Street Fighter V’s “Cinematic Story Expansion” launching in June

There has apparently been a bit of chatter regarding Street Fighter V’s story, or potential lack thereof, as of late. Well before things got out of hand, Capcom decided to confirm that the game will definitely be getting a “story”, except it won’t be ready to go for launch.

Instead, a Street Fighter V cinematic story expansion is scheduled be released sometime around June 2016, free of charge. Sooooo… if you were looking forward to more than just a competitive fighting game experience at launch, you may have to hold on for a few additional months for that part of the game to be finished up.

At least Capcom sent over a trailer and screens of the cinematic story expansion, as you can see below.

Street Fighter V – Cinematic Story Trailer:

Street Fighter V – Cinematic Story Trailer screens:

Today, Capcom provided new details on the story elements that will be included in Street Fighter V. When the game releases on February 16, players will have the opportunity to play through individual character stories that provide important background information on each of the characters, their roles in the game, and their relationships with other fighters. The character stories have a recognizable throwback art style created by Bengus, a famous Japanese illustrator who has worked on a variety of past Street Fighter projects.

The character stories serve as a compelling prologue for the Street Fighter V cinematic story expansion, which will be released in June 2016 as a free update to all players. The story takes place between Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter III and bridges the events that happen in between the two stories. This is the first time in franchise history that fans will be able to play through this type of cinematic story experience in a Street Fighter game.

Upon completing the character stories and other single-player content at launch, Street Fighter V players can earn enough Fight Money to purchase a new character, and possibly more depending on skill level. Capcom is timing the release of the in-game store to coincide with the first post launch content drop in March, giving players plenty of time to accumulate Fight Money through the various single-player modes prior to the store opening. When the game first releases, there will be no downloadable content to purchase using earnable Fight Money or real currency (known as Zenny). The first post launch content for Street Fighter V will be released in March.

Additionally, Capcom confirmed today that a fourth and final Street Fighter V beta will run from January 30-31 as a bonus to all fans and supporters. For more details on this last online play session before the game releases on February 16, stay tuned to Capcom-Unity.