Should the next fighting games from Capcom (SFVI, Next Versus game, etc.) & Bandai Namco (Tekken 8, SCVII, etc.) be exclusively next-gen or cross-gen?

[Neoxon]

As we approach the end of the generation, obviously the next batch of fighting games will come with it. Two of the big dogs that'll likely get new fighting games out within this time are Capcom & Bandai Namco (I'd mention NRS, but they just recently released Mortal Kombat 11, which will be supported for longer than most MK games according to them). Street Fighter V is on the verge of getting its next (& possibly last) round of new content revealed at EVO this year, while the future of Tekken 7's DLC support is uncertain (& will hopefully be answered at EVO). With the next generation of systems on the horizon that happen to have (or will most likely have) full backwards compatibility with PS4 (for PS5) & XB1 (for Xbox Scarlett, whatever the final name ends up being) games, should Capcom & Bandai Namco do cross-gen releases to also support the previous generation of consoles or go all-in on the new consoles on the block? Obviously I have my own opinions, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.

 

[Deleted member 10551]

cross-play is more important than cross-gen.

 

[kadotsu]

Because of cross play and this gen's loading times I hope they nuke any cross gen stuff from orbit.

 

[Aine]

I'd rather that if they want to do next-gen, they go all in. There was probably good reason why crossgen Mortal Kombat X fell through.

 

[Neoxon]

cross-play is more important than cross-gen.

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True, but that's not the subject of this thread. That'll ultimate come down to making Sony not be a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to cross-play.

 

[Deleted member 8196]

Next gen only and they should prioritize cross-play.

 

[Maligna]

Not really sure why anyone chooses to make a launch game for new consoles to be quite honest. What's the potential upside to it when the install base is so small?

 

[LowParry]

Cross-play 100%

 

[Neoxon]

Not really sure why anyone chooses to make a launch game for new consoles to be quite honest. What's the potential upside to it when the install base is so small?

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Obviously Street Fighter VI won't be until Early 2022 or so, & Tekken games tend to spend a year or two in arcades before they launch on consoles. This is more of a question of what to do when the time comes.

 

[Pancracio17]

I dont think theyll come out in time to be crossgen, though with everything being BC it might be worth to get a port anyway.

 

[Neoxon]

Cross-play 100%

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Again, this is about cross-generational releases, not cross-play.

 

[Toasty]

If Capcom is just gonna do the same non taxing style then I don't really understand what they would have to gain from going next gen exclusive.

 

[Shadoken]

Not really sure why anyone chooses to make a launch game for new consoles to be quite honest. What's the potential upside to it when the install base is so small?

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Launch games are usually from first party or cross gen if a third party is making it. But once you are a year or two into the console gen then most of the "Hardcore" audience has moved on to it. So sales of niche games like FGs for example are mostly the same.

 

[Spacejaws]

I'd say cross gen if they are early enough because they won't really take that much advantage of the new hardware immediately. Being able to play cross gen too would be great to keep up a large user base if possible. Fighting games already cost so damn much I don't know if the entire communities will glady relocate to new expensive machines straight away and also maintain a tournament scene.

Not sure how the Switch fares in this situation. I imagine a situation kinda like now where games run on current consoles and ported down for switch, sometimes with good results and sometimes not. Next generation are we going to see that stop and instead a return to Wii style side games god forbid.

 

[Shadoken]

I think they will end up being on PS4/XB1 too. SF and Tekken aren't exactly doing anything crazy graphics wise.

And even if Capcom did want to make a super high budget game like SF on RE Engine , it would be bite them in the back when it comes to adding post launch support and characters. SF6 and Tekken 8 are most likely going to be "Decent" looking PS5 games running on Unreal 4. Which means they could easily be back ported to the PS4/XB1.

Although those versions might be super ass and not exactly tournament standard but the casual fanbase will still buy it. And its a decent chunk of change.
Bonus thing is you can also do a Switch version , if you aren't making a super next gen heavy game.

If the game is on PS5/4/XB1/2/Switch its surely going to sell way better than a "Next gen" looking game only on PS5/XB2.

 

[Neoxon]

If Capcom is just gonna do the same non taxing style then I don't really understand what they would have to gain from going next gen exclusive.

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They don't usually bother with cross-gen releases to begin with. But at the same time, backwards compatibility coming back in a big way does bring this question into discussion.

 

[2shd]

If the loading times are going to be as diminished as much as Sony and Microsoft are claiming, I'd rather they be next-gen only so online play loading times won't be slowed down if matched w/ a last-gen console.

Than again, it's unclear how external storage is going to work and affect this. Also, if there's crossplay w/ PC in any way that's another variable in loading times for online matches.

 

[Watchtower]

Cross-gen I'd say. The PS4 and XONE have enough strength in them to warrant continued support for at least a couple years after next-gen launches, especially with the PS5 and Scarlett emphasizing backwards compatibility.

I don't see why a third-party would jump exclusively next-gen so soon unless they were hoping to fully take advantage of the hardware, and even then that'll take time for developers to adjust to. And even then we're talking about companies like EA and Rockstar that actively push heavy graphics, not companies like Capcom and Namco Bandai, and especially not for their fighting games.

 

[Deleted member 42]

Whatever makes them the most money so they can keep making them

 

[Lant_War]

Let's be real, there's not many reasons why SFV couldn't run on a PS3 with a graphical downgrade. So I'd say cross-gen

 

[Virtua Sanus]

Load times for fighting games on consoles this gen have been 100% unacceptable IMO. That is reason alone to just jump into next gen. There is no rush though really, Street Fighter and Tekken are in healthy situations and would be fine with just seasonal upgrades for awhile still.

Killer Instinct 2013 was built with cross gen in mind and even though the Xbox 360 version never happened it negatively impacted what could be done with the engine for the rest of it's life. Capcom and Namco already have tons of various issues with their games. They do not need anything else holding them back.

 

[eso76]

Those series haven't been pushing the hardware for a while, might as well go cross gen. Next gen enhanced compatibility will take care of resolution, IQ, AO, load times etc.
Cross gen wouldn't really hold them back at all in terms of mechanics, or even graphics; would be just a matter of using different assets.
Unless they were planning to make extensive use of physics for gameplay related stuff, which I don't see them doing

 

[Regiruler]

Cross Gen. No reason a fighting game isn't doable 60fps on current hardware.

 

[Ryuhza]

I'm sure the graphics would disappoint either way, so I guess cross-gen.

 

[MrMephistoX]

cross-play is more important than cross-gen.

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This I think SFV kind of sucked as an exclusive but then again maybe it wouldn't have been made.

 

[artemis]

Namco's fighting games barely look like PS4 games. Why should they be next gen only again??

 

[Deleted member 5604]

I'm just imagining the fancy character/stage selection screens they can come up with with SSD as a baseline.

Stages and character models being shown on screen and changed in real time, with the characters in their starting positions while player 1 & 2 are selecting, and once the last person presses ready it goes right into the match.

Would be neat.

 

[Heart of Poumn]

With the talk that Sony and Microsoft give on their SSDs, I want fighting game matches to load quickly. Cross-gen matches would make me wait just as long as before, which is a bit too long in my opinion.

 

[battleborn27]

I don't know or care about Tekken but after SFV's commercial failure, they better get SF6 on every console possible and re release it as many times as possible (like SF4)

 

[hey it's that dog]

As long as they're on PC too I don't care, but if cutting off last gen dramatically improves load times then do that, please.

 

[Sargerus]

I just want cross-play for us PC folks. Its the sole reason SFV is alive on PC to this day.

 

[Bad_Boy]

I voted cross gen, but i forgot about next gen stupid fast loading times.

Next gen all the way.

 

[SDBurton]

Next gen and cross play.

 

[Sub Boss]

50% current gen

 

[ApeEscaper]

If the game is being released the first few years of next gen release then cross-gen. If it's been more than like 3 years then release on next gen only with a 120fps hz optional mode, fighter in that fps would be great

 

[HighspeedRefleX]

Namco's fighting games barely look like PS4 games. Why should they be next gen only again??

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I'm trying to understand how your comment makes sense.

And people realize that Cyberpunk, Tlou part 2 and everything else that is rumoured to be cross-gen would technically be on another level with next-gen and high end PC as their only target. But this is never going to happen with any transition from now on.

 

[Deleted member 18857]

Reason to avoid next-gen only:
- less people playing and buying the game
- raises the development costs of each character even further (think of poor SNK!)
- little to gain (subjective, but besides better hair and less clipping, what do SF5 and T7 characters really need?)

Not to mention if a game gets a good art style like MvC3, it can get away with lesser quality models. Arc System's anime engine really can't be improved much further.
Games with more realistic art style like Mortal Kombat should go next-gen only, since anyway they have shorter lives.

 

[Host Samurai]

Cross gen. The more people the better.

 

[Expy]

It'll be cross-gen for the audience.

 

[Jawmuncher]

If BC is a thing and as easily useable as is being hinted. Cross-gen makes the most sense to me. That gives you 5 platforms or more to have communities on and for a lot of last-gen fighters their servers and such are still up. So if they're sharing resources there isn't much worry there.

The biggest issue would be when you phase them out. But that could take a page from fortnite and have cross purchases and the like.

 

[YoungDetective]

Yes next gen only because thats what fighting games need nowadays. Even smaller playerbases...

 

[Hyun Sai]

Just hire some guys to test the online, it would be a start.

 

[Neoxon]

Yes next gen only because thats what fighting games need nowadays. Even smaller playerbases...

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But at the same time, you would get benefits such as faster load time for both online and offline.

 

[Deleted member 1102]

I don't get why anyone would willingly want cross-gen other than for the five people who still use last gen when a new generation starts. Even if I don't get a PS5 for another two years after it comes out, I'd much rather sacrifice me being able to play it on PS4 for it to be as good as it possibly can be.

 

[Bishop89]

My answer to these kind of questions is always next Gen only.
I don't want my games held back whatsoever

 

[Dog]

Next-Gen only.

 

[MysticGon]

Back in the day I looked at fighting games as I did racing games, as a technical showpiece. They are getting harder to justify now unless they have big eSports scene or massive following. So for their survival I'd say cross gen but really I want them to return to glory and make me feel good about my new purchase.

 

[mxbison]

I don't like all the cross-gen stuff. If I buy a shiny new console for $500 I also want shiny new games, and not last-gen games with higher resolution and framerate

 

[nded]

I don't really trust most fighting game devs to properly manage a cross-gen game.

I don't like all the cross-gen stuff. If I buy a shiny new console for $500 I also want shiny new games, and not last-gen games with higher resolution and framerate

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I know this isn't what you're talking about, but fighting games moving to a 120hz standard could be a big deal.

 

[demondance]

I doubt these will be near-launch games except maybe Street Fighter. Unless the new consoles start slow it isn't worth anchoring games meant to be played for 4-5 years to old tech.

I'm more concerned about crossplay among one generation than crossgen honestly.