Yu Suzuki on Virtua Fighter and Taking on New Challenges | September 2026 Sega Feature

Sega recently published a feature looking back over its 30-year relationship with NVIDIA, from the early days of 3D graphics through to the technology being used for the upcoming Virtua Fighter Crossroads.

It includes comments from Yu Suzuki, both in the article and in an accompanying video, in which he recalls Sega’s approach to developing cutting-edge 3D technology in the 1990s, his first meeting with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and his impressions on seeing the latest Virtua Fighter in action.

We have translated some of the highlights from Suzuki's comments below.

The Sega × NVIDIA event held in Akihabara in July 2026. Image: SEGA / @sega_official

Bringing Arcade Technology to the Home

During the early 1990s, Sega was at the forefront of the transition from 2D graphics to real-time 3D polygons. Its MODEL 1 arcade hardware powered titles including Virtua Racing in 1992 and Virtua Fighter the following year.

• Related PRS post: Virtua Fighter's Connection to Virtua Racing's Pit Crew

Looking back at Sega’s development approach at the time, Suzuki explains that the arcade business provided an opportunity to experiment with advanced technology before adapting the knowledge gained for home consoles:

“We would take on advanced technology in the arcades, then bring the know-how we gained into the home-console space. To put it in more impressive terms, it was like an F1 team taking technology developed through Formula One and applying it to ordinary road cars.”

With Sega looking toward increasingly sophisticated 3D graphics, the company began exploring the development of dedicated graphics hardware with a number of companies. One of these was NVIDIA, which at the time was still a young start-up.

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for July 2026

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including those carried over from previous months), the winning topic this time is:

“Yu Suzuki Interview: The Making of Virtua Fighter 2 (Beep! MegaDrive, 1994)”

Published while Virtua Fighter 2 was still under development in 1994, this interview with Yu Suzuki offers a contemporary look at how AM2 planned to build upon the original game, with greater realism, smoother movement and deeper fighting mechanics.

Suzuki discusses the development of the returning characters, the addition of Lion and Shun Di, and the influence of the martial-arts research carried out during his recent journey through China. The accompanying feature also highlights some of the major technical and gameplay advances that were attracting attention before release.

In the full post, we’ll translate the complete interview, including the magazine’s notes on the game’s major technical and gameplay advances.

Coming soon to the blog!

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The 11 Chapter Tiles (GDC 2014) - Examination & Theories [Part Two]

In this second part continuing on from Part One, we will be examining the remaining four chapter tiles: 8 (Cangzhou), 9 (Inner Mongolia), 10 (Beijing) and 11 (Xinjiang).

While the first seven tiles broadly align with locations and events seen in the released games, the final four move into largely unexplored territory within the Shenmue narrative.

Below are the map images again showing where each of the tiles is set for reference.

Yu Suzuki’s development map

Cangzhou, Inner Mongolia, Beijing and Xinjiang are located to the north of the earlier chapters.

Analysis of the final tiles is somewhat more challenging, as at the current time high-resolution images are not available.

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The 11 Chapter Tiles (GDC 2014) - Examination & Theories [Part One]

The Chapter Concept Art is a set of 11 illustrated panels representing chapters from an early version of the saga created around 1996, when the project was still known as Virtua Fighter RPG (VFRPG).

They were first released publicly in 2014, during Yu Suzuki’s talk on Shenmue’s development at the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2014). Suzuki casually introduced a slide containing the never-before-seen artwork, noting to the enthralled audience:

“This is the first time I’m showing anyone this stuff.”

Created during a formative planning stage, the artwork was intended to visualize the story as a whole, capturing key characters, locations, and major story developments. Elements seen in them would later appear in recognizable form in the three Shenmue games released so far, while others remain unaccounted for at present.

The set of 11 Chapter Tiles (GDC 2014)

Another slide shown during the same GDC presentation clarifies how these illustrations were developed. Suzuki explained that the story had first been organized into an eleven-chapter novel, with a focus on “world feel and drama,” and that one illustration was then created for each chapter. The chapter tiles therefore correspond to this early novelized structure, serving as visual representations of its narrative progression.

While these illustrations may no longer correspond exactly to how Shenmue’s story ultimately unfolds, they remain an important item of reference and speculation for fans. High-resolution versions are currently available for only the first seven illustrations, but the set as a whole offers a window into the project’s original ambitions and planned events. Taken together, the images appear to outline not only a sequence of locations, but also a broader narrative arc that begins with revenge and gradually evolves toward reflection and renewal.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at all 11 chapter tiles, identifying familiar faces and settings and drawing connections to material already seen in the released games. As we examine each chapter tile, we’ll also note some of the interpretations and theories that have emerged within the Shenmue community over the years.

Note: At the time these chapter tiles were created, the protagonist was to have been Virtua Fighter's Akira Yuki. For simplicity in this post, however, we'll refer to "Ryo".

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for June 2026

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including those carried over from previous months), the winning topic this time is:

"Shenmue × Yokosuka: Anime Commemorative Special Livestream (IGN Japan)"

Held in 2022 to mark the release of Shenmue the Animation, this extended special livestream brought together some key figures connected with the series: Yu Suzuki, Masaya Matsukaze (the voice of Ryo Hazuki), and Yu Kiyozono of Telecom Animation Film, with Esra Krabbe of IGN Japan serving as MC.

Broadcast from Yokosuka, just around the corner from Dobuita Street, the panel looks back on the creation of the anime, how the world of the games was adapted for a new medium, and the enduring appeal of Dobuita and Yokosuka as places deeply associated with the series.

The discussion also includes behind-the-scenes comments from Yu Suzuki and Masaya Matsukaze, touching on everything from the challenge of preserving Ryo’s character after more than 20 years, to the fine details Yu Suzuki checked during production, such as the roof of the Hazuki residence, Nozomi’s character design, and Goro’s distinctive hairstyle.

In the full post, we'll translate selected highlights and anecdotes from the livestream, including comments on Shenmue the Animation, the Shenmue × Yokosuka collaboration project, memories of Dobuita, and reflections on the series’ past and future.

Coming soon to the blog!

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