Interviews
Das Interview: Street Fighter IV Producer Yoshinori Ono, Part 1
September 25, 2008
What are your online plans for Street Fighter IV?
Yoshinori Ono: We are thinking about it, but with a fighting game lag is a very difficult issue to deal with. But we’re working on it. We might try to absorb that with the user interface or some other technologies.
It’s a pretty tricky situation since fiber optic isn’t readily available in the States like it is in Japan.
Yoshinori Ono: Yes, that’s a problem.
Do you think you can get around it?
Yoshinori Ono: One can only hope that when you have a new president whether it’s Obama or McCain – you should ask them to change the country to go fiber optic. (laughs)
So why did it take so long for a new Street Fighter game?
Yoshinori Ono: Well, when we created Street Fighter III, fighting games were on the rise still. They were getting more complex, and aiming for the professional level players. We think we reached the peak with Street Fighter III. However, a wider audience didn’t recognize the game. When we looked back, we lost a lot of players. The fighting game community was in decline. Since we reached the peak, there wasn’t really anywhere to go, but the fighting game genre has to improve. A lot of people thought that, so it took about 10 years. When you think about it, since the fighting game community is in decline, why don’t we include all these players who just want to play a Street Fighter as a fun experience? Everybody, grandmother, grandkids – Sunday afternoon – why not? We kind of changed directions because we want everybody to play it and have fun.
I know you’re still finishing up the console version, but hypothetically, if you could create a Capcom vs. game, who would you like to go up against?
Yoshinori Ono: I’d like to do another Marvel game, a Marvel vs. Capcom. I regard Marvel as the best in comics. I would like to do it again, and I did mention this in a previous interview. Apparently the president of Marvel Entertainment read that, and really wants that to happen. When I went to the US, he invited me to his office and actually offered support and so on and so forth. I met with him again at Comic-Con, and apparently during a speech he said, “Capcom is cooking up something with us.” That is not true at all, but we’re quite keen on the concept.
I’ve interviewed Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon a number of times, and one time he mentioned that he’d like to see a Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat title. What do you think about some sort of collaboration like that?
Yoshinori Ono: I think Street Fighter is a different type of game than Mortal Kombat. I think Mortal Kombat vs. Capcom could happen, but Mortal Kombat vs. Street Fighter, um. Question mark.
Check out part two of Das Gamer’s interview with Yoshinori Ono tomorrow.
–Billy Berghammer
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3 Responses to “Das Interview: Street Fighter IV Producer Yoshinori Ono, Part 1”
This is crap. Capcom vs anything is a cop out. Just make a Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter game and make it an effing mature title.
McCain, Obama and Raiden debate for president. Raiden wins.
By christopher lambert on Sep 26, 2008
way to go, ono! even though i’m not a big fan of onimusha 4 or this new direction of sf4, let’s have something fresh going for fighting games.
By badmash on Sep 28, 2008
CAPCOM SHOULD REBOOT ORIGINAL STREET FIGHTER GAME.
Capcom should get the original 1987 Street Fighter game and remake it again this time a better animated graphics just like Street Fighter II it would be good if they did it.
Capcom are also working on the new Darkstalkers game and i think Darkstalkers should be more blood and gory like Mortal Kombat and the stages for Darkstalkers it should have some medieval parts in the game.
So Capcom remake the original Street Fighter game will you please.
Thank You.
BRUCE ACOSTA
AUSTRALIA.
By Bruce Darren Acosta on Oct 11, 2008