Dead or Alive 5

Unreleased

Dead or Alive 5 will be the fifth main versus-fighting installment in the Dead or Alive series. It will be the first main title of the series to be released since Dead or Alive 4 in 2005 and the twelfth game in the overall series.

Currently in the pre-alpha stages of development, Dead or Alive 5 is being produced by Team Ninja and will be published by Tecmo Koei. Annouced on September 14, 2011, the game has been given a 2012 release date - seven years after Dead or Alive 4 - and will be made available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Early Release Rumors
For about half a decade, Dead or Alive 5 has had a uneasy conception, and the possibility of the game even being released seemed very unlikely at some points.

In 2006, after the release of Dead or Alive 4, series creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated in an interview with 1UP.com that he had the first concepts for Dead or Alive 5 in mind. However, two years later, in a interview with CVG, Itagaki was asked about the Dead or Alive series and replied: "This is another area that me and my closest colleagues all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with "Dead or Alive 4". So we're not looking to extend the series at this point."

Even if he did have Dead or Alive 5 in the planning stages, Itagaki had sued Tecmo and resigned from the company in 2008, along with several other colleagues, stating that this would lead to the end of production for Dead or Alive 5 and its series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises would remain in production, and "some projects were already underway."

Two years after Itagaki's departure from the company, Team Ninja produced Dead or Alive Paradise in 2010, and Dead or Alive: Dimensions in May 2011.

In April 2011, the currect head of Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi told Eurogamer that after Dead or Alive: Dimensions received "positive feedback and responses from consumers" there was definitely a future for the series. When the publisher asked "Will Dead or Alive 5 appear on home consoles, including the and ?", Hayashi replied that Team Ninja "will take that into consideration", hinting that Dead or Alive 5 or another Dead or Alive game could be devoloped in the future. To back up the possibility of a sequel, the story of Dimensions finished on a cliffhanger scene, showing Victor Donovan putting on Genra's mask before fading to black.

Official Annoucement
On September 9th, 2011, Team Ninja announced on their official Twitter feed that they would be appearing at the Tokyo Game Show 2011, for the playable debut of Ninja Gaiden III, as well as to showcase a new game.

On September 14, 2011, Team Ninja revealed Dead or Alive 5 during a pre-TGS press event, and showed media personnel a brief gameplay demonstration, featuring Hayate and Ryu Hayabusa, and a promotional image showing the lower half of a female fighter's face, with the text "I'm a Fighter" superimposed over the image. The woman in the image is believed to be Kasumi. On the other hand, some fans believe this image shows the faces of Kasumi and Hitomi merged together, due to the left-hand side of the face having brown hair like Hitomi rather then red hair like Kasumi, which is clearly seen on the right. However, the hair could just appear darker on the left due to the lighting and shadowing of the image.

During the demo, Team Ninja was quoted saying that the stages in Dead or Alive 5 will no longer be "sidekicks" to the action, but critical parts of the competitive experience, with the whole game revolving around the theme "fighting entertainment."

Shortly after its reveal, a official website for Dead or Alive 5 was opened.

Fake PlayStation Move Annoucement
Due to a misunderstanding, or a mistranslation, false rumors got out that the PlayStation 3 version of Dead or Alive 5 would support the console's motion control system, the PlayStation Move. However, there is no official evidence showing that the game being made for Move.

Famitsu, a Japanese gaming publication, quoted the following Yousuke Hayashi and Team Ninja's views of motion control consoles: "Hayashi said that Move is good for 'giving the players the feeling that they are Ryu Hayabusa.' With Kinect, on the other hand, Team Ninja 'felt that it's difficult to give the feeling of swinging a katana.'"that it's difficult to give the feeling of swinging a katana.'"

While the quote was obviously about Ninja Gaiden 3, Andriasang, who are known for publishing English translations of Japanese gaming articles, stated it was about Dead or Alive 5 instead. IGN followed up the story with a article of their own, and N4G soon followed. However, since then Andriasang and IGN have taken down their articles on the subject.

Interactive Stages
So far, Team Ninja has spoken about two new assists that will appear in the game. Firstly, the stages will not only act as visual backdrops to accompany the fight but also play to a fighter’s strengths. As a fight progresses, the backdrop will change and interact with players, giving them a different challenge. Changes to the stages will happen as scripted events, and be triggered by player actions, such as one of the fighters been thrown against a "Danger Zone".

New Fighting and Danger Zone Elements
There will be a new type of "Danger Zone" called a Cliffhanger. As opposed to simply falling when you get knocked down near empty footing, (e.g. over the edge of a cliff) the opponent has minimal time to recover.

Another new gameplay feature is the Power Blow. When time slows down, you have the option to adjust the direction during the slow-mo portion to send your opponent into a danger zone.

Like in Dead or Alive: Dimensions, hit effects will be included so the player can tell if a strike hits high, mid or low by the direction of the effect.

"Sweating" Fighters
The character models will visibily "sweat" as they fight. The more energy they put into a fight, the more sweat will appear. This cosmetic design is meant to make players feel more involved in the action, and give the fighters on screen a more grittier, realistic design that adds a new layer of depth to the series.

"Make Your Move!" Contest
On October 28, 2011, Team Ninja announced a contest via their official Dead or Alive Facebook page. The contest invites anyone to create and submit examples of their own fighting move, and from those entered, one or possibly more will be picked and be worked into the final version of Dead or Alive 5. The creaters of the moves will also have their name in the credits. The contest ends November 18, 2011.

Confirmed Characters

 * Hayate
 * Ryu Hayabusa

Possible Characters

 * Hitomi
 * Kasumi

Trivia

 * Dead or Alive 5 will be the first Dead or Alive game for the PlayStation 3, and the first title for a Sony home console since Dead or Alive 2, which was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Dead or Alive 5 will also be the fourth game in the series for a Sony platform, following the 2010 title Dead or Alive Paradise for the PlayStation Portable.