Team Ninja says goodbye to Dead or Alive 5 as it looks forward to the future of the series

Closing out the Dead or Alive 5 Battle Royal 2017 Grand Finals event at NEC 18 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania today, developers Team Ninja shared a four-minute video saying goodbye to the fighting game, which first launched five years ago, as it looks forward to the future of the Dead or Alive series.

Get the video and full transcript below.

Yosuke Hayashi, Team Ninja Brand Manager

Hi, everyone, I’m Team Ninja’s brand manager, Yosuke Hayashi. Thank you for your continued support of Dead or Alive. It’s been five years since Dead or Alive 5 hit the market, and thanks to your undying love, the franchise has grown much bigger during this period. I’d also like to express my gratitude to Big E for all the tournaments you organized for our game over the years. Dead or Alive 5 has finally come to an end, but the Dead or Alive team is very active. Looking forward, I hope you’ll continue to support Dead or Alive. Thank you!

Yutaka Saito, Dead or Alive Art Director

To all of you who are participating in Battle Royal 2017, as well as organizers and staff, thank you very much for your support. I am Dead or Alive‘s art director Yutaka Saito. Five years is a long time, isn’t it? While we were constantly doing our best to improve the game, we were always watching your matches, whether they were joyful victories or heartbreaking defeats. I’m a player myself, so I get very emotional watching those. I take pride in the fact that we’ve been able to create such heartfelt games all these years. I sincerely hope that I get to create more inspiring games so that someday I can greet you like this once again. I look forward to your continued support and working with you again. Thank you very much! It’s been a great ride.

Yohei Shimbori, Game Director

Hi, I’m the game director Yohei Shimbori. To all Dead or Alive players, Big E, and the tournament staff, thank you very much! This is a bit personal, but I’ve always been very into fighting games, and when I found this job, that is when I was first introduced to Dead or Alive, and I’ve learned a great deal through my working experience. However, there was a time when the Dead or Alive series had been put on hold. That’s when I swore to myself that we will make Dead or Alive the best fighting game and that people around the world will play our game. That is an oath I made to myself. At last, Dead or Alive 5 has become a game worthy of tournaments such as this one. It’s been five years, yet you are still playing it, our tournaments get better each time, new champions emerge, and our community continues to expand. Also, the free-to-play version is doing well, and we created so much downloadable content that the sheer amount would be worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. However, it is time to stop what we are doing for now and look into the future, which means we may not be around for some time… but we are very much looking forward to seeing you again someday. And I hope you will maintain your love for Dead or Alive and keep on fighting! Thank you so much for everything!