Ono: fighting game genre won't collapse

Street Fighter x Tekken producer Yoshinori Ono reckons the fighting game genre is in rude health – and won't collapse through over saturation as it did in the nineties.

In an interview with Siliconera, Ono pointed to the first-person shooter genre, which has survived and thrived despite the sheer number of games available.

"For first person shooters, you have Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, and other games," he said.

"It would be awesome to get fighting games that big. I don't think it will ever get quite that far, but I think it is possible for fighting games to thrive, you can see how long the FPS genre sustained itself without collapsing, and I think we can do the same this time."

The fighting game genre was at the height of its popularity in the early to mid-nineties, with the Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken series among the best-selling in gaming.

But gamers were inundated with new fighting games – often very similar to their predecessors – and the genre collapsed in on itself.

2008's Street Fighter 4, credited with revitalising fighting games, was the first proper new game in the illustrious series for a decade.

So how will Capcom avoid a similar fate this time around?

"The key is not just attracting new fans, but keeping current fans satisfied, keeping them plugged in, and interacting with the community through Capcom-Unity and events like this," Ono continued.

"We need to make sure the players' voices are heard and they feel cared for. As long as we treat the fans right and cater to them, I think they will stick with us for the long haul. I don't think we will see the bubble burst like the way did in the nineties."