Speaking in an interview with 4gamer, Capcom executive Yoshinori Ono stated that the company was considering using a free to play model for Street Fighter V.

While he didn’t explicitly state that a Street Fighter V was in the works, he noted that Capcom had no plans to end the “main numbered series at four.”

The hypothetical sequel would of course be next gen, which would pose significant monetary issues for the company of they followed the typical retail release model.  Ono notes that “Realistically speaking, developing a title for next-gen consoles requires a huge amount of staff members and a large sum of money.”

These issues would benefit from the constant revenue stream that free to play allows, one reason that the business model was being considered.

Ono was adamant that such a move wasn’t solely in the interest of the company however. He noted that “the issue of money also applies to everyone else, as it’ll be required to invest in a new console, game and arcade stick.”

In addition, he feels that a free to play model would greatly benefit the competitive scene, as more players would get into the game.

Free to play models have a painful history of price gouging and pay to win issues, but some games do manage to pull it off through cosmetic only purchases. Even this is an issue for some gamers, and it interferes with clear visual styles.

[Source: 411 Gaming]