Dragon Ball FighterZ producer says eSports influenced the decision to make the game 2.5D, current six characters have 'orthodox' playstyles
Bandai Namco and Arc System Works' upcoming title, Dragon Ball FighterZ, made a large splash at E3 this week. Longtime fans of the franchise and those who have never watched a single episode alike have been spending time at the booth in order to duke it out in the 3v3 team-based fighter.
The game's producer Tomomi Hiroki sat down with Twitch at the expo to give viewers the scoop on the upcoming DBZ brawler. One question on the minds of many is: why did the developers choose to make this game 2.5D, as opposed to the 3D battle landscape we've seen from most Dragon Ball fighting titles?
According to Hiroki, the decision boils down to two things. Firstly, a lot of fans feel that the origin for Dragon Ball fighting games lies in the 2D space. Returning the Z warriors to a 2D setting was, in a sense, a way to go back to the franchise's roots.
The second major reason is one that is very relevant in this day and age -- eSports. The development team aims to make a title that is easy to watch and get into, and combining 2D fighting with Dragon Ball is the way they are looking to achieve this.
"I think it's really easy for people to consume, be an audience for, and spectate," Hiroki said through a translator. "We took really good elements in the eSports space -- 2D fighting games obviously are a huge element of eSports -- and Dragon Ball, which is of course a really great platform I think for which 2D fighting game tournaments can be held on.
"So we tried to merge these two elements that were really a match made for each other."
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Despite Arc System Works' titles being most popular among hardcore fighting gamers, it appears as though the team is attempting to bring players of all walks of life into the fold with Dragon Ball FighterZ. In fact, the current six characters on the roster are equipped with "standard" playstyles, making them more accessible to fans on the E3 show floor.
"We chose these six character because their fighting style is what I would call orthodox or very standard," Hiroki explained. "They have very standard movements and fighting moves, which might be easier for people on the show floor to interpret."
Looking at the Dragon Ball FighterZ move listings, we can see that what Hiroki said rings true. As it stands right now, special moves are limited to quarter-circle motions, with the occasional down, down input. With inputs that aren't overly complicated, fans should have no problem jumping in.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is set for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in early 2018.
