Capcom explain on-disk Street Fighter X Tekken DLC

Earlier today I reported on the discovery that all the DLC characters for Capcom's Street Figher X Tekken were already loaded onto the disk and ready to go. There are some shaky sources on whether they are just the character's models (in order to boost compatibility), or whether they're actually ready to fight and just locked out, but considering there are videos posted around the internet (which seem to disappear whenever they're posted), it's safe to say that at least some of the characters are just hidden behind a virtual door.

Capcom took to their blog, Capcom Unity, to try to calm angry fans – it didn't especially work.

"Capcom has confirmed that 12 new fan-favorite characters will be available as Downloadable Content (DLC) on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Street Fighter X Tekken later this year. The playable characters will make their debut on the PS Vita system when the game is released this fall, with the console and PC versions receiving them as DLC soon after. The character information and files were intentionally included on retail versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 game to save hard drive space and to ensure for a smooth transition when the DLC is available, allowing players who choose not to purchase the content the ability to play against players that did. More specifics regarding pricing, dates and other additional exciting DLC plans for Street Fighter X Tekken will be shared at a later date. As a reminder, the retail version of the game will be the only disc-based version consumers will need to own and all future upgrades will come from post-launch DLC. The new characters fighting their way onto Street Fighter X Tekken are… from the Street Fighter side… Blanka, Cody, Dudley, Elena, Guy and Sakura will be playable and from Tekken… Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack, Lars Alexandersson and Lei Wulong will all be available."

"By including these 12 characters on the disc, the idea was to ensure easy compatability between players who do and do not choose to download the characters when they arrive as DLC. For example, not buying costumes in the Street Fighter IV series means you will not see the costumes when playing another person who did buy them; on-disc characters avoid this issue and allow everyone to participate in the update without additional patches or hiccups. The update also saves on file size – instead of a massive download, there will be a much smaller unlock that brings the new content to the surface.

"This move also furthers our desire to avoid a "Super" version of the game down the road. Everything you need to enjoy this game for months (and years) to come will be accessed by the retail disc available this week. When the DLC update does come, it will inject new life and excitement into the game by unleashing 12 new fighters into the wild."

So not only do you already have these locked characters on your disk, you'll also have to wait 6-8 months to get access to them. People are still understandably upset.