Category: News

In a special festive livestream straight from Capcom’s UK headquarters, this week’s WSO Session saw some of the UK’s finest Street Fighter V players gathering to compete in a special random select tournament, as well as to show off Akuma ahead of his launch next week.

The random select tournament saw players like Imstilldadaddy, UM|Hurricane, PxP|Problem X, Perilous|Packz and others picking numbers from a hat to decide their character. These numbers were tied to specific kidrobot Street Fighter figures, which the players then had to use in a special eight-player bracket. It’s definitely a fun idea, and I’d personally like to see more of these light-hearted side tournaments at more events–if there is the time to run them.

However, the main event was the Akuma showcase, where Capcom community manager Matt Edwards and Jammerz ran through everything you could possibly want to know about Akuma before he is unleashed on the world on December 20th. Along with going through all of his kit, the rest of the stream was dedicated to Akuma mirrors between players like Hurricane and Problem X, so give the whole thing a watch if you want that headstart next Tuesday. The Akuma showcase starts at 1:58:50 on the video, so skip to there if you are just here for the gameplay.

Source: Capcom Fighters

Forgetting the frankincense and myrrh, Iron Galaxy are going straight for gold with their gift giving this year by releasing the second set of Gold Skins for Killer Instinct. These shiny skins coat TJ Combo, Orchid and Sabrewulf head-to-toe in gold, making them look extra stylish when triple Ultra’ing you in Ranked.

If you bought the Definitive Edition of Killer Instinct either digitally or physically, and redeemed the code for Gold/Platinum Gargos, you will get Gold Skin Pack 2 free of charge. Otherwise, this gaudy skin selection is $4.99 for those wishing to bling out their favorite fighter. Gold Skin Pack 1 is already available, where Kim Wu, Maya and Jago have been given the Midas Touch.

Source: Ultra Combo

Diago Umehara is arguably the fighting game genre’s biggest “star.” The Beast is one of the few fighting game players to become a household name for even casual gaming fans. This also means that Umehara is one of the few players with the ability to reach out beyond the genre’s core audience.

In a new feature from ESPN, Umehara talks about this, and how he wants to use that reach to “save Street Fighter.” Specifically, Umehara points out how the game, and the genre, needs to grow and be able to attract new blood. “Everyone [should] be mindful that if there isn’t a new generation after my generation, the FGC will basically become extinct,” he states “so it’s important to think about the future.”

The future is exactly what Umehara has been thinking about, which is why he’s been using his status to help keep the genre he loves from dying off. This is why he’s been spending a lot of time on BeasTV with strategy streams, hoping to help close the skill gap between players. That said, he does admit that one of the biggest hurdles to getting into the genre and the scene is how hard it is to learn fundamentals, something he plans to address in future streams.

Of course, that’s not all that ESPN and Daigo talk about. Head on over to ESPN’s site to read the rest of the feature.

Source: ESPN

Check out these preview pages from Street Fighter Unlimited’s special one-shot annual!

UDON Entertainment has released Street Fighter Unlimited’s first “Annual” issue, featuring collected side-stories previously only available in prior UDON Street Fighter hardcover books. From UDON:

This special one-shot includes four short stories previously only available as bonus content in UDON’s hardcover Street Fighter collections. Juri faces off against the deadly doll Decapre! Ibuki battles the mysterious Q! Sakura and Dan get down to some serious training, and Chun-li tangles with the Mad Gear Gang!

There are three cover variants available, including a classic comics tribute cover, and one featuring the real star of the Street Fighter franchise!

Street Fighter Unlimited Annual #1 (32 pages, $3.99 USD) is available now from your favorite online retailers, and at a local comic shop near you.

Source: UDON Entertainment

Retro-style jumpers to show off your Street Fighter devotion through the winter.

You may already be familiar with Numskull for their variety of licensed video game-themed goodies, including their notable Chun-Li and Guile hoodies. As per the season, Numskull is offering these official Street Fighter holiday sweaters, combining the gaudiness of classic Christmas jumpers with retro-styled Street Fighter characters. We briefly previewed them back in October; they are now available to order, and there’s four different styles: Blanka vs. M. Bison, Guile vs. Cammy, Ken vs. Ryu, and Sagat vs. Chun-Li:

Click to view slideshow.

They are all available through the Yellow Bulldog storefront on Amazon.com for $29.99 USD each. Act quickly, and you might be still able to get them in time for the chilly Street Fighter fans on your Christmas list.

Sources: Numskull; Yellow Bulldog (Amazon)

As part of the government-backed British Esports Association, which attempts to “support, promote and instill good governance for amateur esports players and teams.” this national competitive gaming body has set up an advisory board to help guide the development of esports within the UK. Alongside representatives from companies like Twitch, veteran commentators and founders of certain esports organizations, FGC stalwart Ryan Hart has been picked to be part of this advisory board, acting as the main FGC representative out of the other selected members.

Ryan will sit on this board for the next 12 months, starting on January 2017, where the group will meet to discuss areas of UK esports which are in need of development, as well as a place to offer guidance on how those areas could be improved. With Ryan sitting on this council of other respected esports figures, he can hopefully grow the FGC in the UK and bring more large events to the country.

The British Esports Association’s first foray into the FGC was via the eGames Showcase in Rio de Janerio back in the summer, which saw representatives from the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil battling it out in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Seeing the success of events like Capcom Cup, Evo 2016 and other massive FGC tournaments throughout 2016, let’s hope that more fighting games will be focused on by this Association, and that more big events will come as a result.

Source: British Esports Association

 

As part of the government-backed British Esports Association, which attempts to “support, promote and instill good governance for amateur esports players and teams.” this national competitive gaming body has set up an advisory board to help guide the development of esports within the UK. Alongside representatives from companies like Twitch, veteran commentators and founders of certain esports organizations, FGC stalwart Ryan Hart has been picked to be part of this advisory board, acting as the main FGC representative out of the other selected members.

Ryan will sit on this board for the next 12 months, starting on January 2017, where the group will meet to discuss areas of UK esports which are in need of development, as well as a place to offer guidance on how those areas could be improved. With Ryan sitting on this council of other respected esports figures, he can hopefully grow the FGC in the UK and bring more large events to the country.

The British Esports Association’s first foray into the FGC was via the eGames Showcase in Rio de Janerio back in the summer, which saw representatives from the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil battling it out in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Seeing the success of events like Capcom Cup, Evo 2016 and other massive FGC tournaments throughout 2016, let’s hope that more fighting games will be focused on by this Association, and that more big events will come as a result.

Source: British Esports Association