Street Fighter 6 has been quite busy with crossovers lately, but its newest collaboration might be the most unexpected yet. On April 1, Capcom announced the addition of a fighting pass in Street Fighter 6, themed around the beloved yet obscure Rival Schools series. Surprisingly, this was not an elaborate April Fool’s prank. Players logging into Street Fighter 6 right now have the chance to unlock exclusive rewards inspired by this classic Capcom fighting series. These bonuses mainly include cosmetic items like new avatar outfits, fresh music tracks, fun stickers, and several player titles, amongst other goodies.
The announcement of this Street Fighter 6 crossover caught many in the gaming community off guard, primarily because the Rival Schools franchise has been quiet for a long time. The last game in the series, Project Justice, hit the scene on the Sega Dreamcast back in 2000, and since then, it’s been pretty much left in the vault. Although Project Justice is slated for a re-release on modern consoles via the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2, it’s still surprising to see Capcom resurrect such a long-forgotten franchise. This could hint at Capcom’s interest in perhaps rekindling the Rival Schools flame in the future, maybe even with a brand-new game.
Rival Schools, albeit an interesting concept, never really managed to become a well-known name, and there might be a few reasons for that. The series has seen a mere three titles so far, with one only being available in Japan. Additionally, each game was exclusively released on either Sega or Sony consoles, limiting their reach. Though technically set in the same universe as the more famous Street Fighter series, Rival Schools differs by featuring high school students and teachers as playable characters. These characters are involved in fighting to solve the mysteries of kidnappings and assaults occurring at their schools.
Notably, the only Japan-exclusive installment, Nekketsu Seisyun Nikki 2, continues the story from 1997’s Rival Schools: United by Fate but isn’t considered a primary addition to the original series.
Considering Rival Schools’ niche status, the idea of reviving it might seem improbable. However, Capcom’s recent attitude towards giving new life to dormant franchises suggests otherwise. Late last year, during an investor briefing, Capcom expressed an intention to revive older IPs that haven’t had new releases recently. This strategy is aimed at continuing to produce high-quality, efficiently developed titles. Barely months after this announcement, we’re already witnessing the beginnings of this revival initiative. Within the last year, Capcom has unveiled a new mainline Onimusha title and even announced a much-anticipated sequel to the cult favorite Okami. Furthermore, they’ve brought back the Dead Rising and Dragon’s Dogma series, with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Dragon’s Dogma 2 sliding into the limelight in 2024. Given these developments, a new Rival Schools game could very well be on Capcom’s radar.
A significant roadblock to a Rival Schools revival, however, could be the absence of Hideaki Itsuno, the series’ lead producer, who’s no longer with Capcom. In his tenure, Itsuno was vocal about his wish to develop a Rival Schools 3, marking it as one of his personal goals. Now that he has left, the likelihood of a third installment might seem dimmed. Yet, Capcom doesn’t necessarily need him to carry on with the series. The recent Street Fighter 6 collaboration clearly indicates that the publisher still acknowledges the franchise’s existence. The door definitely remains open for the return of Rival Schools.
