Still no sign of Virtua Fighter 6

2018 is nearly at its end and Virtua Fighter 6 is still nowhere to be seen. However, 2018 hasn’t been Virtua Fighter-less.

Back in April Sega released Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and one of the mini-games it has is the arcade mode for Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. Not only did Yakuza 6 let you play Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown on a PS4, you could also play it with a friend. Finally, Virtua Fighter fans can compete against their friends on the latest Virtua Fighter game on a current gen system. (Yes, I know Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is on PS Now but with the version included in Yakuza 6, you haven’t got to worry about lag. Also, PS Now isn’t exactly brilliant.)

Yakuza Kiwami 2 allowed you to play Virtua Fighter 2 and 2.1 which was awesome and a nice blast from the past. Again like Yakuza 6, Kiwami 2 lets you compete against your friend in Virtua Fighter 2.

They weren’t the only Virtua Fighter related things to happen this year. Earlier this month we had the last Super Smash Bros Ultimate exclusive Nintendo Direct where the last few characters were revealed. During one of the montages, something was shown off that no one was expecting. Akira was revealed to be an Assist Trophy in Smash Bros Ultimate.

The reveal shocked me and many other fighting game fans as Akira’s inclusion wasn’t even hinted at in the slightest and wasn’t even revealed in a “leak”. Akira’s model looks just like it does from the first Virtua Fighter game only much better because obviously, he’s now in HD.

That Smash Bros reveal has reignited my hope that one day, hopefully soon we will see Virtua Fighter 6. It’s obvious Sega still cares about their iconic IP due to its VF5: Final Showdown’s inclusion in Yakuza 6, Virtua Fighter 2 and 2.1 being playable in Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Akira being put into the new Smash Bros.

If Sega didn’t care about Virtua Fighter anymore, why would they allow Akira to be in Super Smash Bros Ultimate? Why would they make different instalments of the game playable in the Yakuza games?

There is one more event that Sega could announce Virtua Fighter 6 at, The Game Awards. Now I know what you are thinking. “Brandon, you’ve lost your marbles, there’s no way Virtua Fighter 6 will be announced at The Game Awards”. I would have agreed with you last year but after Soul Calibur VI was surprisingly revealed at last year’s Game Awards, I think it has a chance of happening.

I mean come on, who thought that Namco would announce Soul Calibur VI at The Game Awards? It was a surprise to everyone in the audience and to those watching online as many thought that Soul Calibur was done for after the fifth entry performed miserably.

The wait between Soul Calibur V and Soul Calibur VI was 6 years and guess what? It has been 6 years since Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown was released. I know we are nearing a tin foil hat conspiracy thing here but it shows, that even though so many years have passed since VF5: Final Showdown, Virtua Fighter 6 could still happen. It could be announced at The Game Awards but please keep your expectations low, because it may not happen.

The Game Awards are on Thursday, December 6 at 5.30pm PST, 8.30 EST and Friday, December 7th at 1.30 am GMT for folks like me in the UK. For people living in Australia, the show is on at 11.30 am. To check what time The Game Awards are on in your region, click here.

The year may nearly be over but don’t give up hope Virtua Fighter fans, it’s clear that Sega still cares about the revered fighting game series. It will happen one day Virtua Fighter fans. Stay strong and don’t give up hope.