In 2010 there was a few months of hazing between thenStreet Fighterproducer Yoshinori Ono andTekkenproducer Katsuhiro Harada. This staged rivalry, which includedHarada becoming villainous at Capcom’s request, resulted in two crossover fighting games being announced:Street Fighter X Tekken, andTekken X Street Fighter, with one developed by Capcom and the other by Bandai Namco. The titles were ambitious from the start, but whileStreet Fighter X Tekkenwas released, the other half of the collaboration was nowhere to be seen. Harada recently confirmed Bandai Namco’s half of the crossover is officially cancelled.
This crossover ignited a fire for fighting game fans, as the idea of the two franchises colliding in two entries was exciting. Both casts of these franchises becoming playable in each other’s game engine and style seemed like a dream come true for many. OnceStreet Fighter X Tekkenreleased, however, things started falling apart. There was a litany of issues with the game, such as the imbalanced Gem System andthe controversy surrounding Capcom’s on-disc DLCpractices. The mixed reception of this crossover was the first step toward the project’s eventual cancellation.
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With so many problems that surrounded Capcom’s game, Bandai Namco’sTekken X Street Fighterwas put on the shelf. WhileHarada said he wanted to come back to the project, he decided against it in favor of continuing his role onTekken 7. When he andTekken 7director Kouhei Ikeda were asked about the crossover on an episode of Harada’s radio show, he confirmedTekken X Street Fighterhad stopped development after 30 percent of the game was completed. They said models and animations were completed before the project had officially been canned.
The two lamented the potential of the project and its cancellation, noting they had put extra care and attention into the roster. According to Harada and Ikeda, female characters especially got attention, includingStreet Fighter’s Chun-Li. They said they to show off the models created, but sinceStreet Fighteris Capcom’s intellectual property they wouldn’t be allowed. However, one element that did survive this crossover was the implementation ofStreet Fighter’s Akuma. By repurposing their model and animation work fromTekken X Street Fighter, they were able to includeAkuma inTekken 7as a guest fighter.
While the crossover project has been cancelled, not all hope is lost for those who enjoyed the concept ofTekken X Street Fighter. While the franchise has had its own set of guest fighters,Tekken’s ownKazuya Mishima will be playable inSmash Ultimateas a DLC fighter. WithStreet Fighter’s Ken and Ryu being already a part of theUltimatebase game, Kazuya’s addition could scratch the itch of this lost opportunity.
