Streets Of Rage 4

Update: Intriguingly, publisher DotEmu has now sent us a press release stating that the release date listed on the Nintendo eShop "is not correct", going on to say that it is releasing "soon". Similarly, the studio has taken to Twitter saying that it "cannot confirm" the release date. Here's DotEmu's comment if you're interested:

It would be very unusual indeed for an eShop listing to be wrong, but stranger things have happened. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops.

Original Article: It would appear that Streets of Rage 4's release date has been revealed ahead of any official announcement thanks to a Switch eShop listing. According to Nintendo's digital store, the game will launch on 23rd April.

Interestingly, the listing also mentions that additional 'classic' characters will be included, such as Skate and Max from Streets of Rage 2, as well as other undisclosed fighters. These join Axel, Blaze, Adam, Floyd Iraia and Cherry Hunter, who have already been confirmed for the game. Some of the classic fighters come with their own "retro SFX", and you'll be able to toggle the soundtrack to the original Mega Drive music.

Speaking of which, Yuzo Koshiro is already confirmed to be returning, but the overall soundtrack will be created by a wide range of contributors and led by Olivier Derivière. Motohiro Kawashima, Yoko Shimomura, Harumi Fujita, Keiji Yamagishi, Scattle, Das Mörtal, XL Middleton and Groundislava have also be produced music for the game.

At the time of writing, publisher Lizardcube is yet to officially reveal the game's specific release date, but listings on the Switch eShop are just as trustworthy as you might imagine. The listing reveals that the game will cost £22.49 / $24.99 / AUD $37.50 and will be 3.1GB in size. Here's a new feature list:

Features
- The comeback of the legendary Streets of Rage series.
- Beautiful graphics fully hand-drawn animated by the studio behind Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.
- Clean up Wood Oak City by yourself or with another friend online!
- Team up to 4 people offline for the first time and take the city back!
- Classic gameplay enhanced with brand-new mechanics.
- Soundtrack by a wide all-star line up of world-class musicians.
- Braised chicken everywhere.
- A dozen former Streets of Rage characters unlockable and playable in their original pixel versions.
- Play with the music of the previous Streets of Rage games.
- 12 unique stages.

We'll make sure to update this story if an official announcement is also made. Just a couple of months ago, it was revealed that the game will support two-player co-op online and, for the first time in the series, up to four-player local co-op.

Have you been waiting to get your hands on this one? Let us know with a comment below.

[source nintendo.co.uk, via vg247.com]