The journey to create Street Fighter II was far from a straightforward path. Initially conceived as a sequel to the original Street Fighter, the project took a detour through the development of Final Fight. Looking back, it’s fascinating to see how the evolution of one game directly influenced the birth of a fighting game phenomenon. Let’s delve into the making of Street Fighter II, exploring the challenges, creative decisions, and sheer passion that animated this iconic title.
From Final Fight to Street Fighter II: An Unexpected Detour
My initial plans were focused on a different game entirely, but Capcom redirected me to develop something with lower memory requirements due to rising ROM prices. This led to the creation of a belt-scrolling fighter, which I decided to brand with the “Street Fighter” name, hoping to leverage its existing recognition. This project became Final Fight, initially presented as “Street Fighter ’89”. The reception at the AM Show was lukewarm, and the game eventually adopted the Final Fight title we know today.
After the completion of Final Fight, I found myself in a period of relative calm. It was during this time that management approached me again, this time to discuss a true sequel to the original Street Fighter. My mind raced with ambitious ideas: dual-monitor cabinets for head-to-head battles, or even a networked system for massive 10-player brawls! I envisioned diverse and dynamic stages – from scorching deserts to precarious tower tops, underwater arenas with limited oxygen, and even bizarre chain deathmatches.
However, the vision from above was more grounded. Management wanted a direct sequel, a game that retained the core essence of Street Fighter I. “Adults,” I remember thinking, “always focused on profit… but wait, aren’t I an adult too?” Initially disheartened by these constraints, a defiant spirit ignited within me. “Alright,” I resolved, “If these are the boundaries, I’ll create a Street Fighter sequel with 100% Nishitani dedication!”
Igniting the Spark: From Disappointment to Determination
To truly understand the task ahead, I realized I needed to revisit the original Street Fighter, a game I had barely played. My extensive time with Final Fight, however, had honed my skills in the genre. In fact, I even won Capcom’s in-house Street Fighter I tournament. This experience brought a crucial realization: the reason I hadn’t played Street Fighter I extensively in arcades was simply because it wasn’t a very compelling game. This became my driving force. “I’ll make a game so exceptional,” I vowed, “that it will make the first Street Fighter look like a cheap imitation! I’m going to create a truly GOOD game that I myself will love!” Fueled by this determination, the development of Street Fighter II began in earnest.
The very first concept map for Street Fighter II was presented in the fall of 1988, outlining a tournament set on an abandoned island, a stage for fighters from diverse styles to clash.
An early concept map for the Street Fighter II project, showcasing the abandoned island setting idea presented in 1988.
Crafting the Roster: Animated Personalities and Fighting Styles
From the outset, I envisioned a roster of 8 playable characters and 4 formidable bosses – a lineup I felt was just right. The initial character archetypes were quickly decided: Ryu and Ken, the established martial artists; a powerful wrestler, Zangief; a wild beast character, Blanka; and a swift ninja, Balrog. For the remaining slots, I started with nationalities, using them as a foundation to build each character’s unique identity. The actual names came much later in the development process. During development, we used placeholder names that reflected their core concepts:
- Ryu = Ryu
- Ken = Ken
- E. Honda = E. Suzuki
- Blanka = Beast
- Guile = Soldier
- Chun Li = Chinese Girl
- Zangief = Vodka Gorbovsky
- Dhalsim = Indo
- M. Bison = Tyson
- Balrog = Spanish Ninja
- Sagat = Sagat
- Vega = Washizaki
To truly set Street Fighter II apart, we decided to utilize a groundbreaking 48MB of memory. This was a conscious decision to establish a clear technological leap from previous games. Of course, this came with a significant financial risk, demanding substantial sales to justify the increased cost. The pressure was immense, but momentum was on our side. We had started, and there was no turning back.
The character designers then began sketching rough concepts for each fighter. These initial sketches formed the basis of their visual identities. Next, we focused on defining each character’s movements – their walk cycles, damage animations, and jump animations, all crucial elements in bringing these animated fighters to life. This stage also involved creating their unique moves and special techniques. With meticulous care and a touch of daring, we designed their attacks, understanding that these choices would define a significant portion of the game’s appeal.
Finally, the moment arrived to assemble the characters in-game. We started by animating their footwork and displaying it on the cabinet screen. This was a highly anticipated moment, with the entire team gathering around the monitor to witness their creation take shape. For character designers, seeing their animated characters move on screen for the first time is often an emotional experience, a true realization of their artistic vision.
At this stage, the characters could be moved with the joystick, but it was still rudimentary. Hitboxes were absent, and jump mechanics differed significantly from the final version. It was during this phase that we decided to limit the number of Hadoukens on screen to two. Initially, there were no limits, leading to comical barrages of energy projectiles. We experimented with having three Hadoukens of varying speeds (weak, medium, and strong punch) simultaneously active.
Early stage background concepts for Street Fighter II, exploring environmental interactions like wind projectiles and water splashes.
As development progressed, the looming character deadline approached. The pressure mounted, and the character designers faced grueling hours, rationing sleep to complete their work. The initially vast memory capacity began to dwindle. “Um… we’re out of memory.” Difficult choices had to be made. Entrance animations were among the first to be cut (Vega retains a subtle remnant of his original entrance). A fierce scramble for memory ensued, with designers vying for every available sprite.
Despite the trials and tribulations, the team persevered. Following this intense period, the development process entered a more structured phase.
Balancing Act: Animating Fair Fights and Intelligent AI
With the characters taking shape, the focus shifted to game system design and AI development. Early fighting games often suffered from clunky controls and simplistic AI opponents. We aimed to revolutionize both aspects. Improving the AI’s movement and decision-making became our starting point for game balancing.
I made a pivotal decision: “In Street Fighter II, computer-controlled opponents will use the same movesets as player-controlled characters. It won’t feel right if they have different abilities. We need to develop a flexible and robust AI algorithm.”
My goal was to create an AI system unlike anything seen before. Looking back, it was a gamble, a significant one. While my superiors and programmers offered reassurance, I privately estimated a 50/50 chance of success. However, game design sometimes requires calculated risks, a willingness to bluff and push boundaries.
In retrospect, while not flawless, the AI system proved to be remarkably effective.
Concept art for Zangief, originally codenamed “Vodka Gorbavsky”, highlighting his anti-communist stance and underground wrestling background.
The anticipation for the first location test was immense. The night before was a mix of hope and anxiety. Would players embrace it? What demographics would it attract? How would it perform financially? More often than not, reality deviates from expectations.
Street Fighter II’s initial location test was no exception. The difficulty curve was too steep, leading to prolonged playtime on a single credit. The controls were perceived as overly complex, hindering player engagement. Most concerning was a barrage of bugs: screen freezes, characters teleporting across the stage, unresponsive AI opponents – the list went on. Each bug required investigation and ROM replacements.
Subsequent location tests were conducted, and I dedicated countless hours to playtesting, striving to refine the game balance. However, achieving perfect balance is an elusive goal. Solutions conceived in theory often revealed new issues in practice.
Consider the sheer complexity: each character faced ten potential opponents. The permutations of attacks and combos were astronomical. Addressing one imbalance often unveiled another. The process became a relentless cycle of playtesting and adjustment.
The more immersed you become in your own game, the harder it is to maintain objectivity. Perspective on what is engaging, boring, difficult, or easy becomes skewed. Witnessing a newcomer experience the game for the first time can be both surprising and unsettling, revealing unforeseen player reactions. Right up to the final deadline, I enlisted Capcom staff unfamiliar with Street Fighter II to playtest, seeking fresh perspectives.
The computer AI for opponents proved to be the most persistent challenge. Initially, I envisioned an AI capable of handling any situation, with each character exhibiting unique behavioral patterns. However, the sheer volume of moves and attacks we had created for each character overwhelmed the AI’s capacity to respond effectively.
Dhalsim posed particular difficulties. His unique abilities proved challenging to integrate smoothly with the AI, leading to exploitable “cheap” tactics against the computer.
Concept art for Balrog, known as Vega in Japan, showing an abandoned crusader concept and the finalized ninja-matador design.
Ideas Left on the Cutting Room Floor: Animated Features and Mechanics
With only a month remaining before the final deadline, time constraints forced difficult decisions. With a mix of pragmatism and regret, I had to prioritize features and mechanics for removal. Many ambitious ideas were ultimately abandoned:
- Dynamic Weak Points: Implementing damage multipliers based on hit location (head, body, legs).
- Special Weak Points: Expanding beyond basic weak points (remnants seen in Blanka’s Rolling Attack and Balrog’s Flying Barcelona).
- Adaptive AI Tactics: More sophisticated AI behavior, tailoring strategies based on the opponent (partially implemented, but deeper customization was desired, such as AI adjusting spacing against different characters).
- Enhanced Dizzy Damage: Increased damage vulnerability when a character is dizzied.
- Special Knockout Animations: Unique KO animations triggered by specific finishing moves against near-defeated opponents (a trace of this remains in the KO animation when guarding against a Hadouken).
The iconic “uppercut -> Shoryuken” combo was an unexpected discovery, a fortunate accident resulting from game setting adjustments. Its emergence was a moment of pure astonishment. However, in modern play, landing a Shoryuken is a rare occurrence.
Concept art for Dhalsim, revealing his initial name “Naradatta” and referencing a character from Tezuka’s manga Buddha.
Several planned special moves also faced the axe:
- Chun Li’s Back Flip Attack: A quick evasive maneuver with an attack from behind. Deemed too powerful and cut due to time constraints for rebalancing, though some players might have encountered it in early location tests.
- Blanka’s Enhanced Rolling Attack: Initially, Blanka would immediately land after his Rolling Attack, enabling a devastating combo into his Head Bite. The charging mechanic was also different (down to charge, forward to execute).
- Dhalsim’s Reversed Yoga Mummy and Drill Kick: These moves were initially designed to execute in reverse direction during a back jump, allowing for quick escapes, particularly near walls. Removed due to AI limitations in handling this unconventional movement.
- Zangief’s Headbutt Throw: Intended as a throw where Zangief would launch an opponent skyward and headbutt them on the descent. Technical challenges led to its removal, leaving only the headbutt animation as a vestige.
- Vega’s Deadly Throw Monologue: Vega, as the grand villain, was meant to taunt opponents during his Deadly Throw, uttering lines like “Is that all you’ve got?”. Animation complexity made it impractical to implement.
The “fake” special move was a last-minute addition. Despite programmer hesitation due to potential bugs, I insisted on its inclusion, hoping to introduce novice players to the concept of special moves through accidental execution.
Another unintended feature allowed players to indefinitely prolong matches after a knockout by continuously performing special moves. This became an impromptu developer challenge to see who could execute the most Hadoukens before the match ended.
Concept art for Chun Li, illustrating her design evolution from a more coquettish “Chinese Girl” concept to the strong, Interpol agent we know.
11th Hour Bugs and Valentine’s Day Victory
In the final two weeks, all-nighters became the norm – a relentless cycle of fine-tuning, bug hunting, ROM updates, and new bug discoveries. Production line shutdowns became frequent, causing disruptions and apologies were due to the factory staff.
Then, a mere three days before the deadline, a critical error surfaced: a misspelling of “World Warrior” as “World Warrier” in the subtitle. Months after sprite work completion and logo creation, a simple letter threatened to derail everything. Attempting to salvage the situation, I painstakingly layered sprites to visually transform the ‘r’ into an ‘o’.
But more challenges awaited. Guile, already a powerful character, was even more dominant in this late development stage. His Flash Kick recovery was broken – instead of landing slightly forward, he would land further back, making him virtually unpunishable. With just one day left, I directed the programmers to fix it, a request likely met with disbelief.
Finally, the bug fixing and fine-tuning marathon ended. The skies cleared. February 14, 1991 – Valentine’s Day – at 7 AM, the final version was complete. “It’s done… it’s over… I can’t believe it’s actually finished.” Tears streamed down my face. I embraced the team, proclaiming, “We did it! We finally finished!”
Entrusting the ROMs to a team member for delivery to the factory, I watched him depart and collapsed under my desk, muttering, “No more bugs… no more bugs… there can’t be any more bugs…” Exhaustion claimed me, ushering in a deep, dreamless sleep.
A humorous example of “Engrish” often found in games, a lighthearted touch after the intense development narrative.
Life After Release: A Fighting Game Phenomenon Animated
Post-release, the invincible throw technique became my primary concern. Unresolved due to time constraints, it felt like a ticking time bomb. Seeing players exploit it in arcades caused genuine pangs of distress. “Please,” I implore, “at least don’t do it in front of me!” (a futile request, I knew).
The raw competitive instinct unleashed by Street Fighter II was astonishing. Even within the confines of a game, the intensity was palpable. Witnessing players’ visceral reactions to defeat – teeth-gnashing, even physical writhing – was a revelation.
While head-to-head play was less common in Japan initially, overseas it was the opposite. Versus counters were perpetually maxed out. Strangers readily engaged in combat. Perhaps, I mused, Western cultures possessed a more inherently combative spirit. Their aggressive, attack-oriented playstyle was captivating. I relished challenging Western players, finding immense enjoyment in these direct, open confrontations.
The true heart of Street Fighter II, I firmly believe, lies in human versus human competition. Arcade tournaments were emerging, but a sense of awkwardness often accompanied stranger-versus-stranger challenges. My message to arcade-goers: “Embrace versus matches! Relax, have fun, and challenge each other – and definitely challenge me if you see me!”
For a game designer, the ultimate reward is witnessing players immersed in your creation in arcades. This isn’t mere public pronouncements; it’s genuine heartfelt sentiment. Every magazine mention of Street Fighter II is eagerly devoured. It feels like a child, a source of immense pride and joy. The hardships, overtime, and sleepless nights fade into cherished memories now that the game is out in the world. Please, cherish Street Fighter II, now and forever!
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