With the release of Street Fighter 6, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the lesser known factoids about the most important game in the iconic series of fighting games, 1991’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Zangief’s Attitude was severely toned down from the early demo builds of the game
Whoa Zangief, calm down!
The car smashing bonus level was inspired by a real life event
“We made [Street Fighter] One in a kind of bad part of town,” said programmer Yoshihiro Matsui. “And one night when we came out, there were a bunch of guys betting on how quickly this drunk dude could total my car with his hands and feet. I still don’t think I understand how the wagering worked all the way, but we put it into the game!”
Guile’s unusual hair was an unplanned bug
Three different programmers were fired over their inability to get Guile’s digital hair to behave. Capcom has since apologized profusely as Guile’s hairstyle has become one of the signature features of the beloved character.
The game’s popularity among children was incredible (and dangerous)
One unfortunate side effect of the game’s massive cultural impact was the dangerous Halloween fad of 1991 that saw children all over the world gain as much weight as possible in order to convincingly portray the E. Honda character.
The initial plan called for the game to cost 32 cents per play
“I still think we would’ve changed the whole gaming space,” said producer Yoshiki Okamoto. “A quarter, a nickel, and two pennies per play. Just imagine!” The idea was canceled by Capcom executives at the last minute.
Blanka was a real guy
The character was loosely based on Hal “Blanka” Blankenship, a former Capcom mailroom employee that everyone made fun of for his excessive body hair. After Blankenship left the company and subsequently disappeared, most agreed that the joke, while funny, had gone too far.
