This looks about as close as we'll get to Tekken X Street Fighter for a while
Akuma matata.
It's coming up to seven years since Tekken X Street Fighter was announced, and each passing day feels like we're getting further and further away from it ever actually happening. The last significant update came via Tekken game director Katsuhiro Harada last August, when he confirmed that the game was no longer in active development.
Which is something of a small shame, seeing as Capcom kept up its part of the bargain with Street Fighter X Tekken back in 2012 and took loan of Bandai Namco's famous fighting characters for its own special take. We're now at least able to see what Capcom's characters feel like in Bandai Namco's hands thanks to Akuma's appearance in Tekken 7 - and it's given me a bit of a thirst for more.
I had a handful of matches against a toned down AI with Akuma in Tekken 7 recently, and was surprised how faithful this incarnation is to his more regular appearances in Street Fighter. The inputs were all the same, and once you're over the weird disconnect of hurling fireballs in a Tekken game he makes a surprisingly comfortable fit.
Tekken 7 is hitting consoles early this June after a successful run in arcades where it's been pulling punters in since 2015. As per usual with the series in recent times, it's got a generous roster of characters - and Bandai Namco recently announced that's being supplemented by a season pass that'll bring in a new game mode and two new characters from existing video game licenses. I daren't guess who'll they be.
One thing you can guarantee, though, is that Tekken 7 won't be skimping on features and modes when it comes out in June. Given Street Fighter 5's somewhat minimal launch last year which harmed its chances early on, it's something that Capcom should certainly be taking notes on should their paths ever cross again.