Street Fighter IV Producer Yoshinori Ono recently offered some insight as to why the popular fighting series underwent such a lengthy hiatus following the release of Street Fighter III in arcades more than ten years ago.

Speaking in a recent interview, Ono said that the team could have effectively stopped the series following the third game’s release; however, ideas were frequently exchanged over the course of the last decade, resulting in development of a fourth instalment.
 
“In the beginning we were not exactly sure which direction to go,” said Ono. “

“Should we stick to something entirely new? Should we stick to the roots? Having the time to step back and look at the series up until now, to think about the various options that we have, I think was very helpful.”

“Having that time actually helped us to get the game headed in the direction that it's headed now - which I think is a good direction - and to get us where we are today,” he explained.

Ono also cited the advancement in technology as another reason for why the long wait paid off in the end, explaining that Capcom simply would not have been able to conceive an arcade board as powerful as the ones currently available on today’s market.

He added: "The 360 and PS3, certainly, are incredibly powerful compared to what we had to work with ten years ago."

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