Last week at Evo 2025, the LVLONE Team sat down with Guilty Gear Strive producer Ken Miyauchi to talk about how Arc System Works took Guilty Gear from a niche anime fighter to a global main event, the philosophy behind its systems and characters, and what’s next for the franchise. Just days later, ArcSys stepped on stage during finals to drop the Guilty Gear Strive 2.0 teaser, signaling the start of a brand-new era.
When Strive launched, it didn’t just add another Guilty Gear title to the shelf. It transformed the series’ reach and reputation. Miyauchi points to three key factors.
Rollback netcode was the first game-changer.
“One… of course, the rollback netcode… it really helped a lot of players, being able to play and… talk to their friends and… play from home.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
Before rollback, many Japanese fighting games still used delay-based netcode. Matches were often laggy and unplayable unless players were geographically close. Miyauchi remembers his pre-ArcSys days hauling consoles to basements or game shops just to get good offline games. Rollback removed that barrier entirely, making Strive competitive online across long distances, which was especially vital during pandemic lockdowns.
Second was direct communication with U.S. players.
“We went to… every fighting game tournament, like… CEO, ComboBreaker… everywhere in the US. And [were] directly communicating with the players and… taking the survey from them.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
This was a major shift. Before Strive, feedback from American players often went through local publishers or third parties before reaching ArcSys Japan. That meant slower response times and a higher chance of ideas getting lost in translation. With ArcSys USA open, Miyauchi’s team could collect raw, unfiltered feedback at events and implement changes much faster and finally, the fan base itself.
Veteran fans didn’t just stick around. They became ambassadors, actively introducing the game to new players and keeping local communities alive.
Old-school Guilty Gear had a well-earned reputation for a steep learning curve, character-specific gatlings, and obscure frame quirks that could make your carefully practiced setups fail. For casual players, it could feel like there was a wall between them and competitive play.
For Strive, the team deliberately flattened some of those spikes in difficulty. Standardizing certain mechanics and simplifying gatling routes made the game more accessible to new players without removing the unique playstyles that define Guilty Gear. It also forced veteran players to relearn the game instead of relying on decades-old habits. Miyauchi acknowledges there was pushback early on.
In Strive, no two characters feel like palette swaps.
“Not every character is… playing equally the same. They have their unique abilities and skills, and different sort of setups.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
He shared a few examples:
- Dizzy can freeze opponents and control the pace with Wing of Light. Sometimes just showing the move forces a reaction from the other player.
- Leo thrives on rushdown and relentless cross-ups to keep opponents guessing.
- Testament controls the screen with zoning tools and punishes bad jumps.
When older characters return, they are not just dropped in with their old move sets. Miyauchi explained that the team has to rebuild them so they fit into Strive’s current mechanics like wall breaks and positive bonus, while still feeling true to their identity.
“We can’t just… bring in the same mechanic… we tried to incorporate [the] core… and then… change it… how it fits in Guilty Gear Strive.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
In other words, what made the character fun in past games stays, but the way that fun works has to be reimagined so it meshes with Strive’s modern systems. It is a reminder that even for the people who make them, fighting games are full of interconnected systems that can be tricky to explain in everyday terms.
That complexity came out in one of the lighter moments of the conversation, when Miyauchi caught himself mid-sentence.
Veteran fighting game players know exactly what 6p means. It is shorthand for pressing forward plus punch on the stick or pad. But for casual players or people new to the genre, that kind of notation can sound like code. It was a fun, human moment that bridged the gap between the competitive scene’s language and a wider audience.
Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners wasn’t added because of the anime’s popularity. She earned her spot by offering something the roster didn’t already have.
“Lucy… would potentially play a very, very unique character… it was… really fun to develop her… she’s gonna be really fun to play.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
Miyauchi made it clear that hype alone will not drive crossover choices.
“It wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, this IP is gonna be big, so we just… randomly bring anyone.’”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
As for a Guilty Gear vs. Granblue crossover:
“Granblue is actually not our IP… not really considering… Maybe… at the end of life cycle if there’s a potential opportunity.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
From Bridget to Testament, Strive has been upfront about character identities. Miyauchi says this comes from series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari’s worldbuilding, not a marketing strategy. It is also not something assigned randomly.
This approach means representation in Strive grows naturally from the game’s narrative and themes, rather than being tacked on for optics.
Before finals, Miyauchi hinted:
“We’re gonna make announcement in… Evo on Sunday… Guilty Gear Strive is continuing and it’s still growing. We have… achieved like 3.5 million player base.”
Guilty Gear -Strive- Producer Ken Miyauchi
That announcement turned out to be the GGST 2.0 teaser. While details are still under wraps, the next phase promises meta shifts, new mechanics, and possibly new roster additions. With a player base now topping 3.5 million, the focus is on keeping Strive fresh and the community engaged.
From rollback netcode to unique character design, it is clear ArcSys is treating Strive like more than just another installment. It is a living, evolving platform. With GGST 2.0 officially on the way, the LVLONE Team is fired up to see how the game grows from here. Whether it is fresh faces on the roster, balance changes that shake up the competitive scene, or new systems that pull in even more players, we will be here for it. Evo 2025 may be over, but for Guilty Gear fans, it feels like the fight is just getting started.
