Fighting Games Story Modes, Single Player Content 2023-2024?

Capcom saw the handwriting on the wall. Modern day gamers want immersive, comprehensive story modes, and significant single player content (even in fighting games). The genre has been languishing because several game developers ( I won't mention any names) tried to sell the last couple of versions of their fighting games with little to no single player content, and poor, or missing story modes, and character back stories. The casual player demand this kind of content and they out number the e-sports hopefuls 20 to 1. Although fighting games do support the e-sports concept, the majority (vast majority) of players are casuals who only play with family and friends, or solo and don't give damn about going pro, or playing competitively. Capcom has come to understand this. Hence their immersive world tour mode.

https://www.streetfighter.com/6/mode/worldtour
https://www.vg247.com/street-fighter-6-world-tour-final-fight-4

The next release of Mortal Kombat is planning serious, significant and immersive single player content, story modes, and ramped up character back story.

https://gamerant.com/mortal-kombat-1-reboot-reborn-universe-timeline-explained/

So Ed Boon knows whats up. If your fighting game franchise is to survive and thrive in 2023 and beyond it better have more than online VS mode and a slimfast arcade mode. So I'm seeing a bright future for both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, because they know the secret to success for a fighting games is to woo the casuals and feed the e-sports hopefuls after the casuals have eaten.

The rumor on the streets is that Tekken 8 is going to try to do something significant on the single player side of things. For their sakes I hope this rumor is true. If Tekken 8 doesn't bring significant and immersive single player back to the game. Tekken 8 will be the last offering in the series

Its still not too late for Virtua Fighter The next Virtua Fighter (whatever its called) has a chance and can learn from Capcom's Street Fighter 6 and Nether Relm's Mortal Kombat 1. I sincerely and truly and really hope that Seiji Aoki and RGG are working their A$$#S off on significant and immersive single player content for the next version of VF. Otherwise VF will forever live in the rarely played soon to be forgotten cult classic status of fighting games


2023-2024 is a new beginning for Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. What will it be for
Tekken 8 and the next Virtua Fighter

 

This is quite possibly the only thing that VF can learn from 2D fighting games to become a better experience. It's always important to represent the story and characters because everyone can that. We all love storytelling, and fighting games could use this to better their sales.

As for Tekken 8, It definitely has special character intros to give the story a part in the game, so I wouldn't be surprised if the rumor ends up being true.

One interesting thing is that the developers of Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan) actually started with the story and characters and created the gameplay around the story. Again, not neccesarily relevant, but it was something I thought was worth mentioning.

 

Older VF games had story modes, quest mode, arcade endings, tutorials, training modes, and all sorts of single player content. SEGA could learn from its older games as much as they can from games from other developers.

 

VF never really had an in-game story mode. VF kids is the only one and that one had only character endings. It no doubt had a lot of single-player content, but a fully fleshed out story mode was never one of them.