Street Fighter IV announced

One of the most successful franchises in games is set to return with the news that Capcom is working on a brand new instalment to its globally successful fighting series, Street Fighter.

Few details are known about Street Fighter IV, though its watercolour-themed trailer hints at a more artistically creative outing for the series. It also confirms the ongoing presence of cult fighting duo Ryu and Ken.

There is so far no news on what platforms the game is heading for, or indeed whether it will adopt the tried and tested 2D approach or instead opt to tackle the 3D arena.

The side-scrolling original Street Fighter debuted in Japanese arcades in 1987, and was followed by the release of Street Fighter II in 1991. SFII was the first game to offer one-on-one combat with a range of characters.

Several revision to Street Fighter II were released over the following years, as well as major revisions such as Street Fighter Alpha (Street Fighter Zero in Japan) and Street Fighter III. There was even a 3D version of the game, Street Fighter EX, though it never matched the success of the traditional 2D versions.