Original Double Dragon Devs Criticize Upcoming Game from Arc System Works

Key Takeaways

• Some developers from Technos Japan, the team behind the original Double Dragon game, are criticizing the upcoming title Double Dragon Revive.
• The Arc System Works game is set to be released sometime in 2025.
• According to the original devs, not a single person at Technos recognizes Revive
  
  as a true Double Dragon
  
  title.

Some of the developers behind the original Double Dragon aren’t too excited about the upcoming revival and are sharing their criticism of its new direction on social media. In 1987, Technos Japan released the first Double Dragon game, helping to usher in a golden age of beat-em-ups that spanned most of the early-to-mid 90s. Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works acquired the Double Dragon license in 2015, resulting in the release of Double Dragon 4 in 2017. The last game in the series was Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, a spin-off that was released by Secret Base and Modus Games in 2023.

Earlier this year, Arc System Works confirmed rumors of a new mainline entry in the Double Dragon series titled Double Dragon Revive, which will reportedly launch in 2025. This new Double Dragon game will retain all the bare-knuckle beat-em-up action the series is known for while having its character models rendered in 3D. Released screenshots and character art also revealed that Double Dragon Revive will have an anime-like art style that could be compared to 2023’s Street Fighter 6.

As the world waits to see more of Double Dragon Revive in action, some of the original Technos developers took to social media to express their thoughts on the latest installment in the series they helped create, as reported by Automaton. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they are on board with the new game, as original Double Dragon animator Koji Ogata claimed that “not a single person in the Technos group” recognizes Revive as a Double Dragon title. He would then describe Revive as a “cheap, modern game that shows no respect for Double Dragon.”

Original Double Dragon Animator Koji Ogata Doesn’t Like New Game

Ogata then shared screenshots of a private conversation he had with Muneki Ebinuma, the Technos Japan game designer who worked on several Double Dragon entries, including 1992’s Super Double Dragon and 2003’s Double Dragon Advance. Ebinuma seems to share Ogata’s sentiments about Double Dragon Revive, saying that the screen looks “too dark” and criticizing the characters and fighting techniques shown in the recent Double Dragon Revive trailer. He goes on to describe the new game as lacking the “strong punch and a unique, distinctive feel” of the past Double Dragon games.

Muneki Ebinuma concludes by wishing that Arc System Works hadn’t given their upcoming project the Double Dragon name, and Koji Ogata jokingly responded to a Twitter comment by saying that he would throw a controller at the screen if he gets the chance to try Double Dragon Revive at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Arc System Works and AEW Fight Forever developer Yuke’s seem to be trying some new things with the next Double Dragon game, but are doing so without the blessing of some of the original’s development team.