Street Fighter 6 has had no shortage of crossovers lately, but its most recent collaboration is perhaps the strangest one yet. On April 1, Capcom announced that it was adding a fighting pass to the game themed around the cult classic Rival Schools franchise. This, surprisingly, wasn't an April Fool's joke. Players that log into Street Fighter 6 right now can unlock some premium rewards inspired by the fellow Capcom fighting game series. These rewards largely consist of cosmetic items, such as new avatar gear, new music, some stickers, and a handful of player titles, among other things.
The announcement of this Street Fighter 6 crossover came as a shock to many gamers, in part because the Rival Schools series has been dormant for ages. The last entry in the franchise, Project Justice, was released on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, and since then, the series has been pretty much abandoned. Although Project Justice is getting a re-release on modern platforms in the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2, it's still surprising to see Capcom dig up such a forgotten property from its catalog of IP. Maybe this is a sign that the company is interested in bringing back the Rival Schools franchise in the future, potentially with a new mainline entry.
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Street Fighter 6's Latest Crossover Shows that Capcom Hasn't Forgotten About the Rival Schools Series
Rival Schools Never Really Caught On Due to a Few Factors
Rival Schools isn't exactly a household name, and it's not difficult to see why. The franchise has only had three installments up to this point, one of which is Japan-exclusive. Plus, the Rival Schools games haven't been released on many platforms; each entry in the franchise has either been exclusive to Sega or Sony systems.
Rival Schools is technically set in the same universe as Street Fighter. However, unlike Capcom's flagship fighting game series, its cast of playable characters primarily features high school students and teachers. According to the series' lore, these individuals are fighting in battles in order to unravel the mysteries behind the kidnappings and assaults that are occurring on their campuses.
The only Japan-exclusive entry in the Rival Schools series, Nekketsu Seisyun Nikki 2, is technically a sequel to 1997's Rival Schools: United by Fate, but it isn't considered a mainline game.
Capcom is Interested in Bringing Back Its Dormant IPs
Since the series is so niche, one would normally think that a Rival Schools revival wouldn't be possible. However, given how Capcom's attitude towards inactive franchises has started to change as of late, the prospect doesn't sound as absurd as it once did. Late last year, Capcom revealed in an investor briefing that it intends to "reactivate dormant IPs that haven't had a new title launch recently." This new strategy, the company stated, will ensure that it can "continuously produce highly efficient, high-quality titles."
Even though only a few months have passed since this announcement, fans have already started to see the fruits of Capcom's IP revival efforts. In just the last year or so, the publisher not only revealed a new mainline Onimusha game, it also announced a sequel to the cult classic action adventure title, Okami. Even the Dead Rising and Dragon's Dogma series were brought back in 2024, with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Dragon's Dogma 2, respectively. Taking this into account, it's possible that Capcom could make a new Rival Schools game someday.
Despite Hideaki Itsuno's Departure from Capcom, a Rival Schools Revival is Still Possible
There's only one major roadblock that could prevent a Rival Schools revival from happening: the series' lead producer, Hideaki Itsuno, is no longer at Capcom. Back when he was still at the company, Itsuno had expressed a great desire to make a Rival Schools 3. According to him, developing a new game in the franchise was one of his life goals. Since Itsuno has left Capcom, however, the chances of a Rival Schools 3 being made have become a little bit slimmer. That said, there's nothing stopping Capcom from creating a new entry in the series without him. After all, as the Street Fighter 6 collaboration has shown, the publisher still hasn't forgotten about the franchise.
Street Fighter 6
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
