Although Slocap “gave everything” they had to the development ofSifu, the team has still taken to the internet to issue an apology to fans regarding the surprising nature ofRematch’s reveal.
While Slocap was given their flowers for the staggeringly popular action title, creative director Pierre Tarno expressed remorse when speaking toGamesRadar+about Rematch. Rematch was announced at The Game Awards 2024, and the trailer quickly featured a “From the studio behind Sifu” tag, transitioning quickly to a character with their back facing the camera, almost suggesting that the camera is positioned behind Sifu. The Rematch player featured in the announcement bore a silhouette that appears shockingly similar to the design of the Sifu protagonist.
Where the game’s announcement is concerned, Pierre Tarno admits the development team may have made an error when revealing their title that way. Tarno explained by saying that “some Sifu fans were disappointed when the game was revealed and we’re sorry to say that,” adding he could see how fans would be confused by the “cold open” nature of the trailer.
Slocap Apologizes For ‘Slow-Roll’ Rematch Reveal
Tarno continued by explaining that Sifu was not ever intended to last forever. After delivering support for the title up to a year and a half after its initial release, he said, “We felt that we’d really provided and kind of given everything we had on Sifu” claiming that although Sifu isn’t on the menu at the moment, it was better to give the title a break. Tarno then expressed his opinion on studios being ‘pigeon-holed’ into developing titles for a specific genre, and how Slocap tries to avoid being typecast as an action martial arts game developer.
Slocap developed and released Absolver in 2017, and it featured gameplay elements similar to Sifu, except it had multiplayer components. Sifu took the mold started by Absolver and ran with it, all the way to a (albeit confusing) nomination for Fighting Game of the Year for Sifu in 2022.
Lastly, Tarno expressed gratitude, saying, “We have a huge opportunity to pursue the creative projects that we are passionate about, and not many developers have that chance. It’s really very rare as developers to be able to do that,” regarding the chances the studio had been given due to their success on Absolver and Sifu, sayingRematchwould not exist if it weren’t for either title.
