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Street Fighter V Video Introduces New Character Necalli

CAPCOM unveiled a new Street Fighter V character named Necalli with a video during the Evolution 2015 Championship Series on Sunday. Necalli is a brand new character to the fighting game franchise.

The official American PlayStation blog describes the character:

Hailing from a mysterious background, Necalli utilizes a wild, animalistic fighting style to brutalize his opponents. There's no finesse here as all of his attacks have been forged through the heat of battle to inflict maximum pain upon his opponents. However, beneath the surface of the crazed warrior lies a hidden genius that is unleashed upon V-Trigger activation.

V-Skill : Culminated Power

Necalli pounds the ground with both fists, creating an explosion from the ground that damages the opponent. By holding the joystick left, right or leaving it at neutral, players can control the distance the explosion travels, allowing him to pressure opponents from afar.

V-Trigger: Torrent of Power

Necalli channels a mysterious energy that warps his hair color and completely changes his personality for a short period of time. While in his powered up state, he gains access to new combos, new frame data, and even a new Critical Art!

Street Fighter V executive producer Yoshinori Ono also hinted at a new character on July 8, and stated that CAPCOM will announce a new character for the game in the Brazil Games Show, which will take place in October.

The blog also reveals the details of the previously announced beta for the game. The beta will run for five days, starting on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. PT. The beta will initially feature only Ryu, Chun-li, Nash, and M. Bison as playable characters, but will add Cammy and Birdie on Saturday. The beta is only open to those who pre-ordered the game for the PlayStation 4. CAPCOM will launch a separate beta this fall for those who pre-ordered the game for PC.

CAPCOM also announced its release strategy for Street Fighter V during a panel at the Evolution 2015 Championship Series on Saturday. The game's initial release will be the only physical disc release that CAPCOM will make for the game. CAPCOM will make all post-launch balance and system updates free, and all future playable character roster updates can be earned either through an in-game currency called Fight Money, or by purchasing special premium Zenny currency with real money to acquire them immediately. The game will launch with a core of 16 playable characters—four of which are brand new to the franchise—and will add more on a continuous basis.

CAPCOM previously released system and roster updates to Street Fighter IV in multiple subsequent physical and online releases, such as Super Street Fighter IV, and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

Street Fighter V is the latest entry in the Street Fighter fighting game franchise. The game contains new features, such as V-Reversal moves, and a special V-Trigger mode. The game is slated for release on the PlayStation 4 and PC (via Steam) in the spring 2016 release window.

The game has so far revealed stages set in London and China. Other playable characters include Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, and Birdie.

CAPCOM released Street Fighter IV in Japanese arcades in 2008, on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2009, and later for Microsoft Windows that year. Many expanded editions were released including Super Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition in 2010, and Ultra Street Fighter IV in June.

Update: Series producer Yoshinori Ono posted another video to highlight the "five things you need to know about Street Fighter V."