Summary
Street Fighter 6is progressing steadily through its first year, having just wrapped up its first Capcom Cup competitive season. After the divisive era ofStreet Fighter 5, which even Capcom itself recently acknowledged, this game has been a huge boon for theStreet Fightercommunity. Just about every feature a fighting game can have is inStreet Fighter 6, ranging from some of the best online play in the genre to the ambitious action-RPG World Tour single-player mode. DescribingStreet Fighter 6as having something for everyone feels well-deserved.
It isn’t finished adding content, either. Various battle passes and cosmetics have been released since the game’s launch, including a variety of crossover costumes for custom avatars. Ranging from thetitular heroes ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesto Yor fromSpy × Family, these have succeeded in turning heads, even if they feel overpriced to some and underwhelming to others. Actual guest characters would be extremely exciting, but they aren’t somethingStreet Fighterhas ever done before. Still, with many other big-name fighting games proving that the right crossover can work wonders,Street Fighter 6would be the perfect time for the franchise to jump on the bandwagon.
Mainline Street Fighter Has Kept Its Crossovers Limited
The history of crossovers within theStreet Fighterfranchise is short and simple. Various titles have costumesreferencing other Capcom properties likeSF4andSF5, and, beginning withStreet Fighter Alpha,Final Fightcharacters begin joiningStreet Fighterrosters semi-regularly.Street Fighter 5also brought in Akira fromRival Schoolsnear the end of its DLC, following up some cameos in earlier stage backgrounds. However, all of these guests and references are from other Capcom properties, andFinal FightandRival Schoolsare barely crossovers since both are canon inStreet Fighter’s universe.
Street Fighter Typically Lends Its Characters As Guests Elsewhere
MajorStreet Fightertitles have yet to introduce guests from outside their parent company.Street Fighter 5getting someFighting EX Layercostumes was the closest they’ve come, and the characters in question debuted in theStreet Fighter EXgames. OnlyStreet Fighter X Tekkenhas brought outsiders underStreet Fighter’s banner, and it’s a spin-off made to do just that.Fortnitehas claimed waves of famous World Warriors, Akuma joinedTekken 7, and even playableRyu and Chun-Li Rangers appeared inPower Rangers: Battle for the Grid, butStreet Fighteritself has been completely resistant to getting a fully playable external guest fighter.
Plenty of Franchises Would Jump At A Crossover With Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter 6should look to its peers for inspiration, especially since several of them are already primed for crossing over.Tekken X Street Fighterand bothCapcom vs. SNKandSNK vs. Capcomhave givenTekkenandThe King of Fighters’ rosters both a relationship and a reason to send their charactersStreet Fighter 6’s way. How DLC characters are integrated into World Tour mode also makesSF6the perfect receptacle forTekken’s Heihachi, returning the favor after Akuma was a canon participant inTekken 7’s story mode.
Street Fighter Doesn’t Need To Spring For Expected Guest Characters
Then there’s the possibility of a non-fighting game franchise contributing a fully playable fighter. Even thoughStreet Fightercan’t make a hall of fame out of itself likeMortal KombatandSuper Smash Bros.have, it would still benefit from casting the widest net possible. Making playable fighters out of someone unexpected, likeTekken 7did withThe Walking Dead’s Negan, is a great way to reach new audiences, as well as generate discussions aboutStreet Fighter’s next potential guest. As the latest in its franchise,Street Fighter 6is the ideal time to introduce crossover characters toStreet Fighter, and hopefully, Capcom will do just that in the coming years.
