Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate free version headed west

Tecmo Koei has confirmed it is bringing Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Core Fighters, a free trial version of the updated brawler, to North America and Europe.

The free version was announced yesterday for the Japanese PlayStation Network, and contains a roster of just four fighters but all other content bar DLC and story mode, with the option to purchase additional fighters and the campaign.

Gematsu reports the lightweight digital release will come west with the subtitle Core Fighters.

It looks like the release is a PlayStation Network exclusive, and will launch alongside the retail version on PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 3 in the US and September 6 in PAL territories.

Extra characters will set you back $4 or regional equivalent, and the story mode will be available for $15 - almost exactly what Japanese gamers are paying, which is a nice change for them.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is a re-release of the Team Ninja brawler which includes all the extra content from the Vita port as well as new characters.