It's potentially bad news for Street Fighter 6 fans, as Capcom's half-year report suggests it could launch much later than we initially thought.
Street Fighter 6 has been a much-anticipated fighter since its announcement earlier this year. While the game still doesn't have a release date beyond a vague 2023, the half-year report (on page 2) makes reference to a "major new title," singular, releasing in the "second half of the fiscal year".
With Resident Evil 4 recently confirmed to launch on March 24, 2023, many fans have taken to believing that Street Fighter 6 is this "major new title," and that the next entry in Capcom's fighting game series has been pushed back into the latter months of the year. Potentially as a result of the closed beta feedback, or perhaps to spread profits more evenly throughout the next fiscal year.
If true, it would be disappointing for many Street Fighter fans, who are used to the series' games landing earlier in the year, typically around February. And given that we've been treated to a ton of Street Fighter 6 gameplay footage and a closed beta, it was a safe bet that the game would launch in early 2023. That seems more ambiguous now.
What does this mean for Capcom in 2023?
If Street Fighter 6 is indeed launching much later into 2023, it doesn't bode well for other titles in Capcom's development docket. New IP Pragmata had originally been delayed into 2023. Now, though, we might not see the intriguing sci-fi game launch until 2024.
It's a similar story for Exoprimal which, while not necessarily considered a heavy hitter for the publisher, has been promoted quite extensively at multiple Capcom Showcase presentations. Now, it's possible the multiplayer dino shooter could launch in 2024, potentially alongside the much-anticipated Dragon's Dogma 2.
Capcom pushing Street Fighter 6 back to the second half of 2023 may not actually be the wisest move for the company, though. A number of major fighting games are on the horizon, including Tekken 8 and SNK's Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2.
It'll be interesting to see how Capcom's 2023 ends up panning out. As no release date has been confirmed for Street Fighter 6, it's still more than possible for it to fill that February slot.
Maybe that's just the optimist in me thinking aloud, though. As someone who missed out on the closed beta, I've been dying to try out Street Fighter 6. Now, if Capcom does plan to launch the game further into 2023, hopefully, the developer will continue to whet our appetites with more beta opportunities and gameplay footage.
