Exclusive: Black Dahlia and Marie lead Skullgirls 2nd Encore into an exciting 2023

Two types of ‘Cleaner’ to join the roster next year

Autumn Games has revealed its plans for the coming year as it pertains to the fantastic Skullgirls 2nd Encore, which has, impressively, enjoyed a full decade of exciting, tag-fighting action — fending off competition from a plethora of fighting game releases, large and small, to carve itself a niche in the competitive scene.

And it seems that the party is only just getting started.

As we enter 2023, Skullgirls 2nd Encore will begin a year-long rollout of new characters, console ports, balance updates, and new merchandise, celebrating a full decade of fist-throwin’, hair-slammin’, charleston-boppin’ action. The initial impact will be felt via the official launch of the ruthless Black Dahlia — the amoral assassin of The Medici Crime Family and one of the most highly anticipated DLC characters in Skullgirls’ history, having been part of the game’s lore since launch day.

Black Dahlia is my favorite character in the SG universe, so I’m personally very excited for her launch.

Very kindly, the development team at Hidden Variable provided Destructoid with these exclusive model sheets, showcasing the classy, sassy, Rockefeller style of perhaps the single most sociopathic woman in all of Canopy Kingdom. In a cool preview of her intro animation below, Black Dahlia and her deadly bunny girl army can also be seen strutting their stuff on their new stage, The Bunny Barrow.

Boom Boom Coming Through, M’fer.

As 2023 progresses, Xbox and Nintendo Switch fans will finally get the opportunity to step into the world of Skullgirls 2nd Encore themselves, with the title finally receiving its official launch on both platforms. January 3 will see the Switch edition of Skullgirls receive its largest-ever update, bringing it up to parity with all other versions of the game. This update will feature a full code rewrite, which aims to bring improved performance, smoother online play, and faster load times for the Switch release.

For Xbox players, Skullgirls 2nd Encore will launch on Xbox One and Xbox Series X in early 2023 (exact date to be disclosed). This update, much like the Switch release, will bring the Xbox version of Skullgirls up to parity with the PC and PlayStation editions, adding all 2nd Encore updates and paving the way for the Season 1 DLC.

It should be noted that, unfortunately, the Xbox 360 edition of Skullgirls will not be updated.

In a motion amusingly titled “Skullgirls World Domination“, Autumn Games notes that it hopes to transition the world and characters of Skullgirls out of the gaming realm and into the field of merchandising and multimedia. 2023 will see the launch of Skullgirls‘ first-ever Good Smile Nendoroid — ninja-nurse Valentine — as well as a new range of apparel from Eighty Sixed Clothing.

We will also see further adventures of the new Skullgirls webtoon, which premiered last month and has already launched its first five episodes. You can check out the initial chapters right here.

Last, but by no means least, work continues on the final season one DLC character, the hyper-destructive Goth-Lolita, Marie! Having laid a hell of a beating on the Skullgirls community as the game’s final boss, the vacuum cleaner-swinging demon will finally be in the hands of the players. A terrifying thought. Autumn Games hopes to see Marie launch before 2023 is out, but she currently sits in early development, with much more work to be done before she can step back into the ring.

To whet your appetite, here are some exclusive early animatics of our princess in action. These are obviously very early animations, so are subject to change, but we already we can see her dry modesty and deadly hoover skills in full effect. Can’t wait to see the OG Skullgirl when she takes her final form!

All in, 2023 is looking like another solid year for the underdog fighter that won’t lay down. Skullgirls has had a tough fight since launch, with hurdles ranging from crowdfunding risks, publisher fallouts, and the nigh-on dissolution of its talented team of artists and designers through studio toxicity. Crucially, however, the game has endeavored — carried forth by the dedication of its developers, the faith of its marketers, and, of course, the passionate love bestowed upon the fighter by its community.

Skullgirls has fought the good fight for 10 years, coming up trumps each and every time. Constantly updated and supported by developers in its formative years, offering up its first DLC free for early adopters, and building a competitive scene despite the title’s niche nature. Within a highly crowded and competitive marketplace, Skullgirls has held its own, outliving larger budgeted and more established fighting games. Now entering its second decade, Skullgirls deserves everything coming to it.

For more details on Skullgirls 2nd Encore‘s 2023 battle plan, visit the official blog.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse