Nyte
Fu-ma's Shadow
Eh, I was bored, so I started thinking of the future of Soulcalibur and thought of the Season 2 DLC, and why I don't think Rock is among them. I'm gonna try to approach this from a neutral perspective, but be warned that some may not like it.
By now, you're probably aware that six codenames were datamined after Update 1.11: Star, Snow, Reptile, Yell, Yellow and Stone. It's believed that these are placeholders setting up Season 2, which will likely be announced at EVO 2019 as that's the most logical place to do so, and that's where Tekken 7 announced their own. Many speculate that Stone refers to Nathaniel "Rock" Adams, given the obvious thematic similarities between their names. However, I do NOT think it's Rock, and I have a number of reasons for it. Of which, I'll detail below.
Basically, here's a list of things Rock is not. I'm not saying this to knock on him specifically, but I'm trying to speak the truth.
Rock is not:
And going further, this is DLC. There's no safety net here, and each character made into DLC has to be put because the character in question is considered marketable. These characters have to be purchased in addition to the game, which means they must be seen as worth it by the general audience. Project Soul will likely want returnees with popularity and uniqueness, at least one more guest, and maybe a newcomer or two with mass appeal by their gameplay and design. I can't see where Rock fits into that.
Look at the most recent season of Street Fighter V. That featured Sagat, Blanka, Cody, Sakura, Falke and G. All of them are marketable as either classics or having something that's "cool" about them. Let's look at a similar scenario earlier in Dead or Alive 5. When it was time to bring Tengu back, they didn't actually bring him back. They made a female version of him, that's basically the same but is sexy, and then used Nyotengu in his place, because they knew that even though Tengu had a following, his appeal is limited, but adding boobs on the concept suddenly widens the viability.
So to put simply, I don't think "Stone" actually means Rock. If not him, what could it mean? Who knows... but I remember there being a rumor of a dark-skinned barbarian woman that didn't make the cut... I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that's what the codename refers to. To be honest, I'm not sure if the codenames truly mean anything, but that's another topic.
I'm not saying Rock has no chance, but looking at the facts, it's hard to argue for his inclusion. As said, all DLC needs to sell. I believe Rock would be a flop compared to other DLC, and a single flop isn't good for business.
What do you guys think?
By now, you're probably aware that six codenames were datamined after Update 1.11: Star, Snow, Reptile, Yell, Yellow and Stone. It's believed that these are placeholders setting up Season 2, which will likely be announced at EVO 2019 as that's the most logical place to do so, and that's where Tekken 7 announced their own. Many speculate that Stone refers to Nathaniel "Rock" Adams, given the obvious thematic similarities between their names. However, I do NOT think it's Rock, and I have a number of reasons for it. Of which, I'll detail below.
Basically, here's a list of things Rock is not. I'm not saying this to knock on him specifically, but I'm trying to speak the truth.
Rock is not:
- A famous, well-regarded series staple like Taki. His removal didn't spark a backlash like Taki getting cut from SCV did, and many didn't even notice.
- A unique moveset with mass appeal. Yeah, Rock was around before Astaroth, but the fact is that Astaroth has completely eclipsed Rock as the main grappler in all respects. SCVI even integrates Rock's moves into Astaroth, making him a composite of the two.
- A sexy waifu. People have pointed out that if Mi-na can get the "differentiation treatment", so can Rock. But that falls flat because 1) Mi-na is much more marketable as a "sexy waifu" and 2) even then, she's still on the base roster which means she doesn't have to be bought separately. I'll get to that later. In fighting games, like it or not, a character that's made with fanservice in mind is very marketable and an easy sell compared to Rock.
- A guest character. Rock is not from another series, which means he doesn't have the instant star-power that would bring.
- A cool design with general appeal. Just looking at Rock, he doesn't stand out. Sure, he has the animal head covering him, but it still just doesn't "pop" to me and others. Compare this to other characters, like Nightmare, Yoshimitsu, Ivy, Sophitia, Azwel etc. and then look at Rock. He doesn't stand out visually, just like he doesn't stand out mechanically.
- Popular. Yes, I'm aware that Rock has fans, but those fans aren't large enough to justify making him DLC when there's so much more that can be added.
And going further, this is DLC. There's no safety net here, and each character made into DLC has to be put because the character in question is considered marketable. These characters have to be purchased in addition to the game, which means they must be seen as worth it by the general audience. Project Soul will likely want returnees with popularity and uniqueness, at least one more guest, and maybe a newcomer or two with mass appeal by their gameplay and design. I can't see where Rock fits into that.
Look at the most recent season of Street Fighter V. That featured Sagat, Blanka, Cody, Sakura, Falke and G. All of them are marketable as either classics or having something that's "cool" about them. Let's look at a similar scenario earlier in Dead or Alive 5. When it was time to bring Tengu back, they didn't actually bring him back. They made a female version of him, that's basically the same but is sexy, and then used Nyotengu in his place, because they knew that even though Tengu had a following, his appeal is limited, but adding boobs on the concept suddenly widens the viability.
So to put simply, I don't think "Stone" actually means Rock. If not him, what could it mean? Who knows... but I remember there being a rumor of a dark-skinned barbarian woman that didn't make the cut... I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that's what the codename refers to. To be honest, I'm not sure if the codenames truly mean anything, but that's another topic.
I'm not saying Rock has no chance, but looking at the facts, it's hard to argue for his inclusion. As said, all DLC needs to sell. I believe Rock would be a flop compared to other DLC, and a single flop isn't good for business.
What do you guys think?