Capcom defends, explains Street Fighter x Tekken on disc DLC

Capcom has defended and explained its decision to pop upcoming Street Fighter x Tekken DLC on disc.

Fans reacted angrily yesterday after it emerged that the 12 characters thought to be exclusive to the PS Vita version of the crossover fighting game were in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, due out this Friday - but locked.

Yesterday Capcom issued a statement to Eurogamer explaining the decision - and confirmed the 12 characters will eventually be released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners after the launch of the Vita version in the autumn.

"Capcom has confirmed that 12 new fan-favourite characters will be available as downloadable content (DLC) on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Street Fighter X Tekken later this year," Capcom said.

"The playable characters will make their debut on the PS Vita system when the game is released this autumn, with the console and PC versions receiving them as DLC soon after.

"The character information and files were intentionally included on retail versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 game to save hard drive space and to ensure for a smooth transition when the DLC is available, allowing players who choose not to purchase the content the ability to play against players that did.

"More specifics regarding pricing, dates and other additional exciting DLC plans for Street Fighter x Tekken will be shared at a later date. As a reminder, the retail version of the game will be the only disc-based version consumers will need to own and all future upgrades will come from post-launch DLC.

"The new characters fighting their way onto Street Fighter X Tekken are... from the Street Fighter side... Blanka, Cody, Dudley, Elena, Guy and Sakura will be playable and from Tekken... Alisa Bosconovitch, Bryan Fury, Christie Monteiro, Jack, Lars Alexandersson and Lei Wulong will all be available."

Online community manager Brett Elston went into more detail on Capcom Unity - and insisted the game fans get at launch has plenty to keep them going.

"By including these 12 characters on the disc, the idea was to ensure easy compatibility between players who do and do not choose to download the characters when they arrive as DLC," Elston said.

"For example, not buying costumes in the Street Fighter IV series means you will not see the costumes when playing another person who did buy them; on-disc characters avoid this issue and allow everyone to participate in the update without additional patches or hiccups. The update also saves on file size - instead of a massive download, there will be a much smaller unlock that brings the new content to the surface.

"This move also furthers our desire to avoid a 'Super' version of the game down the road. Everything you need to enjoy this game for months (and years) to come will be accessed by the retail disc available this week. When the DLC update does come, it will inject new life and excitement into the game by unleashing 12 new fighters into the wild.

"SFxT has a ton of content on day one, then later this year we reenergize the whole thing with a hefty DLC update, without the need for a second disc. And while pricing details are still to come, I can at least say it'll be a great value considering the size of the update - 12 new characters is pretty substantial, after all.

"I understand the reaction, but SFxT is a damn fun game with a ton of content right out of the gate and more stuff - all designed to keep this fresh - to come."