UDON pitched a 'Darkstalkers HD Remix' to Capcom in 2011, but it was rejected
We ultimately saw the release of Darkstalkers Resurrection
Darkstalkers is one of those franchises that people desperately want to see receive a brand new game. The last time we saw Capcom's spooky gang of combatants get their own title was back in 2013 with Darkstalkers Resurrection -- a collection of the series' past entries with HD graphics filters, online play, and more included.
What's interesting, though, is that Darkstalkers Resurrection could have potentially been a "Darkstalkers HD Remix." We recently learned that a pitch for such a project was made to Capcom back in 2011.
UDON Entertainment's Director of Publishing Matt Moylan sent out a tweet earlier this week showing an HD Remix-style animated sprite of Morrigan performing one of her trademark punch attacks. According to Moylan, the sprite was designed by UDON Entertainment artist Jeffrey "the CHAMBA" Cruz and was used when the two pitched the idea of an HD Remix.
"In 2011 we learned of a project in development at Capcom that would eventually be released as Darkstalkers Resurrection," Moylan told EventHubs. "Having done Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, we took in on ourselves to pitch the same idea for Darkstalkers, to redraw the sprites in higher resolution."
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, which launched back in November 2008 on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade, revamped the classic title's graphics with sprites, backdrops, and artwork designed and illustrated by UDON. The game was well received by critics and the fighting game community, so it's no surprise that the team that brought us the updated visuals of HD Remix wanted lightning to strike twice.
Unfortunately, the proposal for Darkstalkers HD Remix was rejected.
Click images for comparison and animated version
"We pitched the idea to producer Yoshinori Ono, but were turned down without much feedback," says Moylan.
As much as the prospect of a Darkstalkers HD Remix undoubtedly excites fans, Capcom's turning the idea down makes sense. One can only imagine how much more work would need to go into recreating all of the assets for the game in the HD Remix style, let alone how much more money would need to be invested in the project.
Moylan pointed out the fact that recreating Darkstalkers would also be a much more daunting task than Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo as the characters have a lot more animation frames than the World Warriors. "At the same time, it probably would have looked even better than SSF2T HD Remix, since the characters are so well animated to begin with," Moylan concluded.
— UDON's Matt Moylan.
The wait for a new Darkstalkers game continues, but those still hoping for a modern title should probably lay those hopes to rest. In an interview with Siliconera back in July 2013, former Capcom Director of Brand Marketing and eSport Matt Dhalgren said that Darkstalkers Resurrection did not sell well and that there was "nothing Darkstalkers on the immediate horizon for sure."
To further that point, Capcom's Yoshinori Ono explained to Famitsu the following year that we wouldn't be seeing a new Darkstalkers game anytime soon. That is, of course, unless someone purchased "about 4 million copies" of Darkstalkers Resurrection -- which obviously didn't happen.
At least Darkstalkers characters continue to live on in other Capcom IPs. Jedah and Morrigan are playable characters in Marvel vs.Capcom: Infinite, and Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition has DLC costumes for Juri, Urien, and Menat modeled after Lilith, Donovan, and Khaibit (with influences from Anakaris) respectively.
If you're still fiending for some Darkstalkers, you can check out the new Street Fighter VS Darkstalkers Vol.2: Dimensions of Darkness trade paperback from UDON Entertainment. This book collects issues #5 - #8 of the Street Fighter VS Darkstalkers comic book series, including bonus stories and variant covers, and concludes the crossover arc.
Street Fighter VS Darkstalkers Vol.2: Dimensions is set for release on June 27th and you can check out the cover art below.
Mentioned by KatzuyaSagara.
