Virtua Fighter NFTs are a thing now
Virtua Fighter co-creator Yu Suzuki has teamed up with NFT company Oasyx to produce 1,000 NFTs of the popular fighting game series.
In a statement, Oasyx said the NFT series “will include 11 characters from the first three Virtua Fighter games” and is for “new and old fans of Virtua Fighter alike.”
These NFTs will apparently “serve as a base for future metaverse avatars.”
#OASYX collaborates with SEGA’s iconic 3D fighting games, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 3!!!
1,000 of 10,000 OASYX Series 1 NFTs will be this limited edition Virtua Fighter👀follow @oasyx_official and stay tuned for upcoming pic.twitter.com/mpmWFuySa0
— Oasys🏝Blockchain for games (@oasys_games) March 17, 2023
The NFT market has cooled significantly in the past six months, and such projects have generally attracted negative sentiments among video game fans, and this Virtua Fighter project is no different, with Virtua Fighters taking to Twitter to complain.
Virtua Fighter was the first 3D fighting game and was a precursor to titles such as The thatch and Soul Calibur. The last entry in the series was 2021 Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown.
Sega appears to have licensed the IP for the NFT project, although it’s unclear if the company itself has any involvement. The publisher has previously claimed that it is interested in exploring NFTs, but has yet to announce any projects.
Yu Suzuki is one of Sega’s most famous faces. He served as director of Virtua Fighter series from the franchise’s inception in 1993. He worked as a producer on the racer Daytona USA and light weapons shooter Virtua Cop but Suzuki is best known for his role as director on Shenmue and Shenmue II. Suzuki left Sega in the late 00s, but was in charge of Virtua Fighter until that time.
In a statement, Suzuki said: “During my time as a director at SEGA, I first developed Virtua Fighter using innovative 3D computer graphics technology, which was groundbreaking and industry leading at the time. Since then, the Virtua Fighter series has grown to be loved by many players and continues to be supported by many fans today.
“Through my work overseeing the development of OASYX’s unique worldview, I am excited to combine innovative technology in the form of blockchain-based NFTs, with three titles from the Virtua Fighter series to create new entertainment for a wide range of gaming fans.”
In other gaming news, Total war developers Creative Assembly have opened a new studio in Newcastle, called Creative Assembly North.
