Street Fighter 5’s DLC Costume Sales Rescued The Game From Its Deathbed

Thick thighs do save lives.

Story Highlights

  • Maximilian Dood, a famous YouTuber, has said on this podcast that the sales of alternate costumes in Street Fighter 5 saved the franchise from dying.
  • While the game was performing poorly in sales and wasn’t getting good reviews, the skins were selling in heaps and making Capcom money.
  • The revenue from these costumes allowed them to fix the game and release its now-popular sequel.

According to popular YouTuber Maximilian Dood, the sales of alternate skins in Street Fighter 5 actually saved the game, and the franchise, from fading out. As the streamer unveiled, Capcom was able to fix the game and continue its development only because purchasable costumes were selling in heaps. Therefore, the Chun-Li thirst trap skins inadvertently prevented the fighting series from dying after the fifth game underperformed. 

YouTube video

While speaking on an episode of his Triple K.O. fighting podcast, Maximilian Dood uncovered this surprising piece of info. The streamer revealed that someone from Capcom directly told him how important the revenue from costume sales was. Apparently, the high sales of alternate skins were the only reason the studio could release the post-launch content for Street Fighter 5 during the disappointing few months after its release.

I was told directly from someone at Capcom in the first six months of Street Fighter 5 when the game was doing incredibly poorly that the entire reason they were able to continue development of the game was because costumes were selling at their real money premium.”

Hence, Capcom was only able to fix the many issues in the game because the 20+ Chun-Li skins were selling at a real premium. As Dood says himself, if the developer did not start selling costumes from the get-go in Street Fighter 5, the franchise could have died. The podcast also gives due credit to legendary designer Akira Yasuda, AKA “Akiman,” who was a guest alternate designer in the game for characters like Chun-Li.

As you might know, the popular Street Fighter alum had a couple dozen alternate skins which many fans labeled as “thirst traps.” But, it looks like these costumes might have helped Capcom continue the series and bless us with Street Fighter 6. Even in the newest entry of the franchise, the skins are pretty good but Capcom probably won’t need it to save the game this time around.

Because costume sales were high, they were even able to budget out the remaining parts of the game to get it fixed. So, if they didn’t sell costumes in Street Fighter 5 immediately, we might not have been in the same situation right now. Street Fighter might be dead.”

Unlike its sequel, Street Fighter 5 was a PlayStation console exclusive that didn’t get the best reception from the community. Critics and players alike criticized the fighting title with its lack of content and buggy nature being the main areas of concern. Even though Street Fighter 5 is now the best-selling game in the franchise with over 7 million copies sold, it massively underperformed in its first year.

Capcom’s 2016 game only sold 1.4 million units in its first year while internal expectations predicted at least 2 million copies. But, the failure of the fifth game also resulted in a shake-up with Yoshinori Ono, one of the main forces behind the franchise, leaving Capcom in 2020 giving Takayuki Nakayama, the director of Street Fighter 6, the reigns of the franchise.

The universally positive reception of the new entry and its record-breaking sales are enough to prove how successful this change was. You can play the new Street Fighter 6 right now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC.

Did you find this helpful? Leave feedback below.

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How can we make this post better? Your help would be appreciated. ✍

Subscribe to our newsletter and get up-to-speed gaming updates delivered to your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy.

Source
Triple K.O. YouTube

Ahmed Mansoor is a News Writer who has a deep passion for single-player adventure games. He loves to keep tabs on the gaming and technology industries and loves to break stories that interest his audience. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and several years of experience writing for games. Experience: 3+ Years || Education: Bachelor's in Journalism || Written 600+ News Stories.

Related Articles

Join Our Community

Enjoyed this article? Discuss the latest gaming news, get expert help with guides and errors, and chat about all things gaming on eXputer Forums and Discord Server. Connect with fellow gamers who share your passion by becoming a part of eXputer's community.