Capcom has revealed that Ultra Street Fighter IV’s mysterious fifth brawler is not a returning character in the series – in fact, the combatant hasn’t ever appeared in a beat-‘em-up title until now.
Speaking to the Jace Hall Show (via Shoryuken), Capcom’s senior product manager Matt Dahlgren commented:
“This character [has] never been featured in a Street Fighter game up until now,” adding that USFIV “will be the first time he (or she) makes their fighting game debut.”
Could this mean we’ll see Resident Evil’s Barry Burton bringing his unique blend of hammy one-liners and physical prowess to the SF universe? Probably not, although quite who Capcom has lined up is anyone’s guess.
Ultra Street Fighter IV was announced at EVO over the weekend, and comes in two flavours: a retail release and a digital upgrade for existing SFIV owners. Due out on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360, Ultra adds new characters, stages and various balance tweaks.
In regards to the latter, Capcom said it is basing its decision based on user feedback from across the globe.
“We received over 18,000 responses from North America and Europe, and over 12,000 from Japan,” said Dahlgren.
Ultra Street Fighter IV is due out in 2014.
Who would you like to see join the roster as the game’s mysterious new fighter? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.