Month: January 2016

What are your criteria for choosing games at your event?

I try to pick games I know have scene-wide support and then compliment them with games I know have strong regional support or nostalgia value.

How big of an impact does local popularity play in those decisions?

I think a regional bias is important but I always start with a game list I think is likely to bring out-of-state players into the event. Part of the appeal of a large event is playing with traveling players, and they’d stay home if we didn’t provide an attractive line-up.

I would say our retro selections are generally more prone to local and core staff popularity.

What significance has Street Fighter IV had at your tournaments over the past few years?

Its been one of the event’s pillars. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be involved in tournament organizing if not for Street Fighter IV. A lot of my circle came up through that game’s life cycle, and I think a lot of the current community player base did too. As a game it’s helped our events and the fighting game community as a whole grow.

Combo Breaker will feature both titles. How did you come to that decision?

I don’t think a new game coming out means an older one loses all value. I still enjoy playing Street Fighter IV. I also think the familiarity of playing Street Fighter IV for many players will be a reassurance that they’ll have a good time traveling around during Street Fighter V’s release year.

What problems, if any, does running two games in the same series cause?

Logistically it creates greater space, equipment, and bracket staff demands. Thanks to our increased venue capacity this year and Combo Breaker’s relationship with Gaming Generations, I’m confident in our ability to run not just Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V together, but the entire twenty game lineup.

What’s the biggest misconception folks outside of tournament organizing have about the situation?

I think there is a belief that Street Fighter V coming out means all players should, or will, transition to the game. I run a lot of games around the country and the unique entrants for Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and a long list of other non-Capcom games that have received generation updates are always out there. So many players love older games and view those games as their connection to the fighting game community. Last Tuesday, you could hear UltraDavid talking about how he re-connected to the community this year from playing 3rd Strike. I think Street Fighter IV will eventually become one of those games people are connected to or re-connect with.

At what point would you be comfortable severing ties with Street Fighter IV?

No definitive answer for that. I’m sure that like any aging game it will eventually be something I run selectively, but applying criteria for that time frame today seems more hostile to a game I played last night than necessary.

Combo Breaker 2016 is scheduled for May 27-29 in St. Charles, Illinois.

What are your criteria for choosing games at your event?

There’s a number of factors that go into picking the official games for Community Effort Orlando. When I say official, I mean ones where staff and I schedule accordingly to fit finals on the main stage, provide equipment, and create pools in advance for the event. Potential unique number of entries is a big factor as an event gets bigger and more expensive to run, what is popular across the country at other majors, in recent years thanks to developer support that can also be a driving force in helping promote those scenes for bigger turnouts.

There’s always a lot of pressure on Evo in deciding what games they can feature each year because they don’t want to leave any community out, which tends to trickle down to other events and players. Fortunately, there has been big growth across the board for multiple games, and their communities are vocal with support and attendance numbers to help events make an informed decision on their own on what games to host. Also, lining up with other events helps players that want to continually level up by giving them more opportunities to practice.

If I don’t pick a game but there’s an overwhelming backlash to include a game with players certain they’d attend, I can always reconsider and make room for it one way or another. CEO has had a good track record and pulse on picking the right games each year. It also helps being connected to just about every community through Facebook groups. That makes it so easy to keep up with current rulesets and trends in the community.

How big does local popularity play into making those decisions?

For CEO that’s also a huge factor. Since we have a slew of local events in Orlando and Tampa over the years, most games featured at the big CEO are because of the turnouts such local events consistently get. On the other side of the coin, some games have been hosted with minimal turnouts which factor into them not being featured at the event. If the local community is loud enough, there’s always room for side events once their members step up.

What significance has Street Fighter IV had at your tournaments over the past few years?

Outside of Smash in recent years, Street Fighter IV has consistently had the biggest turnouts at CEO events. Before Capcom’s Pro Tour came along and pushed things even further, it was a big driving force in CEO’s success. I still remember clearly the amount of local events I competed in across Florida that always had consistently high turnouts full of amazing people that were driven to get better at the game. CEO wouldn’t be the size it is today if it weren’t for Street Fighter IV bringing me back into the competitive fold, which in turn led to running events leading up to CEO’s birth.

I also look back before Street Fighter V comes out at the growth of Florida as a scene with players that attended CEO events such as CJ Truth and NuckleDu. Seeing them grow from first time CEO tournament players to what they have become is one of my prouder moments over the course of Street Fighter IV. I just owe so much to it getting me back into the fighting game community, creating CEO and now working what I consider my dream job for Iron Galaxy Studios on Killer Instinct.

CEO 2016 will feature both titles. How did you come to that decision?

Simple answer: people will be playing both this year. Before the Capcom Pro Tour began, Street Fighter IV was always hugely supported by the community itself, which kept it going before Capcom came on board and provided even more opportunities for players. With CEO growing as much as it has, I’m able to host Street Fighter IV on Friday and Street Fighter V on Saturday. And with both on PlayStation 4, it’s easy for us to run them, which makes their inclusion even easier.

What problems, if any, does running two games in the same series cause?

I don’t see any at all. It may eliminate the chance for another game to shine and affect a “smaller” community, but we had Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter x Tekken before, which in the end didn’t turn out the way people expected and the community stuck with the former long term. Look at Smash currently; both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U both have huge, bustling communities that are still growing and massive events almost weekly. This could happen with Street Fighter IV.

What’s the biggest misconception folks outside of tournament organizing have about the situation?

That if a game isn’t featured at Evo, it’s instantly dead, or a title no longer getting official support from the developer means you won’t see it at any events. People might think because Street Fighter V is a new game, nobody will play Street Fighter IV anymore. However, you can look back at previous titles like Street Fighter III: 3rd strike, where some players still play that and never got into Street Fighter IV. Time will tell.

Live event numbers across the world should always do the talking in terms of how well a game is supported, not the naysayers through social media that may speak about their dislike for a game. Don’t let other people’s words decide for you whether or not you like a game. End of the day, it’s the community that really decides what games will last in tournaments in their respective regions. Keep playing what you enjoy. Organizers can only do so much with their staff in a single weekend, so don’t hesitate to really step up and offer to run games they may not be able to.

At what point would you be comfortable severing ties with Street Fighter IV?

When the community clearly shows they’ve moved onto Street Fighter V at a competitive level. GameStop’s Street Fighter IV event really got a lot of initial eyes on the game, local communities and events kept the hype going, and then Capcom’s support really kicked in across the tournament landscape with the Capcom Pro Tour. Having Street Fighter V receive amazing support out of the gate could be a game changer for the fighting game community, but players are still gonna play what they enjoy.

And no, there’s no reason to “breathe new life into Street Fighter IV” with Omega Mode or Edition Select just yet. I think Street Fighter IV will become this generation’s Super Turbo, so to speak, where it’ll still be played for years to come.

CEO 2016 is scheduled for June 24-26 in Orlando, Florida.

What are your criteria for choosing games at your event?

It is pretty simple, as NorCal Regionals runs new and popular fighters. The biggest ones, such as Street Fighter and Marvel, are officially hosted by NCR staff. Other games are chosen by the community during registration and each community runs their own. NCR will pretty much host any fighter as long as there is enough interest.

How big of an impact does local popularity play in those decisions?

Local popularity has the biggest impact on our decisions.

What significance has Street Fighter IV had at your tournaments over the past few years?

Street Fighter IV’s popularity has resulted in NCR growing from a small, one-day event at Sunnyvale Golfland to a major event at hotel venues spanning three days with 500+ competitors.

Have you come to a decision for the next installment NorCal Regionals? If so, what is it?

NCR 2016 will host both Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V.

What problems, if any, does running two games in the same series cause?

No major issues other than logistical resources to run two big games.

At what point would you be comfortable severing ties with Street Fighter IV?

I’ll run Street Fighter IV, along with any other fighter, as long as it remains popular and people register for it. NCR has hosted tournaments for very old games such as Super Turbo and Soulcalibur II simply because there was enough interest in terms of registration. I suspect we’ll be running Street Fighter IV for a long time.

NorCal Regionals 2016’s date and location are still unannounced.

What are your criteria for choosing games at your event?

I normally choose the games whose scenes have supported my event in the past while opening doors to new ones. The fighting game community has many layers to its scene, including Street Fighter, Tekken, Dead or Alive, anime, and Smash. Everyone and every game scene is important at Final Round

Of course we carry the most popular games because those are the biggest groups that are willing to travel to compete, but we also cater to other groups that are not as big to help keep those scenes alive and grow them.

How big of an impact does local popularity play in those decisions?

At the beginning, Final Round was a local city event, so what the people of Georgia and surrounding states are playing has been key to my planning as an organizer. Case in point, to this day the southeastern region has been known for very strong Tekken and Soulcalibur players, so I’ve always had those games at my events thanks to their ongoing support. With that said, Final Round is also the home for many scenes and not just a Tekken tournament. Final Round 18 had the second largest Street Fighter tournament last year, with 470+ players traveling from around the world for Ultra Street Fighter IV.

What significance has Street Fighter IV had at your tournaments over the past few years?

Street Fighter IV helped grow a scene that was in decline from playing 10-15 year old games as main event titles. More than ever, players started to travel from other regions of the United States and the world to compete at Final Round. It’s one of the best in the Street Fighter era because it found the balance between being easy enough to learn for newcomers and hard enough for the elite players in the world to dominate. New schoolers and old schoolers competing is what helps the scene grow in a positive manner.

Street Fighter IV also introduced the streaming age to our community. There were no streams before Street Fighter IV, and I hope all the stream monsters appreciate what they have now because back in the day if you wanted to see an event you didn’t attend, you had to buy the VHS or DVDs six or eight months later.

Final Round will feature both titles. How did you come to that decision?

I know conventional wisdom at tournaments is “out with the old and in with the new,” but that has never been the Final Round way of running things. There’s players that still love to play and compete in Street Fighter IV, so I figured it was only right to continue to have it at my event. I’m really interested in not only how many will enter Street Fighter IV but who will only play Street Fighter V and the new blood that will enter both.

As a community, there’s some titles that have stood the test of time and are still played today in tournament settings, like Super Turbo, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Soulcalibur II, and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. Street Fighter IV could be this generation’s Street Fighter of choice, but only time will tell.

What problems, if any, does running two games in the same series cause?

As I mentioned before, our community is used to supporting and competing in older fan favorites, but logistically it could be a huge nightmare if 70% of the players that enter Street Fighter V also enter Street Fighter IV with the size of event we run. That’s why we have already started on this year’s schedule to make sure that those two events don’t clash.

With Final Round 19 being the first Capcom Pro Tour premier event of 2016, we could have up towards of 600-700 players competing in Street Fighter V and who knows how many in Street Fighter IV. It’s too early to close the book on Street Fighter IV from a community standpoint, but players must also understand that the company dollars (a.k.a. the sponsors’ money) will be going towards the new release as we move forward in the eSports era.

What’s the biggest misconception folks outside of tournament organizing have about the situation?

That the old game must be thrown in the trash or the game is dead. No game is dead unless the community stops playing the game. It may not ever reach the heights it did in the past nor will it have the company dollars behind it, but both can still be played. People still play Super Turbo and the same could happen for Street Fighter IV.

At what point would you be comfortable severing ties with Street Fighter IV?

No one knows what the future will bring, but I started Final Round to help grow and preserve our competitive community. If the players still show up, I’ll still have Street Fighter IV as part of my event. But like any title at fighting game events, showing support for older titles is the only way to keep them at the tournaments.

Of course, we are entering the eSports era, and the future can be great for everyone if it’s done correctly. I have a good outlook on the future and I hope the community as a whole does as well.

Final Round 19 is scheduled for March 18-20 in Atlanta, Georgia.

What are your criteria for choosing games at your event?

We usually invite just about as many games as real estate allows at our events. We understand not everybody has that luxury, so we have been very fortunate. If we had to select a few, we would pick up at least 1-2 major titles from each fighting game sub category (Capcom, 3D, anime, NetherRealm, Smash, etc.) and sometimes an older title if the community continues to support it. A well-balanced roster makes for a great tournament experience for everyone.

How big of an impact does local popularity play in those decisions?

Our local scene is where we pay the most attention. The community can play any game they wish at Wednesday Night Fights, which helps gauge interest for future events. For instance, nobody plays Injustice: Gods Among Us at our weeklies anymore since Mortal Kombat X came out, which led to the newer title being the only NetherRealm game at SoCal Regionals 2015. The community seemed to have no issues not including Mortal Kombat 9 or Injustice as in previous years.

What significance has Street Fighter IV had at your tournaments over the past few years?

Street Fighter IV has been the headlining game at both Wednesday Night Fights and SoCal Regionals events for the past six years. The title has brought a significant amount of fighting game fans to the scene and it’s still going strong so it’s kind of a big deal!

Have you come to a decision for the next installment SoCal Regionals?

We are still looking into the SoCal Regionals 2016 lineup. Stay tuned for more details!

What problems, if any, does running two games in the same series cause?

Running two games in the same series poses logistical issues across the board. Not saying it can’t be done, but it may cause more trouble than what it’s worth. For example, there may be player overlaps, certain titles may not make the final roster, and/or undesirable programming schedules.

What’s the biggest misconception folks outside of tournament organizing have about the situation?

The biggest misconception seems to be that of change. Nobody wants to hear their favorite title may not make the cut in future events. Tournament organizers work hard to find ways to include as many titles as they possibly can, but sometimes the hard decisions must be made to progress the scene.

At what point would you be comfortable severing ties with Street Fighter IV?

Street Fighter IV will still be at major events throughout 2016 for sure. I wouldn’t feel comfortable cutting ties with the title for at least a few years or if the scene truly decides to move on, whichever comes first.

SoCal Regionals 2016’s date and location are still unannounced.