Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi has just confirmed that the studio is now working on a new Dead or Alive Xtreme.
Hayashi shared these comments regarding the game in the latest DOA Festival:
There is a game where female DOA characters are having a vacation at south island. Fans having been asking for that game. It is actually the number 1 request from the fans. I have been acting as if I was ignoring these requests. But we have actually begun developing that game, the latest installment. It's still very early in development so we can't give more details, but I want to announce today that we are making the game.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyballand Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 were sports games that allowed you to play the female characters from Dead or Alive in a non-fighting game context. The first game was a beach volleyball game with relationship and collecting systems, while the sequel added jet ski racing, shopping, casino games, and mini-games.
As Itagaki revealed in an interview, the idea behind the Dead or Alive Xtreme games was to make a game that was more casual and sexy to meet that demand from fans. He wanted to keep it separate from the more serious fighting game tone of the main Dead or Alive games.
Itagaki, of course, no longer works on the Dead or Alive games. Based on his rationale, there is actually no more reason for more Dead or Alive Xtreme games, since Dead or Alive 5 ramped up the sexy factor to a degree Itagaki never did. It’s safe to say Team Ninja will be taking the Dead or Alive Xtreme franchise to a new direction.
What do you hope to see in the new Dead or Alive Xtreme? Do you agree with the argument that there is no more point to making these games anymore? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.