Street Fighter 6 may have more online community events in the future, according to devs 

In a recent interview with Kotaku, Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama and producer Shuhei Matsumoto hinted at their plans for the game based on its first year of content. On top of new playable characters and stages, community-driven experiences like the “Giant Attack” Battle Hub event could pave the way for Street Fighter 6’s future. 

The first Giant Attack was an online Battle Hub event that had players working together to take down a giant Akuma. Players could earn event points by playing Battle Hub staples like one-on-one matches and avatar battles, but the biggest drawback was the time-limited chance to fight an overpowered, CPU-controlled SiRN Akuma. Once enough points were gathered, players could charge up a Hadoken either solo or with a group and fire it at the giant Akuma in the center of the Battle Hub. Dealing enough damage would not only defeat the big Akuma but also net participants some rewards like Drive Tickets and a rare EX color for their playable Akuma character. 

“With Street Fighter 6 [we] feel like [we] were able to see a resurgence of younger audiences who became interested in the game through alternate areas outside of just the fighting,” say Nakayama and Matsumoto. While not everyone could defeat SiRN Akuma, the idea of fighting against an extraordinarily powerful opponent spurred players to the arcade cabinets that housed the limited mode. Multiple servers had their SiRN Akuma cabinets all occupied – a phenomenon that is reminiscent of the arcade days of old.  

The social nature of Giant Attack is something Nakayama and Matsumoto want to explore more in the future. If more events get players to work towards a common goal, then Street Fighter 6 would be able to foster a more inclusive fighting game community.