‘Street Fighter V’ DLC Is Fully Unlockable In Game

In a panel at Evolution 2015 in Las Vegas today, Capcom announced that all future DLC for the upcoming Street Fighter V can be unlocked by playing the game. Before players who wanted to unlock any Street Fighter DLC, they would have to pay for the content or be locked out of it.

This shows a move in its business strategy, one that previously required players to purchase not just DLC characters, but also possible patches and updates to the game to stay “tournament ready.” With this new business model, Capcom seems to be taking a page out of the MMO “buy-to-play” model and applying it to Street Fighter V.

The PS4 and PC exclusive will feature the inclusion of in-game currency, which the player can grind in game to earn, or just purchase as well. Fight Money, which is the earnable Street Fighter V currency, and Zenny, the purchasable variety, will allow Street Fighter V consumers the ability to purchase DLC however they want.

Matt Dahlgren, speaking at the Street Fighter V panel today, asserts that by doing so, Capcom is making sure they aren’t fracturing the community. Street Fighter V will have one disc that players need to own, and all upgrade patches in the future will be free, thus keeping all SFV players in the same community. This is in contrast to the Super Street Fighter IV and Ultra Street Fighter IV upgrades, which required players to purchase the content.

“We’re going to be treating Street Fighter like a service,” Dahlgren explained at EVO 2015. “The mission here is to create a constantly evolving Street Fighter world that’s going to deliver to all different player types.”

Street Fighter V will launch with 16 playable characters, four of which are new to the Street Fighter series. Ken, the stylish poster-child opposite Ryu, was just recently announced to be on the roster, and Capcom teased the reveal of a new character at the Ultra Street Fighter IV Grand Finals at EVO tomorrow evening. You can catch that stream on their official Twitch stream.

Dahlgren mentioned that Capcom will be adding new characters to the roster periodically after launch, reiterating that you never need to pay a dime to buy them, that you can unlock them in game. It’s interesting to see Street Fighter V use this business model, and it’s in keeping with the modern gaming industry. This is predominantly seen in the MMO genre, and Street Fighter V is one of the first major non-MMO or MOBA games to use this type of model. While fans at the panel seemed excited, fans outside the panel are looking pretty optimistic as well, though there certainly are more questions to ask.

Players interested in looking at the Street Fighter V beta, PS4 fans will be seeing that first starting July 23-28. Look for more information on Street Fighter V as it heads forward to launch in spring, 2016.

[Images via Street Fighter V]