Sega will hold a special live stream to reveal the Virtua Fighter x eSports project on May 27, 2021, at 20:00 JST (7 AM ET). It has also updated the Virtua Fighter official website with a countdown towards the stream. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
Sega initially revealed Virtua Fighter x eSports at the end of its Tokyo Game Show 2020 live stream in September 2020. The teaser trailer showed real-life footage of prior Virtua Fighter tournaments. The teaser then culminated in a back shot of the series mascot Akira Yuki. Sega’s Japanese Twitter account added that it will reboot Virtua Fighter in Japan first to mark the company’s 60th anniversary.
The latest numbered title in the series to date is Virtua Fighter 5. The title originally released on arcades in 2006 and the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2007. Sega brought the Final Showdown update to arcades in 2010 and consoles in 2012.
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is also playable on Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s latest games, such as Judgment and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, through the in-game arcades. The Japanese press release added that tournaments for the game are still being held, over a decade after the release of Final Showdown.
The Virtua Fighter x eSports project will officially unveil on May 27, 2021.
