Darkstalkers Revival Rumors Sparked by Capcom’s Takayuki Nakayama on Social Media

Capcom’s legendary roster of one-on-one fighting franchises features the universally recognized Street Fighter series, but its gothic sibling, Darkstalkers, commands an ardent and passionate following.

While Street Fighter continues to thrive with each new release and competitive resurgence, Darkstalkers has remained mostly dormant since Darkstalkers: Resurrection debuted on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March 2013.

Despite hopes that Resurrection would signal a new era for the series, Capcom has not released any new titles in the franchise over the past decade. Recently, the fighting game community was abuzz after Takayuki Nakayama, director of Street Fighter 6, made candid remarks on social media regarding his early involvement in projects at Capcom.

Referencing his work on the Japan-exclusive mobile title Otoranger—a game discontinued over ten years ago—Nakayama alluded to the existence of a fighting game that was not Street Fighter, using a bat emoji in his post.

This visual, especially significant for series aficionados, is an unmistakable nod to the "Vampire" series, as Darkstalkers is titled in Japan. Nakayama’s statement, as translated by Event Hubs, revealed: “I returned [to Capcom] because I had the chance to work on fighting games—not Street Fighter, as indicated by the bat emoji—but development was halted and our team shifted to work on Otoranger.” His comment caused immediate speculation among fans, many interpreting it as covert confirmation that a Darkstalkers project was once underway before being shelved.

Within hours, Nakayama responded to the community-driven excitement, offering a carefully worded clarification: “That’s a different story altogether.

Perhaps one day I’ll have the opportunity to share more details.” The Street Fighter and Darkstalkers franchises represent distinctive pillars in Capcom’s fighting game portfolio, each with a rich competitive legacy.

Darkstalkers' characters, gothic themes, and signature fast-paced mechanics have kept its fan base yearning for a modern revival—especially on contemporary hardware like the Nintendo Switch, where classic fighting games have seen robust digital sales on the eShop.

While Capcom has celebrated remarkable sales milestones with its leading franchises, the absence of Darkstalkers in the current generation remains an ongoing conversation for both fans and industry watchers. Capcom has yet to officially announce a new Darkstalkers title for the Nintendo Switch or any other platform.

However, the ongoing discourse—fueled by Nakayama’s comments—demonstrates the lasting impact of the series and the eagerness of its community for its return.

For now, fans must wait, hoping that one day the iconic Vampire fighters will rise once again on modern consoles.

Nintendo Switch Capcom Nintendo Street Fighter 6 Switch Street Fighter Darkstalkers Takayuki Nakayama Event Hubs Otoranger