One of the pioneers of the fighting game genre as we know it today is Sega. The company experimented a lot with the genre back in the nineties, resulting in the birth of a number of classic fighting game franchises. That said–the company hasn’t really done much in the genre as of late. However, some recent moves by the company may yet change all that.

Sega recently made a business presentation named “Road to 2020.” In this presentation, one of the bullet points lists the “Revival of major IPs.” While the statement itself doesn’t specifically mention fighting games, it’s still good news for fans of their classic franchises. Virtua Fighter has always been one of their most well-known IPs–even if its arcade-centric releases and technically-demanding reputation did hurt series sales.

Now, whether or not this could lead to a new Virtua Fighter–let alone one that could finally really break out, outside of Japan–is still up in the air. But statements about creating “global hits,” as well as simultaneously releasing games globally, do give hope that the some of the obstacles that held the series back may be addressed.

Source: Sega via Gematsu