In a recent interview with Siliconera, Yosuke Hayashi (the head of Team Ninja) provided some details about Tecmo’s upcoming projects, including Dead or Alive 5. What’s interesting is that he admits that the series has been in a state of limbo since DOA4 due to a lack of new ideas. Hayashi also credits the release of SFIV for revitalizing interest in the genre but claims that the gameplay has remained the same, which is apparently a problem. This sparked interest within Team Ninja to revolutionize the fighting game genre and that’s how the latest installment of this “fighting entertainment” game came to be.
You’re also working on Dead or Alive 5 and we saw Ryu hanging off a rooftop.
Everything you saw in that trailer was gameplay. That is a feature we are putting in there and it is one of the key features that will define the next level of fighting games.
To be completely honest, after Dead or Alive 4 we weren’t sure what the future was going to be. We were trying to think of something new, but we weren’t getting any ideas of what to do for 5. Then we saw Street Fighter IV and the fighting genre come back because in a large part of Capcom and what they were doing. For all of the fighting games that came out we looked at them, but there was something wrong. They looked great with updated graphics and had online gameplay, but the gameplay itself hasn’t changed. It’s still the gameplay we’ve had for years.
We started to think how can we change the genre. What could we add new and put that into the fighting game? And that’s how that idea came out.
How else do you want to change the genre? Some developers like Arc System Works put an emphasis on technical combos while the Soulcalibur series is more accessible. Where does Dead or Alive and its new system fit in?
Dead or Alive is different from both of those. We’re looking for simple, but deep fighting entertainment. We’re not looking to be a technical hardcore fighter. We want a game that a lot of people can have fun with, but people who want that depth can find it. When people watch the second part of the demo that will give players a sense of what we’re thinking of when we mean “fighting entertainment.”
Are you creating any new characters for Dead or Alive 5?
Yes, absolutely. It’s a numbered title, so we will have new characters. In the gameplay footage, you can tell the character designs have been updated as well. The characters that you’ve come to know and love will be changed too and players will feel the entire roster is refreshed.
I don’t really understand how Ryu hanging off a rooftop takes fighting games to the next level but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I hope it’s not too gimmicky though. The last thing we need is something similar to the free-fall mechanic from MK vs DC.
