Street Fighter 5, as expected, had a strong presence at this year’s EVO. Slightly ahead of the show, the latest batch of characters were accidentally leaked thanks to Valve and we knew ahead of the show that E.Honda, Poison and Lucia (from Final Fight) would be joining the roster. It seems the updates aren’t done yet, though, according to series producer Yoshinori Ono.
In an English-written statement that was presented before the start of the Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition finals, Ono said that they had hoped to have a big announcement ready for the show, but that it got pushed back. Instead he told people to keep their ears to the ground during this year’s Capcom Cup and that it would come near the end of the year (the letter was transcribed by to Gematsu).
“Dear EVO, Joey, and Street Fighter fans around the world. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to a big announcement this year. We wanted to put together something else for you guys, but it didn’t quite work out. Trust me, we feel your disappointment.
“There is nothing in Blanka’s pocket today. But please look forward to a new Street Fighter V announcement in November and December. We will make sure Blanka has a gift in his pocket at this year’s Capcom Cup at the Novo in Los Angeles. Looking forward to seeing you all there. You are all invited. Until then, please the new characters, the EVO finals, and the rest of the Capcom Pro Tour season. Thank you very much.”
Could it be more characters? A full and more complete release of the game with all the characters including the newest season? We’ll just have to wait and see. Street Fighter 5 is available now for PlayStation 4 and PC, and is free to play for limited time until August 11th.