Sloclap Says "No More Sifu (For Now!)" – Are We Kicking a Dead Kung Fu Horse?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Sloclap is putting *Sifu* on ice, much to the chagrin of some fans who were hoping for a sequel, because they feel they've squeezed every last drop of content out of the martial arts brawler and are now focusing on their football title, *Rematch*.
Right, so Sloclap, the studio that gave us the face-punching masterpiece *Sifu*, just dropped a bit of a truth bomb: they're not making *Sifu 2* right now. Or, well, anytime soon, it seems. Seems some fans were a tad miffed when they unveiled *Rematch*, their footie (soccer) title. I mean, going from brutal martial arts to… simulated football? Bit of a swerve, innit?
According to GamesRadar+, Sloclap's creative director Pierre Tarno copped to the misunderstanding, admitting that the initial *Rematch* reveal might've inadvertently stoked the *Sifu 2* hype train. "Some *Sifu* fans were disappointed when the game was revealed and we're sorry to say that," Tarno said. Shoulda maybe given us a heads-up, eh? Prevented a few digital tantrums, perhaps?
But here's the kicker: Sloclap reckon they wrung every last drop of content out of *Sifu*. A year and a half of post-launch support, apparently, was enough. "We felt that we'd really provided and kind of given everything we had on *Sifu*," Tarno explained. So, time to move on, creatively speaking. Can't blame 'em, really. Imagine painting the same bloody landscape for years – you'd want to try your hand at portraits, wouldn't you?
Tarno also touched on that perennial gamer habit of expecting devs to churn out the same genre ad nauseam. Sloclap wants to explore different avenues, bless 'em. They see a through-line, though, from *Absolver* to *Sifu* to *Rematch*. Third-person action, physicality, grounded-but-epic vibes. A bit like going from stage fighting to a real brawl to a well-choreographed game of footie, yeah?
Look, I get it. *Sifu* was lightning in a bottle. But expecting every studio to become a one-trick pony? That's a bit rough. *Rematch* apparently snagged over a million sales in its first week, and three million-odd folks gave it a whirl thanks to Game Pass. Not too shabby. Maybe we all need to broaden our gaming horizons a tad. And hey, who knows? Maybe *Sifu 2* will emerge from the shadows someday. But for now, Sloclap's calling it a day on the kung fu front. Whether that's a good thing or a tragedy for us gamers remains to be seen.
(This story is based on reporting originally published at Eurogamer)
Tags: Sifu, Sloclap, Rematch, Gaming News, Indie Games
Original article: Eurogamer