There are not many game series that are as iconic as Capcom’s Street Fighter. In fact, it would be difficult to name a franchise that out beats it given the popularity and longevity that it has had over the three decades since its first release.
Initially launched in 1987 with “Street Fighter,” many would have found it difficult to envision just how successful the series would go on to become. Given its success, it has become almost impossible to keep up with the various releases across all different types of entertainment mediums.
Nonetheless, while it was groundbreaking all those years ago, it has continued to remain as relevant today as it did back then.
“Street Fighter II: The World Warrior” Influential Impact
The debut title “Street Fighter” could be argued to have created a movement across the arcade gaming industry as it provided players with something entirely new. Gamers were able to enjoy a title that gave them 12 different playable characters (including the iconic Ryu and Ken), while also being able to use command-based special moves – the first game ever to create that concept and is now widely used in other titles.
However, it could be argued that “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior” was the title that truly broke ground for the franchise, as it took the series to an entirely new level. The game introduced a number of new features, and arguably changed the way fighting games were created forever.
With eight playable characters of the 12 included, this title had iconic graphics and provided players with the opportunity to pick a fighter that suited their own style and preferences. Each individual had their own skillset, complete with their own special unique moves.
The 1991 release has been a huge commercial success for Capcom and still generates a lot of revenue for the company today. The title has been used across many forms of entertainment media, including within the iGaming industry. A slot titled “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot” was released by NetEnt that was based on the game and used the same graphics and characters from the series.
In fact, popular culture has proven to be a popular source of inspiration for slots over the years, with “Tomb Raider”, “Narcos”, and “Game of Thrones” being just some of the examples that can be found and played from the 32Red online casino uk slot collection.
Even the traditional arcade version of “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior” is said to have grossed billions of dollars in terms of revenue because of its classic status as one of the pioneering games.
Street Fighter in the Present Day
Since the release of the 1991 game, there have been several more that have been launched by the developer, while there have also been a significant number of spin-offs such as TV, films, and even comic books to have been created.
A year after, “Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition” was released, which addressed many of the complaints that had been made about the second game. Capcom also added a number of new features while improving some of those that had already existed. The most notable was the fact that players were now able to play as the four bosses.
New entries continued to be released in great regularity, as the developer continued to capitalise on the success the franchise was experiencing. In more recent years, fans of the game series have been able to enjoy newer initiations, too.
In 2018, as part of the 30th Anniversary, Capcom released a pack that saw 12 titles all be put together in one mega-pack. Games included the original 1987 release, and then the five main “Street Fighter II” editions that were subsequently released in the years after. All three “Street Fighter Alpha games and the three “Street Fighter III” titles were also included.
Street Fighter’s legacy will forever be felt
Despite being over three decades old since it was initially launched, the Street Fighter franchise has had an influential impact on multiple generations of gamers. Many who grew up with these arcade games only ever associate them with positive nostalgic memories, while the game’s concept remains equally timeless and remains hugely popular with gamers of today’s generation.