Capcom has described development of Street Fighter V as a single release, that will receive continuing updates. Today, fans were shocked to learn some of the changes Capcom is implementing, even as it has yet to leave beta.
R. Mika and Cammy have received edits in their animations, that don’t affect gameplay, but do break up the effect of the male gaze on these characters.
For Mika, her Critical Art animation tilts away when she does her slaps her rear end. For Cammy, her entrance animation has been edited so that when she lands after a high jump, the camera is positioned to show her face and legs. Originally, the camera seemed to go out of its way to point to her crotch.
As Maddy Myers described Mika, and women fighting game characters in general, during Mika’s reveal;
I’m sure I don’t need to explain, yet again, how silly it is that women in fighting games often perform a particular type of campy, posed sexuality that is often surreal at best and alienating at worst (and also something that I’ve forced myself to grow desensitized to after playing these games for many, many years).
These changes seem to address common criticisms leveled at fighting games, especially towards Capcom for Street Fighter through the years.Street Fighter V has appeared to be a genuine attempt to reach a wider audience, with newer characters representing countries in different ways, such as Brazil’s Laura Matsuda. However, Capcom may need to work on its representations more, as the same Laura Matsuda also receives a highly sexualized portrayal (which has notably not been changed yet), and Dhalsim’s return to the franchise comes with that unfortunate skull necklace.
If you were watching closely, however, it should be no surprise that these were the first edits Capcom made. ESRB’s T rating for Street Fighter V explicitly describes the game’s very obvious hypersexuality:
Several female characters are depicted in low-cut, form-fitting outfits that display large amounts of cleavage and/or buttocks. Female characters' breasts sometimes jiggle during character selection.
If you are a fan unhappy with these changes today, you may want to read this insight from Sony Santa Monica design director Derek Daniels:
Regarding R Mika's super, the general public is know seeing behind the curtain of how games change as they get made. Lots of things happen
— Derek Daniels (@derek_omni) November 8, 2015
Suffice to say, loyal fans can expect to see even more changes coming in the months leading to release.
You can see vidos of the edited movements as well as screenshots in the gallery below. Note, as I broke up Mika's animation, that the camera tilts back down to Mika's rear after she slaps it. This happens in a matter of milliseconds.
Street Fighter V will be released on Windows and PlayStation 4 in 2016.
