Summary
- Soulcalibur's decline may be due to corporate culture clashing with a lack of creative vision.
- Soulcalibur 6's success was not enough to secure the franchise's future.
- Project Soul may return with a strong vision, but no new game is confirmed to be in production.
While many fans of the genre have been vocal about how there seems to be a current fighting game revival renaissance taking place, the state of what sorts of titles are achieving success and recognition has changed greatly when compared to decades past. Tekken stands as the sole 3D fighter offering of the most popular titles, while several 2D experiences with modern visuals have managed to begin dominating once again. Some players of one of the most prolific fighting franchises to ever make its mark, Soulcalibur, may be shocked to see just how far Bandai Namco's weapon-based fighting game series has fallen.
There's been an air of uncertainty around Soulcalibur ever since its sixth numbered entry was released in 2018, as it seems that it didn't reach sales goals which could have helped greenlight more titles. Fans have speculated about the shift of focus to Tekken's ongoing success, but the series' director, Katsuhiro Harada, directly addressed this dynamic in a lengthy post on X/Twitter. In a rare case of deep behind-the-scenes insight, the context provided by Harada unfortunately indicates that the next Soulcalibur doesn't seem to be on any developer's radar in the near future.
The Days of Soulcalibur's Peak May Have Passed
A Franchise's Slow Decline
When fighters went through the era of transitioning from the arcade to home console releases, Soulcalibur was at the forefront of that movement and became an iconic part of gaming history. Having the likes of Soulcalibur 2 featuring Link as a guest character possibly marked its peak in terms of public awareness, and it was around then that SC was outpacing Tekken, still an arcade classic, in terms of sales. It can be hard to imagine a time when Tekken was more of the underdog, but this is exactly what Harada has personally detailed. Later releases didn't match up to this hype though, as concepts like the controversial inclusion of Star Wars guests in SC4 or an entire new generation cast in SC5 didn't resonate to the point that the series went dormant for years.
From a production perspective, Harada stated that it's likely that Soulcalibur's decline was a result of Bandai Namco's corporate culture clashing with the need for a strong creative vision leading a project. While he remained with Tekken even when it may have threatened his status in the company, much of SC's existence has seen it go on without someone specifically spearheading it and apparently falling into executive hands.
Soulcalibur 6 Didn't Land as the Revival It Was Supposed to Be
Advancements in the series timeline and a change of cast put the follow-up to SC5 in a strange spot, but the effort of SC6 was apparently led by a caring producer in Motohiro Okubo. His passion for the series led to this installment acting as a total reboot which recaptured some of the past's glory, despite a limited budget having it remain visually similar to its predecessors. Soulcalibur 6 surpassed expectations that Bandai Namco had, as it was closer to axing the franchise entirely before a vision came about for its latest entry, but over two million copies sold still wasn't enough to keep Okubo from eventually leaving the company in 2021, and uncertainty from returning to Soulcalibur.
Project Soul is Not Over
There doesn't seem to be any new game beyond a possible Soulcalibur remaster in production now, but Harada has hinted that he at least has faith in the team behind SC coming back strong eventually. He ended his tweet by stating he doesn't "think the fire of Project Soul has been extinguished", but until that team can organize under a greater vision beyond company policy, Soulcalibur 6 could end up being the latest entry for years to come.
Soulcalibur 6
- Released
- October 19, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Introducing the newest entry in the SOULCALIBUR series!
Experience all-new gameplay mechanics with the most beautiful graphics the weapons-based fighting genre has ever seen!
All-New Battle Mechanics!
Reversal Edge: Block your opponent’s assault and counterattack! A fusion of offense and defense.
Soul Charge: Enjoy a temporary power-up to turn the tide of the battle.
Wield Lethal Hits to deal huge combo damage and take down fearsome opponents!
A full assortment of single-player modes!
STORY: Taking place in the 16th century, revisit the events of the very first SOULCALIBUR in Soul Chronicle mode.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios, Dimps
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Franchise
- Soulcalibur
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
