Tekken 5 and Ridge Racer by next April?
So says a Japanese newspaper.
Namco plans to release Tekken 5 and a new Ridge Racer title before April of next year, according to reports based on an article in the Japanese Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Namco has previously claimed that Tekken 5 would appear on PS2 in 2005 - including the estimate in its E3 trailer - although word on the next Ridge Racer/R: Racing title has been thin on the ground.
However the publisher did register the trademark "R: Racing Rivals" last November, and advertised for 2D and 3D illustrators and modellers to work on original vehicle designs - suggesting that the firm's next racing title will be more along the lines of Ridge Racer than the disappointing R: Racing, which used licensed cars.
Whatever Namco's plans, it's understood that the publisher hopes to get both games out before the end of its current financial year, which concludes on March 31st 2005 - the reason being that it's the company's 50th anniversary next June, and if the games help drive a pre-tax profit of five per cent as the company expects, employees might be in line for an anniversary dividend.
We hope to find out more about both titles in the coming months.