Before Dead or Alive 6 was released, Team NINJA seemed pretty confident when they stated that a Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation character would not make an appearance in the 3D fighter, but with the rising success of Venus Vacation it comes as no surprise that our favorite developer would recant their statements in favor of expanding their DOA6 player base to a new audience this March. This surprise character is a part of the Season 4 Pass, and can be purchased in several different skews if the SPs are not your forte. With this story we explore why Team NINJA recanted their official statements that could result in being one of their biggest & best business decisions in years for the fighting series.
Contrary to popular belief, Team NINJA has definitely toned the sexual nature down as they have promised for the 3D fighter. Rachel's Fiend skin was controversially censored, there is an option to censor select oufits, and even their offering of bikinis are not nearly as revealing as they were in Dead or Alive 5. The Venus Vacation character will not necessarily bring back Dead or Alive to the skimpy standards fighters were accustomed to, and not everyone plays Venus Vacation because it is a game with revealing outfits, but because they enjoy the dialogue between characters and the different level of experiences they can have with their favorites whether it be in a casino or volleyball court.
Never in a million years would a fighter from this community believed that the Xtreme series would surpass the fighter's popularity, but it has; and the Steam charts show this emphatically. Is it because Dead or Alive 6 is not currently the game fighters want, or was it inevitable based off the accessibility & marketing appeal from DOAX:VV?
According to Steam charts, DOA6 has 147 current players with 151 on a 30-day average, and the game continues to decline in numbers by about 3% each month. While those numbers are not great, Venus Vacation is currently boasting 602 active players right now with 1,840 on a 30-day average which is a 10% gain from thirty days ago.
Keep in mind this is only accounting the Steam version released 10 months ago that has limited characters and is still evolving. The complete game is much higher, with the combined sales of DOAX3 and DOAX3: Scarlet.
While at this point you could say "This sounds like a slam dunk for Team NINJA!" believe it or not there are still plenty of things that could go wrong. Honoka was released in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round to appeal to the same audience of Marie Rose, while Raidou was released to appeal the players that wanted another male character. This was predicted to be a hype release duo, but the only thing that wasn't flat about Honoka was her knockers, and Raidou had ZERO effect in the offline tournament scene.
The new Venus Vacation character MUST be more fun and play better than copycat Honoka & low-tier Marie Rose, and unlike DOA5:LR there will be no male counterpart alongside her release, which is a damn shame for a community that demands the return of DOA's strongest man; Leon. It's without question that it will be critical for Team NINJA to release a BLOODY BRILLIANT version update alongside this character to reduce the anger and frustration some will feel in their wait for a more masculine character selection.
While there are other demands on the DOA6 community wish-list, stages seems to be the second, or maybe most important inclusion of all. The stage selections have been a royal pain in the ass for players at tournaments and are only beginning to get better, and unless it's Dead or Alive 4's 'Seaside Market' another beach level will not help DOA6 spice up its sense of atmosphere and location. Team NINJA should be prioritizing classic favorites & new stages to keep DOA6 fresh with the regular character releases.
Not everyone is excited about this release, and for good reason, they said they weren't going to do it. But this decision could be met with a compromise if our needs as players are met and we continue to see encouragement, support and content we want from Team NINJA going (hopefully) into our second season of fighting entertainment.
Contrary to popular belief, Team NINJA has definitely toned the sexual nature down as they have promised for the 3D fighter. Rachel's Fiend skin was controversially censored, there is an option to censor select oufits, and even their offering of bikinis are not nearly as revealing as they were in Dead or Alive 5. The Venus Vacation character will not necessarily bring back Dead or Alive to the skimpy standards fighters were accustomed to, and not everyone plays Venus Vacation because it is a game with revealing outfits, but because they enjoy the dialogue between characters and the different level of experiences they can have with their favorites whether it be in a casino or volleyball court.
Never in a million years would a fighter from this community believed that the Xtreme series would surpass the fighter's popularity, but it has; and the Steam charts show this emphatically. Is it because Dead or Alive 6 is not currently the game fighters want, or was it inevitable based off the accessibility & marketing appeal from DOAX:VV?
According to Steam charts, DOA6 has 147 current players with 151 on a 30-day average, and the game continues to decline in numbers by about 3% each month. While those numbers are not great, Venus Vacation is currently boasting 602 active players right now with 1,840 on a 30-day average which is a 10% gain from thirty days ago.
Keep in mind this is only accounting the Steam version released 10 months ago that has limited characters and is still evolving. The complete game is much higher, with the combined sales of DOAX3 and DOAX3: Scarlet.
While at this point you could say "This sounds like a slam dunk for Team NINJA!" believe it or not there are still plenty of things that could go wrong. Honoka was released in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round to appeal to the same audience of Marie Rose, while Raidou was released to appeal the players that wanted another male character. This was predicted to be a hype release duo, but the only thing that wasn't flat about Honoka was her knockers, and Raidou had ZERO effect in the offline tournament scene.
The new Venus Vacation character MUST be more fun and play better than copycat Honoka & low-tier Marie Rose, and unlike DOA5:LR there will be no male counterpart alongside her release, which is a damn shame for a community that demands the return of DOA's strongest man; Leon. It's without question that it will be critical for Team NINJA to release a BLOODY BRILLIANT version update alongside this character to reduce the anger and frustration some will feel in their wait for a more masculine character selection.
While there are other demands on the DOA6 community wish-list, stages seems to be the second, or maybe most important inclusion of all. The stage selections have been a royal pain in the ass for players at tournaments and are only beginning to get better, and unless it's Dead or Alive 4's 'Seaside Market' another beach level will not help DOA6 spice up its sense of atmosphere and location. Team NINJA should be prioritizing classic favorites & new stages to keep DOA6 fresh with the regular character releases.
Not everyone is excited about this release, and for good reason, they said they weren't going to do it. But this decision could be met with a compromise if our needs as players are met and we continue to see encouragement, support and content we want from Team NINJA going (hopefully) into our second season of fighting entertainment.
Last edited: