Street Fighter 6’s Darkstalkers Fighting Pass could pave the way for the dormant franchise’s revival 

Street Fighter 6 seems to have a habit of featuring Capcom’s more neglected franchises in its Fighting Passes. Mega Man, Final Fight, and now a Darkstalkers-themed fighting pass is set to come out this October, just in time to celebrate Halloween. 

The biggest draw of the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass is werewolf John Talbain’s avatar outfit, which can be obtained by purchasing the premium Fighting Pass for 250 Fighter Coins (roughly 5 USD). Other premium Fighting Pass rewards include a howl avatar emote, a Jedah Dohma photo frame, and Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge, the last of which can be played through Street Fighter 6’s Game Center. Darkstalkers-themed stickers, frames, music, and a challenger screen can also be acquired; allowing players to represent Capcom’s darker fighting game franchise. As with all Fighting Passes, the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass will also come with free rewards that all players can obtain just by playing Street Fighter 6.  

For those too young to remember, Darkstalkers is a fighting game franchise set in a gothic universe. Players choose from different fighters, many of which are based on folklore. Characters like the werecat Felicia, the mummy Anakaris, and the succubus Morrigan were introduced over Darkstalkers’ 30-year history, with more fighters being added in subsquent titles. Sadly, the last true Darkstalkers game was 1999’s Darkstalkers 3. There have been various collections, remasters, and nods to Darkstalkers in other Capcom games, but never a new, full-blown release. 

Hopefully, the interest generated by the Darkstalkers Gala Fighting Pass will show Capcom that there are still a lot of people who are waiting for the Darkstalkers franchise to be revived. Many game mechanics introduced in Darkstalkers helped shape other Capcom titles and the fighting game genre, so it would be a waste for it to continue gathering dust in Capcom’s vault.