In the new edition of Edge, on sale now (in print and also digital), Simon Parkin meets with the team behind Street Fighter 6 to discover how, over four years of development, they’ve combined deep research into the series’ past with the appetite and energy of younger staff to create something that appreciates its heritage but is eager to build upon it.
“I won’t call it advice, per se, but we held deep consultations with staff members who worked on Street Fighter in the past, both those still at the company and those who have left,” game director Takayuki Nakayama explains. “I sat with Akira Yasuda [legendary Capcom artist ‘Akiman’] to discuss his intentions when creating Street Fighter II.”
The result combines classic characters such as Ryu, Ken, Blanka, E Honda, Guile and Chun-Li with new faces that embody exhilarating, diverse playstyles. In our extensive cover story we discover how this slick new production is being made to satisfy both veterans of the series and also Street Fighter newcomers.
Elsewhere in features we look at how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected the lives of game developers in the region, including representatives of Frogwares, creator of the Sherlock Holmes series. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell’s report illustrates how some developers’ lives have been turned upside down as they’ve been conscripted into fighting a war, while others are still trying to forge ahead among the conflict. “Everyone is working when they can,” Frogwares narrative lead Antonina Melnykova says. “Some may work eight hours one day, but less the next because of air raid alerts and other things.”
In our Collected Works slot, former Id Software boss Tim Willits talks us through his many contributions to the world of firstperson action via games such as Strife, Doom 3 and Rage, and explains how World War Z has informed the production of the forthcoming Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 at Saber Interactive.
In Time Extend, we revisit PS2 driving simulator Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec to consider the incredible job it did of encapsulating early-’00s car culture, while The Making Of… aims its sights at Life Is Strange: True Colors to discover the story behind the series’ most accomplished entry to date.
A busy review section is headed up by Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope, Bayonetta 3, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Overwatch 2 and Scorn, while previews are led by an extended look at Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake, with producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi on hand to explain how his team approached the process. “We took a hundred individual, small elements that make up the original gameplay experience,” he says, “and remade and polished those building blocks.”
The Capcom theme continues with the gift packaged with the print edition of Edge 378, which celebrates the exquisite artwork of Street Fighter 6 in the form of a 2023 calendar. As a special tribute to the Street Fighter series, this issue also includes eight cover variants, showcasing both old and new characters. The magazine is available at UK retailers now and by ordering online here.
