The gaming industry celebrated quite a few anniversaries last year, from the 10th anniversary of the Xbox to the 20th Sonic The Hedgehog, reminding us of how old we (and Ryu) really are. This year, another iconic gaming franchise reaches an important milestone as come summer time, Street Fighter will have endured a whopping 25 years.

For veteran gamers who rocked games like Street Fighter during the heyday of arcades in the late '80s, this is a reality check of how time flies. Capcom values the franchise as much as us supporters of the series and they will not let the anniversary go by without an appropriate celebration.

Capcom posted on the Unity site today to let fans know they're planning something big for the 25th anniversary of Street Fighter on August 30th. They won't say what yet, but it's going to be international.

Can you believe Ryu has been throwing fireballs and scarring chests for a quarter century? For 25 years Street Fighter's iconic hero has wandered the globe in search of the perfect battle, and to commemorate his quest - not to mention the millions of fans who've followed him every step of the way - we're preparing some big plans for 2012. The full details of this international celebration are still to come, but I can at least share the official logo that'll emblazon all related products through the year.

Just to get a clearer picture of how much of an impact Street Fighter has has on the industry, we likely wouldn't have Mortal Kombat, Tekken and Soul Calibur if it weren't for what Street Fighter introduced to gamers in arcades and later on the Super Nintendo, where Street Fighter II remains Capcom's best selling game ever, beating out Resident Evil 2 & 5.

According to Capcom's official sales data reported in September, the Street Fighter series has sold over 31 million units, beating out Mega Man and second only to Resident Evil. If you really want to make this a party, announce Street Fighter V, a game we were told last year wouldn't take a long time like the previous entry did.

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Source: Capcom