Dead or Alive Ultimate delayed

TOKYO--Tecmo announced today that Dead or Alive Ultimate, its upcoming Xbox fighting game, will be delayed until summer 2004 in both America and Europe. The game will also be delayed in Japan, where it is known as Dead or Alive Online.

“We have made the decision to push back [DOA Ultimate's] launch date to improve on the game's quality, increase its volume to a more satisfactory level, and to offer a better a [online] service”, commented Tecmo in a press release. “We appreciate the support from all fans of the Dead or Alive [series], and we will polish the game to make it meet the strong expectations from everyone.”

Dead or Alive Online was originally slated for release on March 25 in Japan. The game consists of a port of the original Dead or Alive from the Sega Saturn and a port of Dead or Alive 2 that has been redesigned to meet the standards of the Xbox console. Both games are Xbox Live-enabled.

Tecmo caused a stir with some consumers last month because of a promotion involving a life-size bonus cushion featuring Kasumi, DOA's main female character. The cushion is a part of the Kasumi-chan Blue Xbox package that Microsoft is releasing in Japan, which will also be delayed until the summer. The package features a blue, limited edition Xbox console and controller, a copy of DOA Online, a DVD kit, a one-year subscription to Xbox Live, and the bonus cushion (for now).

Tecmo is running a campaign in Japan whereby Dead Or Alive Online preorders made at retailers will come with the special edition Kasumi doll. The doll will also be available in America, where the first 250 customers to preorder their copies of Dead or Alive Ultimate through Tecmo’s official site will receive it as a bonus.