Though the wait has stretched for a long while, it appears the crossover brawls of Tekken X Street Fighter may still see the light of day. Answering fans’ questions during the Harada’s Bar talk show, Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada was translated as saying the awaited fighting game collaboration had “died,” signaling the project was no longer in the works. However, the producer has now clarified his comments were not translated correctly, suggesting development on the title is still very much on hold for the foreseeable future.

TEKKEN 7 Character Data Talk & Birthday Surprise! (EN Sub)
There was some missing nuance in the English translation of this video. We apologize for this error, we’re very sorry.
Please see Harada’s explanation below that will clear things up.https://t.co/tTgA5bnKbM

— Harada’s Bar／はらだのばぁー (@HaradasBar) June 22, 2021

In an update posted to TwitLonger, Harada explained that the Japanese word for “shelved” or “put in storage” was misinterpreted as “died,” leading many English-speaking viewers to assume Tekken X Street Fighter had been unceremoniously canceled. “You can see that the original Japanese and the English subtitles give a very different impression,” he said. “In any case, the status is not much different from the status I told you about before. Well, the fact that the status has not changed is not a nice thing for us and for you.”

“We are still hopeful that TKxSF will resume development when the opportunity arises. However, such a title cannot be moved just for the convenience of one company in terms of marketing and branding, and it also affects each other’s development resources. For now, we are just waiting for the right opportunity.”

Announced all the way back in 2010, Tekken X Street Fighter was revealed alongside Street Fighter X Tekken as a 2-part intercompany crossover between Bandai Namco and Capcom. Each was posed as offering a distinct fighting experience: one featuring Street Fighter gameplay and the other offering a more Tekken-geared experience. As SFxT released back in 2012, fans have been waiting for Tekken X Street Fighter to follow, but very little has been put forward since the game’s initial announcement.

As development extended well beyond its scheduled 2014 launch, Harada has issued a handful of updates over the years attributing the wait to a number of issues – namely, a saturation of the fighting game genre. Harada has repeatedly argued that as more fighting games enter the fray, big crossovers like Tekken X Street Fighter become increasingly “harder to justify” from a marketing standpoint, especially in the wake of successful entries for both Tekken and Street Fighter in recent years.

Let me be honest. What percentage of you are really waiting for “TEKKEN x Street Fighter”?

(My marketing view is that TK7 and SFV are selling very well, so there is no opportunity to drop TK x SF on the market).

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) December 13, 2019

Though development on Tekken X Street Fighter is still on hold, remnants of the project have nonetheless sprinkled elsewhere over the past decade. The launch of Tekken 7 notably brought on Street Fighter’s Akuma as a guest character, with the raging demon’s appearance offering the smallest glimpse at what the future hopefully holds. Tekken and Street Fighter are also set to cross over in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where Kazuya Mishima will join Street Fighter’s Ryu as the game’s latest DLC.

What do you think? Are you glad Tekken X Street Fighter has come back from the dead, or are you still unsure the fighting game will ever see the light of day? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more fighting game headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

• Mortal Kombat Legends Sequel Releasing This Summer
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Tekken’s Kazuya (VIDEO)
• Capcom E3 2021: Every Announcement From The Event (VIDEO)

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