Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

News broke last week that French competitor Olivier “Luffy” Hay was leaving Meltdown, his sponsor since 2014. As details weren’t provided, no one was quite sure if he parted ways of his own accord or was dropped from the organization, but the folks over at Best of III got to the bottom of the situation during a recent interview.

According to Hay, the decision to split from Meltdown was entirely this own. While he achieved some notable feats thanks to their sponsorship, namely taking home first place at Evo 2014, he was ready to move on despite the organization’s interest in renewing his contract for the next few years.

“For 2016, I got some good offers from other sponsors,” Hay explained. “I have some really good stuff going on right now, but I guess I’ll announce it in the near future.”

Near the end of the interview, it becomes clear that Hay may have already signed with someone else. Details are still sparse, but he was able to say that his new team is not Team YP and that they have already built up a roster of Street Fighter players.

The full interview can be found below, so check it out for talk of why Hay doesn’t compete in games like League of Legends and Dota 2, his thoughts on Street Fighter V, and more.

Best of III’s main show also featured an interview with Team Spooky’s Arturo Sanchez. During his time on the show, Sanchez discussed the next installment of Team PIE’s King of New York tournament series, how Dhalsim performs in early builds of Street Fighter V, and more, so check that out as well.

Source: Daily Dot Esports

During their visit to PlayStation Experience last month, Vice Gaming was able to catch up with Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono for a discussion of all things Street Fighter. Naturally, conversation gravitated towards Street Fighter V, and Ono was rather candid regarding their goals with the upcoming title.

“Now, as [Street Fighter IV] has grown and it’s matured, that core group of people is maybe about 1,000 people who can compete at a really high level. That’s where [Street Fighter V] comes in,” Ono explained. “We’ve made plans to try to grow the community at an exponential rate. We’re doing that by resetting the game and evening the playing field, so that it’s approachable whether you’re new or old to the series.”

Ono was quick to promise that they won’t be actively working against experienced players when it comes to their decisions for Street Fighter V, but reiterated their desire for newcomers to be comfortable, whether they’re competing or just watching.

While not interested in completely doing away with the work they’ve done on past installments, Ono sees Street Fighter V as its own separate entity, similar to how Street Fighter II was different from Street Fighter, Street Fighter III was different from Street Fighter II, and so on. “People are starting to remember that Street Fighter isn’t a series where every new game just rides the coattails of the previous entry,” he continued. “Part of the fun is going back to zero and everyone growing from the same point.”

For more of Vice’s interview, which also touches on Ono’s hand in bringing the Street Fighter franchise back to prominence, the groundwork they’ve laid for the genre, and more, be sure to follow the link below.

Source: Vice

Editor’s note: Due to various circumstances, North America is currently one week behind Europe, while the Commonwealth of Independent States has completed their season.

ESL’s Mortal Kombat X competition returns for another installment of its second season. Similar to the previous season, the first few rounds of this online tournament have narrowed the playing field down to eight competitors in each region, who will be going at each other’s throats today to earn their way towards the grand finals event next year and its $100,000 prize pool.

Some of the more notable players you’ll see participate this week include cR|Sonic Fox, Pig of the Hut, cR|WoundCowboy, A F0xy Grampa, Madzin, and Xarakamaka, among others.

The stream is live below, but you can also visit Twitch if you prefer to chat with fellow viewers. You’ll also find a table of start times for each of the three regions involved further down.

Watch live video from NetherRealm on www.twitch.tv

Schedule

Results

North America – Week 7

First Round

cR|Sonic Fox vs. YOMI|Slayer
dsv black vs. Pig of the Hut
cR|WoundCowboy vs. cR|Biohazard
God of Destruction vs. UA|Showtime

Europe – Week 8

1.
2.
3.
3.
5.
5.
5. AT|nindo (Summoner Quan Chi)
5. Kostasandharris (A-List Johnny Cage, Thunder God Raiden, Grandmaster Sub-Zero)

Sources: ESL, NetherRealm

The folks over at Hold Back to Block recently dropped another preview for their upcoming documentary, FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community. Here, commentator and analyst James Chen discusses the various types of sub-genres found underneath the fighting game umbrella and what sets them apart.

While probably not as informative for longtime fans of the genre as it is for newcomers, this clip does provide a quick look at what folks can expect from this documentary. Check it out and let us know what you think.

FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community is scheduled to release on January 12.

Source: Hold Back to Block

UltraChen TV is back with the very first episode of their fifth(!) season. Tonight, UltraDavid and James Chen will be looking back at 2015 and presenting a number of awards for the best games, players, matches, stories, and more of the past year. It should be an interesting retrospective as we move further into 2016, so be sure to tune in.

The stream will be live in this article, but you can also visit Twitch to join the chat.

Watch live video from ultrachentv on www.twitch.tv

Source: UltraChen TV, featured image courtesy of Kara “Karaface” Leung

The folks over at VGBootCamp recently went live with another installment of Smash @ Xanadu from Xanadu Games in Baltimore, Maryland. These weekly broadcasts provide a great look at the region’s Smash community, with tonight’s stream focusing entirely on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

The stream is live below, but you can also head on over to Twitch to join the chat.

Watch live video from VGBootCamp on www.twitch.tv

Source: VGBootCamp

A brand new technique was recently discovered in Mortal Kombat X that allows Sonya Blade to have more than one grenade on-screen in her Demolition variation. The secret? Negative edge.

By throwing a grenade, holding the attack button, inputting the grenade motion again, and releasing the attack button, Sonya is able to throw a second grenade without detonating the first. She can use two normal grenades, two stun, or a mixture of both. Furthermore, negative edge also gives Sonya the opportunity to reload her grenades mid-combo, opening her damage options even further.

While the original Test Your Might thread was met with some skepticism early on, this technique has quickly spiraled into a multitude of videos showcasing how it can amplify Sonya’s damage both mid-screen and in the corner.

Folks are also pushing the number of grenades used in combos to ridiculous numbers.

Sonya’s three variations have maintained a high degree of popularity in recent competition, and this strategy is sure to boost that even further. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments, and be sure to visit Test Your Might past, present, and future discussion.

Source: Test Your Might, videos courtesy of Francesco Volpe, Gustavness, scarsunseen24, Check

With Street Fighter V’s launch just a month away, content creators are ready to shift gears and bid farewell to the previous installment. One such creator is Doopliss, who recently uploaded their final combo video for Ultra Street Fighter IV.

Below, you’ll find a smattering of combos performed using tool-assistance, with interesting applications for things like Seth’s EX Tanden Engine, Rose’s Soul Satellite, Yun’s EX Kobokushi, and more.

For a wealth of information on the video, be sure to visit Combovid by following the link below.

Source: Combovid