Dead or Alive 6 tones down sexualization in favor of MMA look
Producer and game director Yohei Shimbori said that the concept of Dead or Alive is “intense fighting entertainment” – a more realistic look inspired by mixed martial arts.
The Dead or Alive video game series has become identified with Breast Physics, also known as or Jiggle Physics, a feature that makes a female character’s breasts bounce in an exaggerated fashion. Back in 2012, producer Yosuke Hayashi gleefully told the media that his development team went “hands on” with partners to get the game’s breast physics right.
However, we are living in a new age, where the #MeToo movement has caused corporate executives to rethink gratuitous sexism. And mixed martial arts is on the rise; the acquisition of the UFC in 2016 was the largest purchase of a sports property in history.
The recently announced Dead or Alive 6, marks a shift in the fighting game series’ approach, with Japanese developer Koei Tecmo telling Wesley Yin-Poole for Eurogamer that the game has toned down female sexualization and more natural breast movement. Producer and game director Yohei Shimbori tells Yin-Poole that the concept of the game is “intense fighting entertainment” – a more realistic look inspired by mixed martial arts.
“I want to show how sweaty the fighters get as they fight, either female or male, it doesn’t matter,” Shimbori said. “They can really go to the extreme in their fighting and get injured. We want to show the damage as well.”
You Spot The Difference!
Dead or Alive 5:
Dead or Alive 6:
“It’s very intentional that we changed Kasumi’s default costume for Dead or Alive 6,” said Shimbori. “The reason I chose that costume is because I’m a fan of American comic books. When you look at American comics, they’re abandoning those classical costumes and becoming more functional, becoming more like fighters. They have certain materials they use for the costumes. I thought that was a wonderful idea and I wanted to follow that.”
Tecmo cited two reasons for the reduced sexualization of the female characters. One was the global trend for sexualization to be toned down, “so everyone can play without being embarrassed.” And two was to “avoid the silliness”, which is in keeping with the “intense fighting entertainment” goal.
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