10 years.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">So, how did they manage to turn things around so dramatically with Street Fighter 6? Matsumoto said that the team avoided relying on its power as a historic IP, and decided to start with a blank slate, as if no one in the current generation knew about it, at all.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;While people say Street Fighter has high name recognition, we shouldn&#8217;t be overconfident. We decided to act as if the current generation doesn&#8217;t know us. We have to properly explain things to those who are just starting to play games now \u2014 like who these characters are and how to play \u2014 so we don&#8217;t take that familiarity for granted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition Screenshots<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Matsumoto also said that the development of SF6&#8217;s Modern control scheme was integral to reaching a new audience, alongside other approachable features like World Tour Mode (which has since been paused for the forseeable future), the Battle Hub, and real-time commentary from community figures like Vicious and Tasty Steve.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Matsumoto and Nakayama\u2019s plan paid off big time; Street Fighter 6 is one of Capcom\u2019s most successful Street Fighter games of all time, having sold more than seven million lifetime units as of summer 2026. It\u2019s extremely popular both in Japan and abroad, and boasts a massive playerbase across both Steam and consoles.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It\u2019s a big year for Street Fighter fans and Capcom in general; the developer has released three critically-acclaimed titles in Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and is gearing up for the Street Fighter movie on October 16, which comes on the heels of the Resident Evil adaptation directed by horror savant Zach Cregger.<\/p>\n<section class=\"author-sign-off\" data-cy=\"author-sign-off\"><span class=\"stack jsx-59817748 jsx-1927875859\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-444076027 jsx-1730475047 profile-thumb jsx-2141281959 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-1-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Virginia Glaze Avatar\" class=\"progressive-image profile-thumb-img jsx-249361588 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying.jpg\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-3630940851\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 sign-off-text\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Virginia (she\/her) is IGN\u2019s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she\u2019s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at <\/em>@TheeMissGlaze<em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/section>\n<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying-1.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/street-fighter-6-producer-reveals-how-he-helped-save-capcoms-iconic-fighting-game-franchise-from-dying-1.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-15192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49","tag-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15192"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15194,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15192\/revisions\/15194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}