For those of you who may have been unaware, Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex played host to the 2008 AOU Amusement Expo this weekend. The show is dedicated to all things arcade, and that means Street Fighter IV news.
It has been announced that Street Fighter IV will release in Japanese arcades this summer. Those establishments ordering both the game board and the cabinet will be up and running in late July, while those ordering only the game board will receive their shipments in mid-August. There has been no word regarding a western release.
The bigger news from the show is that Street Fighter IV will be playable as a sort of sneak preview this coming weekend. From Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th, Plaza Capcom in Tokyo will have the game on the floor and ready for competition. Knowing the popularity of the Street Fighter franchise (especially with Japan’s arcade scene), that weekend should turn out to be quite an event.
