It’s been half a year since Mad Catz community and sponsorships manager Mark “MarkMan” Julio said that Evo 2015 would be his last year with the organization, and it appears as if that prediction has come true, just not in the way everyone expected.
Things have been rough at Mad Catz as of late. Earlier this month, it was announced that several members of executive leadership had resigned ahead of layoffs that would cut staff by 37% in an effort to keep the business afloat. Julio was one of the numerous employees affected by these cuts.
Anyone remotely familiar with Julio’s work in the community knows he practically radiates love for fighting games. Everything he has done in his tenure with Mad Catz was to improve our scene, from providing readily available arcade sticks to supporting fighting game tournaments across the globe. He truly deserves all the respect and gratitude in the world, and if there’s any silver lining in this series of events, it’s that he’ll be able to brighten wherever he lands with that same passion.
Speaking with 4Gamer, Julio mentioned that, as far as he knows, the longtime Mad Catz trio of Daigo Umehara, Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi, and Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi are still contracted with the organization. “I wish them the best in their future endeavors and thank them for their hard work, dedication and support over the last few years,” he said.
In all honesty, it feels weird wishing Mark luck in whatever future path he embarks on because he’s more than certain to find success wherever he goes, so we’ll just say thank you. Be sure to give him some love the next time you see him at a tournament.
Sources: MarkMan, 4Gamer, featured image c/o Mad Catz
