The Virtua Fighter series is one that’s been going since the early 90s, yet is still as strong as ever. That said, the fighting game genre has had a renaissance in recent years. While many of us still played them religiously, now they’re mass market again, and people stand up and take notice of new announcements, just like they did with New Virtua Fighter Project was announced.
Following on from our chat with Aoki-san regarding Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. now seemed like a great time to chat to RGG Studios a bit more. Given how busy the team is, and how we know there are multiple projects in the work, we chatted to Riichiro Yamada (New Virtua Fighter Project Producer) about the future of the beloved series, how the studio has grown, what it’s like to be part of “the Yakuza studio”, and much more.
How exciting is it to shape the future of VF with this new project?
It’s truly an honour, but to be honest, the pressure feels even greater. There’s a quote that goes, ‘Ecstasy and anxiety are mine, as one who has been chosen’—and that perfectly captures my current state of mind. (This is the opening line of “Ha” by Osamu Dazai, quoting a poem by Verlaine.)
How does the studio manage to work on so many projects at once? Has RGG grown significantly over recent years?
If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say: ‘It’s tough’ (laughs). RGG Studio has grown significantly in recent years—not only producing the Yakuza series but also working on various other titles. But as a general trend, game development requires more and more personnel, and RGG Studio is no exception.
RGG is obviously very well known for the Like a Dragon/Yakuza franchise. Is working on Virtua Fighter a way to show the world you’re more than “the Yakuza studio”?
This is just my personal opinion, but while the Yakuza series has been a major success, I sometimes feel that its image has become too fixed in the minds of gamers. With this title, I’m hoping we can break through that perception and show a different side of what we’re capable of.
What’s it like being part of the team these days? The success of the Yakuza/LAD franchise has propelled you into the realm of being considered a superstar developer!
To be blunt, I don’t really think much of it (laughs). I don’t believe it’s healthy for a game designer to think, ‘I’ve made it into a star studio.’ The moment you start thinking that way, your growth stops.
I’ve worked on the Yakuza series, of course, but I’ve also developed a wide variety of other titles, and I love taking on new challenges. I want to make sure that my experience contributes positively to this studio.
With the New Virtua Fighter Project, how do you go about creating ideas to include? Are there pitch meetings?
When I joined the team, the first thing I did was gather everyone for a brainstorming session. I wanted to convey that ideas should come from everyone equally, in a flat structure. Since then, we’ve held many meetings! We’ve even used our internal social network to collect ideas for specific features.
That said, figuring out how to bring all those ideas together is truly a difficult task.
With titles like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat putting so much effort into story modes, can we expect this kind of thing from Virtua Fighter going forward?
Since this is an RGG Studio title, you can definitely expect elements of ‘lore’ to be added to the Virtua Fighter series.
Given Atlus is now owned by Sega, could we ever see crossovers between properties included in VF’s future?
Our top priority is to establish the world and identity of our own title and communicate that clearly to players. Things like crossovers can be considered afterward.
Has making a fighter become much more difficult in recent years? Not so much regarding the visuals, but fans expect things like cross-play these days, making netcode a challenging aspect. How does this affect development?
From a technical standpoint, development timelines inevitably tend to stretch. Increasing team size doesn’t necessarily shorten the schedule. More than that, I think the real challenge lies in the growing scale of development itself—and that’s not limited to fighting games.
Do you have a dream franchise you’d love to work on for RGG? Or a crossover with another fighting game you’d love to somehow make happen in an ideal world?
If we’re going to make something, I’d rather it be something new. Back when we were younger, I actually worked with Yokoyama, the studio head, on a proposal for a ninja game—so I’d love to bring that to life someday.
As for crossovers, like I mentioned earlier, there’s not much I can say about that at the moment.
Thanks for Yamada-san for his time.
New Virtua Fighter Project has been announced, no release date is yet set.
