Arc System Works is working on a new 3D Double Dragon

Arc System Works is working on a 3D revival of classic beat-em-up Double Dragon.

According to the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu (via Ryokutya2089), the new game will faithfully recreate the action of the original side-scrolling titles, with characters recreated in 3D with Arc System Works’ fighting game know-how.

Arc System Works is the developer of many popular fighting games, including Guilty Gear Strive, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Granblue Fantasy Versus.

According to Famitsu, the new Double Dragon will be released in 2025 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC.

The original Double Dragon was a hit arcade game which helped establish the beat-em-up genre in the 1980s.

Arc System Works acquired the Double Dragon IP in 2015 and later released Double Dragon 4, an authentic follow-up created with help from developers of the original games, including director Kishimoto Yoshihisa.

The game received mixed-to-poor reviews from critics, however, and currently has a Metacritic score of 49 on PlayStation 4.

Eurogamer wrote in its review at the time: “It takes a while to acclimatise to Double Dragon 4’s wilfully archaic rhythm. Some players will submit to the charm spell it is trying to cast.

“Yet, stripped of the context of time (the 1980s) and space (the amusement arcade, where every life has a financial cost attached), that spell has been severely weakened.”