Producer Koichi Sugiyama reveals that Capcom originally intended to create photorealistic visuals and characters for Street Fighter 5 rather than the stylized look it has now.

The Street Fighter series has always been known for its bright colors, flashy characters, and solid mechanics. While Street Fighter IV added in anime-esque 3D models as if they had been brushed in ink, Capcom decided to take the look and feel in an entirely new direction for the fifth iteration. Thanks to a recent interview, Street Fighter 5 producer Koichi Sugiyama reveals just what the development team had been originally planning for the series.

"In fact, in the very early stages of development, we actually put together a build of SF5 that was rendered in photorealistic graphics. But when we did, we realized that it just wouldn't be Street Fighter without the bold, anime-esque look and feel to the game, so we decided to shelve the whole photorealism idea altogether."

When work began on Street Fighter 5 the team wanted to move away from the brush inspired and exaggerated graphics the series had enjoyed in the past. Considering that Unreal Engine 4 is powering the game and is well known for its realistic rendering capabilities, Capcom planned to instead use photorealistic graphics. While the idea was later shelved in favor of the art style fans are now used to, proof can be seen in the Street Fighter 5 book that comes in the E-Capcom version of the game in Japan.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="291596,291597,291598,291593"]

It was also during this phase that Capcom developed the idea for Ryu's battle outfit or the "Hot Ryu" costume as it is known throughout the community. While the original designs for Karin, Birdie, Chun-Li, and Nash are all pretty much in line with how fans see them now in Street Fighter 5, the most radical change in this realistic engine was with M. Bison. While still sporting a traditional red outfit, Bison no longer wore his iconic dictator hat or long flowing jacket. Instead, the character featured slicked back white hair and wore what appears to be a red bodysuit with some sort of purple veins running through it, probably related to his proficiency with psycho power.

The article also reveals a number of interesting character costumes which artists were planning on adding to the game such as a ninja outfit for Nash and a militaristic Shadaloo outfit for Birdie. With an online shop expected to be patched into the game with the March update, it's entirely possible some, if not all of these concept designs make it into the game. As of now, players are not able to see what Capcom is planning on offering including purchasing any story costumes currently unlocked until the store is up and running.

That reason, along with the fact that many other modes such as a traditional arcade ladder are not present, is why many fans view the current Street Fighter 5 as incomplete. While Capcom has laid out their DLC plans through the summer, they're asking fans to be patient while additional modes and characters are implemented over time, a strategy which certainly could alienate some folks in the meantime.

How do you feel about the visual change? Would you have rather seen a more realistic Street Fighter or are the stylized visuals the series is known for a better choice? Sound off in the comments below.

Street Fighter 5 is available now on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Source: Event Hubs