"It was an event that showcased Maximilian's passion for VF" Seiji Aoki on Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. events, upcoming VF Project, and more (Exclusive)

Seiji Aoki and the team at RGG Studios are doing a lot to bring Virtua Fighter back with not only Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown and R.E.V.O., but also a future VF project. It’s an exciting time for one of the most iconic 3D fighters to exist, and I recently had a chance to chat with the man himself. We chatted over email ahead of EVO Japan, to talk about the R.E.V.O. project, coming together with Katsuhiro Harada, and of course, the amazing community tournament run by Maximilian Dood himself.

There’s never been a better time to be a fighting game fan — from Tekken, Street Fighter, Iron Saga, and Virtua Fighter, there’s something for pretty much everyone. It was a real treat to speak with Aoki-san ahead of the EVO Japan event, and hopefully we can again, once more is known about the upcoming Virtua Fighter project.

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Seiji Aoki on Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. coming to life, the balance patch, and more

Q: First, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! Virtua Fighter is officially back, with Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O.. We enjoyed it here, but what’s the reception been like on your end?

Virtua Fighter has never been more back, friends (Image via SEGA)

Seiji Aoki: Since the release, the game has been enjoyed by many players around the world, particularly in North America. Additionally, the VF community has become increasingly active through the official VF Discord server and events held in various regions, and we are thrilled to see the global excitement surrounding the game.

Q: Virtua Fighter is often credited as the first 3D fighting game, back in 1993, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen a new iteration or remake, until Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O.. What inspired the teams at SEGA and RGG Studio to put together this project?

Seiji Aoki: We have been developing this title in collaboration with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio since the previous title, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. As previously mentioned, 'VF5 R.E.V.O.' was planned and developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio as part of our efforts to further enhance the Virtua Fighter franchise globally as part of the 'New VIRTUA FIGHTER Project.'

Q: From what I understand, Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. features the same balance patch that the US 2.0 version of the game had, making it a perfect return for long-time fans. Were there any talks of doing other balance patches/updates for the game, or was the goal to have a picture-perfect version of the game for fans to take part in?

Seiji Aoki: Our goal was to provide VF fans with the best possible battle environment, so implementing a balance update for the first time in 13 years in 'VF5 R.E.V.O.' was essential. Reviving the (original) legacy development environment was extremely difficult, but we felt that there was no point in developing the game if we couldn't implement the balance update, so the entire development team worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Q: One thing that I think is really interesting is that Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. will be the title played in the first-ever official global VIRTUA FIGHTER Open Championships, in May. That’s such incredible news. Are there any characters, or even pro players, that you hope to see represented?

Seiji Aoki: The VIRTUA FIGHTER Open Championship (VFOC) will be the first official global tournament in the VF series, with a grand prize of $100,000 for the winner. As the name suggests, this will be a world championship, so we are looking forward to seeing new champions from regions we have never seen before. We hope that many of you will participate and join us in watching the moment when the world champion is crowned.

Q: While the VIRTUA FIGHTER Open Championships are quite exciting, noted content creator and fighting game fan (and one of my favorite content creators) Maximilian and Tampa Never Sleeps recently teamed up with SEGA to host a Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. competition. It had 10-15,000 people watching online, and many more after the fact, which is huge. Is this kind of tournament something you’d like to see take place in the future?

Seiji Aoki: The tournament hosted by Maximilian was a huge success, with many participants and viewers from North America and beyond. It was an event that truly showcased Maximilian's passion for VF and his significant influence on the fighting game community. We hope to continue collaborating with Maximilian and others to organize tournaments that are closely connected to local communities in the future.

Q: Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. also came with some pretty solid DLC, and there’s more to come, with collaborations with both Tekken 7 and Yakuza! I imagine the talks to have Yakuza/Like a Dragon come to the game with a collaboration was easy enough, but what led to the Tekken 7 collaboration DLC?

Seiji Aoki: I have known Mr. Harada, the producer of the Tekken series, for a long time, and we had been discussing the possibility of collaborating on something involving ‘Tekken’ and ‘Virtua Fighter’. Therefore, it was not difficult to execute the DLC collaboration for ‘Tekken 7’. At the time, we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we held numerous online meetings with Mr. Harada to develop a detailed plan.

Q: When planning or discussing potential DLC collaborations for Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. were there any other fighting games considered as potential partnerships that, for one reason or another, didn’t work out?

Seiji Aoki: There are no collaboration titles that did not work out. While we believe that collaborations with fighting games have high compatibility, in order to further expand the VF franchise globally, we are also considering collaborations with other game genres and non-gaming entertainment titles.

Q: Fighting games are incredibly hot right now. From global brands like Street Fighter and Tekken, down to indie projects, there are so many great fighting games to dive into right now. What are you and your team’s interest in the fighting game genre? Is there perhaps more to come from SEGA/RGG Studio in the world of fighting games?

Seiji Aoki: Fighting game titles and the fighting game community have grown significantly in recent years. As a development team, we are fully aware of this and are working on the development of VF with this in mind. With the New VIRTUA FIGHTER Project, we are aiming to create an innovative game that will appeal not only to VF fans and fighting game fans, but to a wide range of players. We hope fans will look forward to it.

Q: Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. is a magnificent remake of a classic fighting game, and it shows fans of the series that they haven’t been forgotten. Do you have any words you’d like to share with the VF community?

Seiji Aoki: Through Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. and VIRTUA FIGHTER Open Championship, we hope to work together with fighting game players around the world to make the VF community even more exciting. We look forward to talking with VF fans at VFOC venues and other events, so please feel free to come and say hello. Thank you very much.

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Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O. is currently available through SEGA, and will be a part of the upcoming EVO Japan 2025 with the Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. Special Tournament. An intense 5-on-5 battle awaits participants and viewers alike. Here's to many more years of Virtua Fighter, thanks to Seiji Aoki and his team.