Streets of Rage 4 is the newest installment in the series, years after the release of the third game. Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games previously announced the team working on bringing the soundtrack to life.
In a new “Behind the Scenes” video that’s over twelve minutes long, the developers introduced the musicians who would be contributing to the soundtrack. Unfortunately, on Twitter, Dotemu announced that one of the composers would have to back out.
We're deeply sorry to announce that @Hideki_Naganuma is regrettably no longer contributing to Streets of Rage 4 soundtrack due to schedule complications.
But we're honored to welcome @HarumiFujita , an iconic veteran of classics like Final Fight or Mega Man 3, among us.
— Dotemu (@Dotemu) March 20, 2020
Olivier Derivière is Streets of Rage 4’s main composer. Derivière previously crafted music from Plague Tale: Innocence, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the upcoming game Dying Light 2, and more. The game will also have contributions from Scattle (Hotline Miami 1 & 2), Das Mörtal (Hotline Miami 2), XL Middleton, and Groundislava.
Derivière took inspiration from composers from the 90s who worked on beat-em-up side-scrolling action games, such as Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima.
Unfortunately, Dotemu also announced on twitter that Hideki Naganuma, who previously worked on the Jet Set Radio series and most recently Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight. The composer had to step away from the project due to schedule conflicts.
The project does welcome on Harui Fujita, a composer and sound effects designer, who has worked on the Final Fight, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Mega Man 3.
Four tracks from the Streets of Rage 4 soundtrack are now available on the Dotemu Games’ official Soundcloud account. Players waiting for the release can sample some of the tracks from the upcoming game. It’s unknown when or if the developers will release the full soundtrack separately either digitally or physically.
“Streets of Rage 4 will be the first entry to the core series in 25 years, standing as Axel, Adam and Blaze’s glorious return to serving up side-scrolling beatdowns. With lush hand-drawn animations, new combat abilities, and fresh tracks from an amazing team of composers, Streets of Rage 4 will be a masterful tribute to, and revitalization of the classic action fans adore.” states the game’s official summary.
The playable characters for the next game have already been announced. They include series veterans Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, plus Cherry Hunter, Adam Hunter, and Floyd Iraia.
Streets of Rage 4 is scheduled to launch this Spring for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.
