Since its reveal, Dead or Alive 6 has divided fans for de-emphasizing the sex appeal of its female fighters and focusing instead on a grittier approach. Apparently, developer Team Ninja opted for a less sexualized entry in order to highlight the game’s fighting mechanics and establish the series as something more than “just a pretty picture.”
Creative director Tom Lee recently told Kotaku that the development team is simply emphasizing the gameplay aspect of Dead or Alive 6, but will still retain the core DNA of the series. “The game, we feel, has always been very deep,” said Lee. “We want to emphasize those areas. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to change, that all these beautiful figures will be changed completely. I think the attention will also be placed on a lot of the fighting game mechanics. People that have never considered Dead or Alive to be a ‘true fighter’ will see that.”
Lee hopes that Dead or Alive 6’s competitive focus will lead to a wider audience reach and a bigger presence in the esports scene. “We obviously want to be taken seriously as a competitive fighter—that’s why we’re kicking things off here at EVO. We definitely want to have a big presence in the esports scene, and hopefully if all goes well, we’ll be back at EVO next year as an official game.”
It’s possible that Dead or Alive 6 will simply be marketed as a more competitive and gritty game to reach more audiences, but will retain what fans love from the series. While the smaller breast sizes and less emphasized boob jiggle physics of female fighters might concern hardcore fans, Dead or Alive 6 will still have its silly side. Team Ninja previously announced that Kasumi will still have her iconic sexy blue kunoichi outfit. Additionally, Lee also told Kotaku that that they are planning to reveal more of the game’s “fantasy” stages in the near future.
Dead or Alive 6 will release sometime in early 2019 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
