For those that came of age during the heyday of the Sega Genesis, the Streets of Rage franchise should be more than familiar. Between 1991 and 1994, Sega released three entries in the franchise across the Genesis, Game Gear, and Master System. The sidescrolling, beat 'em up franchise was well loved by Sega fans, and even featured a handful of comic adaptations by various writers, including Mark Millar. Unfortunately, subsequent attempts to resurrect interest in the series seemed to fizzle out. This year, however, Streets of Rage 4 will finally grace PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. Fans that prefer physical releases to digital will be happy to know that Limited Run Games has picked up publishing duties!

We're excited to announce that we will be doing a physical Limited Run of Streets of Rage 4. More details to come! pic.twitter.com/7L3b0Jp0oT — Limited Run 🔜 PAX South (@LimitedRunGames) January 14, 2020

Streets of Rage 4 will continue the franchise's classic gameplay, with some new twists, for good measure. The title will bring back the co-op play the series is known for, and players can choose between fan favorites Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, Adam Hunter, and newcomer Cherry Hunter, Adam's daughter.

At this time, no further details have been revealed about the game's physical release. Of course, it's not surprising given the fact that Streets of Rage 4 does not have a confirmed release date beyond a vague "2020" window. Fans can likely expect to see both standard and collector's editions of the game.

It will be interesting to see if Streets of Rage 4 can continue the trend of classic Genesis franchises getting a second chance at life. Sonic Mania and ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove both managed to deliver experiences that felt faithful to the original games, while also offering new experiences. Like Sonic Mania, Streets of Rage 4 is not being developed in-house by Sega. Instead, it's coming from the teams at Dotemu, Lizard Cube and Guard Crush Games. Dotemu and Lizard Cube are responsible for the 2017 remake of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. Given the care that was put into that particular title, fans should rest easy knowing that Streets of Rage is in good hands.

Do you plan on checking out Streets of Rage 4? Are you interested in the version from Limited Run Games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!