[Editor’s note: This is coming in a little later than expected, but with EVO this weekend we figured it was the perfect time to really dive into this and share our thoughts, especially after so many “where’s my spy camera” questions about this one.]
Arika’s origins aren’t typical of a third-party developer that spun off from its former parent company. In the mid-’90s a bunch of Capcom developers, including one who co-created Street Fighter II, split and created their own studio. But unlike, say, Platinum Games, who had nothing to do with Capcom after its formation, Arika immediately worked with the publisher on a major property: Street Fighter.
The developers’ creation, Street Fighter EX, was popular enough to warrant several remixes and two full sequels, and enjoyed a decent run of four years spanning two generations until it kind of fizzled out. Much of their work after that could be described as transitory.
For years Arika remained dormant, hard at work on the “Classics” line for the 3DS and other odd jobs, but now the team is back in the game with Fighting EX Layer — a new oddity with some of the original characters created during the EX era.
Source: Destructoid Review: Fighting EX Layer