Month: August 2016

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

At Evo 2016, one of Capcom’s biggest announcements was the new DLC set for Street Fighter V that’s supposed to help crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour. Reaction to this announcement, and Haunts’ further clarifications on it, has been somewhat mixed. Many fans have criticized the price, while some are wondering why Capcom needs money to fund the CPT. As a tournament organizer who actually runs a CPT event (Manila Cup), I’d like to share my own take on this: Capcom’s efforts to crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour are a good step forward, despite these issues.

Now, let me get this out of the way first–as a tournament organizer, I have benefited a lot from the Capcom Pro Tour. Manila Cup doesn’t get a prize pool bonus from Capcom itself. However, more than a few companies have stepped forward to provide support. This is thanks to the event being part of the CPT. Manila Cup itself isn’t the only event that benefits from this; the Capcom Pro Tour has over 70 events this season. You can be sure that many of the less established events on the calendar have benefited in the same manner.

The tournament organizers aren’t the only ones who benefit–the players do too. These events allow many players the chance to meet and fight other players who they might never have if not for the fact that these were CPT events. With this in mind, any way for the CPT to be able to raise money for itself is generally a good thing, as it allows it to continue to exist. This in turn means that the events that benefit from the CPT–and by extension, the players who benefit from these events–can also continue to do so.

Of course, this isn’t the only way for Capcom to try to raise money for the Capcom Pro Tour. Many of you are probably wondering why Capcom doesn’t just find more sponsors and partners for the tour. After all, this is what the events that are partnered with it are doing.

Capcom does of course have sponsors for the Capcom Pro Tour. However, Capcom needs to invest more of their money if they want to grow the CPT, and it’s not as simple as just asking for more money from their sponsors–they need to show the initiative and invest more of their own first. By doing so, it makes it easier to justify asking for more from the sponsors.

The other issue with sponsors on a Tour-wide level is one of control. As a sponsor’s financial stake in the Tour grows, so does their voice in the running of the Tour. The danger in this lies when a sponsor or partner asks for something that may end up being to the detriment of the game and the community. We’ve already seen something like this, when the glitchy, unpatched PlayStation 4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV was almost run at Evo 2015.

Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t things that Capcom could improve on with their crowdfunding efforts. The biggest issue that many fans seem to have with the Capcom Pro Tour DLC at the moment seems to be the price: many find that the cost of the content to be a bit high. This is on top of the fact that Street Fighter V’s regular DLC items are already quite pricey when purchased with real money. While many would like to see the prices reduced, in my opinion the real issue here is transparency. If Capcom were to show us how much from the DLC is going towards the CPT, and how much was raised so far, then there would likely be less objection to the cost.

Another issue is that the DLC isn’t part of the Season Pass. For the next season, they should make it clear that there would be a separate crowdfunding effort with content outside the Season Pass–or better yet, they could integrate the crowd funding into the Season Pass itself.

Meanwhile, some have complained that new colors, costumes, and an extra stage aren’t enough as an incentive to support the tour; many will point to Valve’s yearly Compendiums for DOTA 2’s The International tournament. These self-updating digital booklets provide fans with a way to keep track of the statistics of teams and players, and players can also win cosmetic items by using them to make accurate predictions on tournament results. Perhaps Capcom can learn a thing or two from this, especially since this is likely what inspired their efforts in the first place.

Whatever happens though, it’s clear that we’ve taken a step forward in ensuring the future of the Capcom Pro Tour. Doors have opened for tournament organizers and players alike, and Capcom is now trying to find ways to ensure they stay open. What needs to happen now is for both Capcom and the community to push forward, and work together toward improving on what the former has laid out here.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not reflect Shoryuken.com as a whole.

At Evo 2016, one of Capcom’s biggest announcements was the new DLC set for Street Fighter V that’s supposed to help crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour. Reaction to this announcement, and Haunts’ further clarifications on it, has been somewhat mixed. Many fans have criticized the price, while some are wondering why Capcom needs money to fund the CPT. As a tournament organizer who actually runs a CPT event (Manila Cup), I’d like to share my own take on this: Capcom’s efforts to crowdfund the Capcom Pro Tour are a good step forward, despite these issues.

Now, let me get this out of the way first–as a tournament organizer, I have benefited a lot from the Capcom Pro Tour. Manila Cup doesn’t get a prize pool bonus from Capcom itself. However, more than a few companies have stepped forward to provide support. This is thanks to the event being part of the CPT. Manila Cup itself isn’t the only event that benefits from this; the Capcom Pro Tour has over 70 events this season. You can be sure that many of the less established events on the calendar have benefited in the same manner.

The tournament organizers aren’t the only ones who benefit–the players do too. These events allow many players the chance to meet and fight other players who they might never have if not for the fact that these were CPT events. With this in mind, any way for the CPT to be able to raise money for itself is generally a good thing, as it allows it to continue to exist. This in turn means that the events that benefit from the CPT–and by extension, the players who benefit from these events–can also continue to do so.

Of course, this isn’t the only way for Capcom to try to raise money for the Capcom Pro Tour. Many of you are probably wondering why Capcom doesn’t just find more sponsors and partners for the tour. After all, this is what the events that are partnered with it are doing.

Capcom does of course have sponsors for the Capcom Pro Tour. However, Capcom needs to invest more of their money if they want to grow the CPT, and it’s not as simple as just asking for more money from their sponsors–they need to show the initiative and invest more of their own first. By doing so, it makes it easier to justify asking for more from the sponsors.

The other issue with sponsors on a Tour-wide level is one of control. As a sponsor’s financial stake in the Tour grows, so does their voice in the running of the Tour. The danger in this lies when a sponsor or partner asks for something that may end up being to the detriment of the game and the community. We’ve already seen something like this, when the glitchy, unpatched PlayStation 4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV was almost run at Evo 2015.

Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t things that Capcom could improve on with their crowdfunding efforts. The biggest issue that many fans seem to have with the Capcom Pro Tour DLC at the moment seems to be the price: many find that the cost of the content to be a bit high. This is on top of the fact that Street Fighter V’s regular DLC items are already quite pricey when purchased with real money. While many would like to see the prices reduced, in my opinion the real issue here is transparency. If Capcom were to show us how much from the DLC is going towards the CPT, and how much was raised so far, then there would likely be less objection to the cost.

Another issue is that the DLC isn’t part of the Season Pass. For the next season, they should make it clear that there would be a separate crowdfunding effort with content outside the Season Pass–or better yet, they could integrate the crowd funding into the Season Pass itself.

Meanwhile, some have complained that new colors, costumes, and an extra stage aren’t enough as an incentive to support the tour; many will point to Valve’s yearly Compendiums for DOTA 2’s The International tournament. These self-updating digital booklets provide fans with a way to keep track of the statistics of teams and players, and players can also win cosmetic items by using them to make accurate predictions on tournament results. Perhaps Capcom can learn a thing or two from this, especially since this is likely what inspired their efforts in the first place.

Whatever happens though, it’s clear that we’ve taken a step forward in ensuring the future of the Capcom Pro Tour. Doors have opened for tournament organizers and players alike, and Capcom is now trying to find ways to ensure they stay open. What needs to happen now is for both Capcom and the community to push forward, and work together toward improving on what the former has laid out here.