'We made a conscious decision to make the characters less sexualized' - Dead or Alive 6 director discusses the shift in design philosophy for the team
It might be time to say goodbye to jiggle physics
Koei Tecmo revealed Dead or Alive 6 earlier today much to the surprise of almost everyone on the internet, and the developers over at Team Ninja are already out and providing more details about the game and its new features.
The game's director and producer, Yohei Shimbori, and art director Yutaka Saito joined IGN to discuss what DOA6 will have to offer along with the changes and additions that are being made to the new title
Those that watched the reveal trailer for DOA6 probably noticed that the female characters were dressed in less revealing costumes than what had become expected of the franchise that has Xtreme Beach Volleyball spin-offs which appears to be a very intentional decision by the development team.
“We wanted to make a more cool and mature Dead or Alive this time, and to that end we made a conscious decision to make the characters less sexualized,” said director Shimbori via IGN.
Female characters' breasts will no longer feature the exaggerated 'jiggle physics' or seemingly defy gravity with their bouncing as was becoming somewhat of a staple for the series.
Below is a side-by-side comparison showing Kasumi as she appears in one of her bikini alternate costumes in Dead or Alive 5 next to what is likely Kasumi's new default costume for DOA6.
Click images for larger versions
“The female characters are still attractive, as are the men, but first and foremost they are fighters,” said art director Saito.
Shimbori states DOA6 will look more realistic compared to the previous entries, but that they are not changing their "sci-fi-fantasy atmosphere with ninjas, clones and whatnot." He says the series will retain it's over-the-top fun and the new sense of realism will make the fighting "more convincing."
Characters will sweat as matches progress as well as feature 'dynamic facial expressions' as they toss out heavy hitting moves and get hit themselves. They will also show battle damage and visible wounds after taking hits which is something Team Ninja has shied away from in previous games.
“Our goal is to no longer force characters to look great at all times, but to leave that up to the natural flow of battle,” said Saito.
Dead or Alive 5 featured hundreds of costumes and customization options for their characters many of which could be deemed "fan-service-y," so it's not out of the question that more revealing costumes and such could come down the line for the new title.
Source: IGN
