Ask any gamer - whether they're professional, amateur, or simply those playing for fun - and they will include Street Fighter as one of their top favorites. Apparently, the game will always have this knack for alluring all kinds of gamers mainly because of the simplicity of its concept: choose a character, challenge (or wait) for another player, knock him out first and proceed to the next round.
From the arcade halls to the more modernized consoles, Street Fighter has come a long way since Capcom debuted the game in 1987. Since then, the franchise has spawned a multitude of series, crossovers, spinoffs, movies, plush toys, action figures, apparel - basically, anything that gave the name an enduring reputation for being one of the best.
Yoshinori Ono recently sat down with Red Bull Battle Grounds and talked about the evolution of the game since his days with Street Fighter Alpha 3 in 1998. To date, Ono is a staple character in the flurry of Street Fighter competitions not only as the executive producer of the acclaimed Street Fighter V, but also as a fan, and a number one at that.
Ono admitted that Street Fighter V didn't have the start that they had expected, but his team considered it to be a "learning experience". Even so, they are still trying to improve the game by listening to their fans, "see what they want" and add their requests to the game. Social media and the Internet also paved the way for feedbacks - both positive and negative - to reach Capcom faster, and this is proving to be "a very good time", he added.
Despite the success he and Street Fighter had gained over the years, Ono still considers the entire scenario - including competitive gaming - as a work in progress. He comes to events "half for business, and half for pleasure". Sometimes, he tags along his dev team to see the action as it happens and to be "inspired" to further evolve Street Fighter into a class of its own.
As for the future of Street Fighter V and the Capcom Pro Tour (CPT), Ono is taking it one step at a time. Technology, for instance, is a constant tail in the way players take the game on a more serious note. They plan to make CPT "stand alone on its own", but he knows full well that they have a long way to go. "We're not quite there yet," he said, but he leaves it off with something to ponder: a bigger event where the world stops and watch Street Fighter. For now, players will just have to wait and be satisfied with Akuma as the next DLC player after Red Bull Battlegrounds is done with Seattle.
