Since their announcement last year at Evo 2017, fans have been excited for Arc System Works’ latest installment in the popular Blazblue franchise.
‘BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle’ combines the cast of multiple fighting game series — BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena and Under Night In-Birth. It will also include characters from RWBY, Rooster Teeth’s anime-style web series.
Cross Tag Battle is going to be a 2D fighting game, in an era where most of its competitors are using 3D cel-shaded models. Being a four-way crossover of popular franchises, fighting game aficionados were understandably hyped.
That is until last Saturday when Arc System Works announced that there will be 20 DLC characters for Cross Tag Battle. This caused controversy and backlash from the fans as this decision effectively halves the game’s 40-character roster.
There will be a total of six DLC sets, containing 3 characters each, and two standalone DLC characters – the first one was recently revealed to be RWBY’s Blake Belladonna.
Community reaction on social media was mostly negative, some pointing out how this feels like Arc System Works stripping the game of content just to nickel-and-dime the gamers.
Lmao at the people defending Arc System Work for the shitty Blazblue Cross Tag Battle situation and calling other fighters crap. This is not what we need. A game that hasn't even launched, that already has half the roster as DLC.
— Miraculous Maku (@RedMakuzawa) January 13, 2018
Blazblue Cross Tag Battle pic.twitter.com/rJpyDJ60dL
— Pixelbuster (@Nittomata) January 13, 2018
Bummed that half the cast of BlazBlue Cross tag is coming as DLC. Might get the game still but after a price drop later on. DBFZ is pretty dope tho.
— Flavormoon (@Flavormoon1) January 19, 2018
Did Blazblue Crosstag seriously pull 20 DLC characters
ArcSys I love you and all but youve darn well BIFFED IT NOW pic.twitter.com/QjkoQlV3pw
— Zach (@DiabeticWeeaboo) January 13, 2018
What are your thoughts on the developer’s decision to have half the roster be DLC?
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches in Japan on May 31st and in North America on June 5th for the Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.