Today Kotaku had a post regarding the possibility of the new Super Street Fighter IV getting an arcade release, stating how it would be easy to do so, if they really wanted to do it. Arcade industry consultant and AH contributor Kevin Williams of The Stinger Report enlightens us with some extra details on what is going on behind the scenes regarding this issue.
Kevin Williams:
Capcom Japan were caught off guard by comments reported from an interview with the California Capcom manager of Community, Seth Killan, regarding the future of the arcade Street Fighter range.
http://kotaku.com/5387466/capcom-pondering-super-street-fighter-iv-in-arcades
In an interview with KOTAKU (the popular gamers’s guide site), Mr. Killan stated that no firm decision had been made to bring ‘Super Street Fighter IV’ to arcades – “…but if they do, it will be a fairly easy translation!”
In a surprising statement, the door for the new version of the game as a upgrade to existing Taito Type-X2 arcade version was opened, with the claim that “…if released to arcade, an arcade machine could be updated by simply installing new software and changing the cabinet artwork”.
This news flashed round the internet, and saw consternation from Taito and some distributors – who had been told categorically that there would never be an upgrade path for the Street Fighter IV series?
Adding to the confusion over what is really going on – the ‘Street Fighter IV’ producers claim at launch of no interest whatsoever for an amusement version – a statement that was later hurriedly refuted by Capcom executives in Japan.
Now that an American (non-amusement) executive would make such a sweeping statement regarding the amusement aspirations of the new Street Fighter game has caused heated high-level discussions between the US and Japanese parent.
In my opinion it would be good for arcades to finally get a good fighting game back on the market that people love to play, and what better game than SF IV.