Despite surely being a no-brainer inclusion for the upcoming Street Fighter V, series icon Akuma has instead been announced to appear in rival beat ’em up series Tekken 7. The announcement was made over the weekend in a new trailer for the latter title’s arcade version, leading many to wonder if the character’s inclusion was some sort of mistake on developer Bandai Namco’s part.
But that’s not the case, apparently. Akuma will début for Tekken 7 as part of the game’s ‘Fated Retribution’ update, but what exactly does this mean for his chances to appear in Street Fighter V?
Many fans of Capcom’s fighter have been expecting Ryu’s nemesis to be revealed since the game was announced last year, but so far, there’s been zero indication that he’ll be included. There’s still every chance Akuma will make the final cut as a secret character – as he’s traditionally always been – but it’s looking less and less likely.
Just over two weeks ago at Sony’s PlayStation Experience, Capcom revealed F.A.N.G; supposedly the last to-be-announced playable character for Street Fighter V.
The decision to loan Akuma out to the Tekken series is sure to rile up more than just a small percentage of the Street Fighter player base, but it wouldn’t be the first time Capcom have put a foot wrong recently – it came to light just a few days ago that various parts of Street Fighter V have been censored in an effort not to offend anyone.
Is this the final confirmation that Akuma won’t be in Street Fighter V? Nobody can say for sure, but it’s not looking good.
