Summary
Some of the developers behind the originalDouble Dragonaren’t too excited about the upcoming revival and are sharing their criticism of its new direction on social media. In 1987, Technos Japan released the firstDouble Dragongame, helping to usher in a golden age of beat-em-ups that spanned most of the early-to-mid 90s.Dragon Ball FighterZdeveloperArc System Worksacquired theDouble Dragonlicense in 2015, resulting in the release ofDouble Dragon 4in 2017. The last game in the series wasDouble Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, a spin-off that was released by Secret Base and Modus Games in 2023.
Earlier this year, Arc System Works confirmed rumors of a new mainline entry in theDouble Dragonseries titledDouble Dragon Revive, which will reportedly launch in 2025. ThisnewDouble Dragongamewill retain all the bare-knuckle beat-em-up action the series is known for while having its character models rendered in 3D. Released screenshots and character art also revealed thatDouble Dragon Revivewill have an anime-like art style that could be compared to 2023’sStreet Fighter 6.
As the world waits to see more ofDouble Dragon Revivein action, some of the original Technos developers took to social media to express their thoughts on the latest installment in the series they helped create, as reported byAutomaton. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they are on board with the new game, asoriginalDouble DragonanimatorKoji Ogata claimed that “not a single person in the Technos group” recognizesReviveas aDouble Dragontitle. He would then describeReviveas a “cheap, modern game that shows no respect forDouble Dragon.”
Original Double Dragon Animator Koji Ogata Doesn’t Like New Game
Ogata then shared screenshots of a private conversation he had with Muneki Ebinuma, the Technos Japan game designer who worked onseveralDouble Dragonentries, including 1992’sSuper Double Dragonand 2003’sDouble Dragon Advance. Ebinuma seems to share Ogata’s sentiments aboutDouble Dragon Revive, saying that the screen looks “too dark” and criticizing the characters and fighting techniques shown in the recentDouble Dragon Revivetrailer. He goes on to describe the new game as lacking the “strong punch and a unique, distinctive feel” of the pastDouble Dragongames.
Muneki Ebinuma concludes by wishing that Arc System Works hadn’t given their upcoming projecttheDouble Dragonname, and Koji Ogata jokingly responded to a Twitter comment by saying that he would throw a controller at the screen if he gets the chance to tryDouble Dragon Reviveat this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Arc System Works andAEW Fight Foreverdeveloper Yuke’s seem to be trying some new things with the nextDouble Dragongame, but are doing so without the blessing of some of the original’s development team.
