Just two days, I, tapping into my vast gaming knowledge and instincts, reported that the rumor of a "double-crossover" between Capcom and Namco was ridiculous.  Why would two publishers put in the efforts and resources to make two separate games that would essentially cannibalize each others' audiences?  They'd have to be idiots!  Today, of course, Capcom and Namco Bandai have announced that Street Fighter X Tekken AND Tekken X Street Fighter are in development, proving that I am, in fact, an idiot...or they are.

Each publisher will handle duties on the title in which their name appears first, and, just as refuted by yours truly, Capcom's game will run on the SFIV engine, while Namco's will be built on the Tekken 6 engine.  The announcement video shows the two characters that have absolutely no chance of not appearing in the game, Ryu and Jin, as well as Dan, who, as usual, is used as the whoopin' boy.  By the way, the games are officially pronounced "Tekken Cross Street Fighter" and "Street Fighter Cross Tekken," so there's that.

I'm still not convinced that this idea is a sound one.  Fighting games are more popular than any time since the golden days of Super Street Fighter II, and Tekken and Street Fighter are the #1 and #2 top selling fighting franchises of all tme, respectively, but I still can't see a large amount of consumers buying both versions.  With planned releases from the Dead or Alive and BlazBlue franchises, as well as Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, the next year and a half is going to be loaded with fighting games, and throwing two games with identical rosters and nearly identical titles into the mix may be too much, even for hardcore fighters.  Plus, imagine the confusion when mom goes into a GameStop to buy her kid the latest fighting game, "You know, the one with the street fighters and the other guys in it.  Time will tell if this bold, new strategy will pan out for the publishers, and even though I personally plan to buy both games, I have trouble believing that enough people will follow suit.