Skullgirls’ future looks bright as multiple seasons and DLC characters teased

Annie joins the battle in second quarter

Skullgirls fans, (such as yours truly), have reason to breathe a sigh of relief this morning, as new plans laid out by publisher Autumn Games and developer Hidden Variable suggest that the future is very bright indeed for the gorgeous and highly engaging cartoon fighter.

Autumn Games not only announced the release timing for new gal Annie of the Stars – who will arrive on PC in Early Access next month before joining the game proper in May – but it also revealed the existence of a new season pass, teasing a further three DLC characters who are headed to the roster across 2021 and 2022. Currently on sale at a discounted price of $30, the Skullgirls Season 1 Pass offers all four DLC characters, a digital artbook, and an updated soundtrack. Each new character will arrive complete with a selection of 25 color palettes, a new stage, and their own story mode.

The publisher hopes that, should the season pass prove a success, it can afford to add extra free content and an additional fifth character in 2022. On the negative side, Autumn Games is finally ending its long-time support for the earliest editions of Skullgirls, and as such the new DLC will not be coming to the PS3, PS Vita, and Xbox 360 platforms.

While the concept of season passes is often frowned upon, I am down for this. Not only is Skullgirls one of “the little gals” in an expensive and crowded fighting game marketplace, but back in its formative years it offered up many of its DLC characters free-of-charge for a limited time. As such, I’m more than happy to support the title – following years of entertainment – as it attempts to re-find its feet following ugly controversies. Plus… anything to increase the chances of Black Dahlia. Hopefully, members of new studio Future Club can also become involved in the design and development process.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One. Skullgirls Season 1 Pass will be available to purchase at some point in the near future. We’ll give you a heads-up.