Category: News

The creators of XSplit, SplitmediaLabs, have acquired both Challonge and Player.Me as part of a $10 million investment deal to create a unified platform which connects players and streamers with content they want to see. This creates a grand triumvirate of products under the SplitmediaLabs banner as Challonge creates the tournament brackets, Player.Me helps players find said tournaments and then XSplit streams the whole thing to the world.

The main goal out of these acquisitions is to drive discovery–things like viewers finding tournament streams that they may not have seen before, or linking tournament organizers with streamers so that they can stream their next event to a wider audience. It will be a while before we see the tangible effects of this new partnership but it should help TOs market their events to a targeted audience while giving players more places to compete and tournaments to watch.

Source: Split Media Labs

As we reported a few weeks ago, Pokkén Tournament was set to reveal its first DLC character today. Well, the folks at Bandai Namco delivered on that promise a short while ago with a trailer for the upcoming character, Darkrai.

Darkrai will be playable next week in arcades in Japan, but there’s no news yet about whether or not he will be hitting the Wii U version on nearer shores and, by extension, whether or not he will be free if he does arrive. Pokkén players have had plenty of practice gazing longingly over the pond to the Japanese arcades, so if we have to wait a little while, we can probably manage.

Source: Bandai Namco

Back in 2014, Daigo Umehara took to Reddit to answer the questions of his fans in the form of an Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread. While a number of good questions arose from that discussion, much has changed since just shy of two years ago: a new iteration of Street Fighter is in the hands of players worldwide, and Umehara himself now fights beneath the banner of two major sponsors, Twitch and Red Bull. With these things in mind, the time is ripe for the community to pick The Beast’s brain once again.

If you’ve got some burning questions for the most recognizable name in the fighting game community, the folks at r/StreetFighter will be running a brand new AMA session with Umehara this Friday beginning at 4 PM PDT.

The actual AMA session is set to run for just one hour, but a thread for brainstorming questions is already live. If you’re looking to participate, head on over to get involved in the discussion!

Source: r/StreetFighter, feature image ©Maruo Kono / Red Bull Content Pool

Those following SNK’s official Twitter account may have recently been witness to a bit of a brouhaha when they mistakenly Tweeted that the demo of the game was out. While they quickly corrected the Tweet, the reaction of fans showed how hungry many of them were for a chance to try the game out before release.

Well, take heart, as it seems that a demo for the game will be forthcoming after all. According to Chinese gaming news site A9VG, Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed that a demo for the King of Fighters XIV is set to be released on PlayStation Network in Hong Kong next Wednesday, July 20.

No word has been given on who will be playable in the demo or what modes will be available.

Additionally, whether or not other regions will also receive a demo version of the game is unknown. That said, with SNK holding a panel at Evo, there might be a chance of an announcement then.

Source: A9VG via Orochinagi

In some bitter news for TSM fans looking for the Godslayer to make some heads roll at this year’s Evo, William “Leffen” Hjelte will, sadly, not be able to make it to the event. In a press release on TSM’s website, it has been revealed that while Leffen’s visa application had finally been processed and he had been successfully screened by a US embassy, his previous deportation when he last tried to enter the US meant that his application was subject to additional background checks.

These additional checks could take up to 60 days and unfortunately, Leffen did not receive his letter of approval in time to compete at Evo. While this is incredibly disappointing for Melee fans heading into the weekend, Leffen will be able to attend US tournaments as soon as he does receive his letter of approval. Expect his possible return at Super Smash Con in August, should all the paperwork go through.

Source: Team SoloMid, feature image c/o TSM

Nightmare Geese, an alternate form of Geese Howard, is usually reserved to replace the Boss character in games that he’s technically dead for. And, even though his normal form is alive and kicking in The King of Fighters XIV, this especially spectacular specter is set to make a stunning return as well. Despite not being his own character with unique move properties, the ghastly appearance and haunted voice put to rest any thoughts of him being lacking in any way.

This DLC costume for Geese, along with Classic Ryo and a Neo Esaka Dynamic Theme, will be available as pre-order bonuses for players who purchase the game early through the PlayStation Store.

You can see Nightmare Geese in action below.

Source: Playstation Store, Atlus with a tip from Paul

Evo is no stranger to having limited edition arcade stick made just for the event, and this year is no different. This time, however, Evo has partnered with Controller Chaos for a super limited edition variant of the Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2+.

The Evo 2016 Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2+ features a white shell with black trim. The top panel art is the familiar blue and purple Evo starfield. This same art also extends to the stick’s custom painted sides.

Only 30 of these will ever be made and each one is individually numbered. Interested players should hurry to pick one up at Evo 2016.

Source: Controller Chaos

For any players looking to pick up the rebooted Killer Instinct, here’s some interesting news for you. It seems that Microsoft may be planning to release a “Definitive Edition” of the game this coming August.

Both Amazon.UK and Newegg have posted listings for Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition on their sites. The listings states that the game will be released on August 30 with a retail price of $39.99.

As for what this “Definitive Edition” entails, while no details were given, it’s highly likely that it’ll come with characters from all three seasons for a total of 26 characters (including Season Three’s final, as of yet unrevealed character).

We’ll have more on this story as it develops. In the meantime, here’s the box art for the Definitive Edition.

Source: Amazon.UK, Newegg via Gematsu

SNK’s The King of Fighters XIV is launching on PlayStation 4 in a little over a month from now. To help keep the hype train going on the way to the launch, the company has just announced the KOF XIV: World Premiere Tour.

This tour will see the game making appearances at multiple events around the world and kicks off this weekend at the the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, Evolution.

The tour itself will feature the final balanced version of the game with 48 playable characters (bosses not included). Those interested can check out the initial set of dates and locations below.

Dates	Location	Event
July 15 (Fri) – 17 (Sun)	Las Vegas	EVO 2016
July 22 (Fri) – July 24 (Sun)	South Korea	Bifan 2016
July 28 (Thu) – July 31 (Sun)	Shanghai	Chinajoy 2016
July 29 (Fri) – August 2 (Tue)	Hong Kong	ACGHK 2016
August 5 (Fri) – August 7 (Sun)	Taipei	PlayStation Gaming Festival in Taipei
August 19 (Fri) – August 21 (Sun)	Philadelphia	Summer Jam X
August 20 (Sat)	Osaka	SNK Event
August 21 (Sun)	Tokyo	SNK Event

Additionally, SNK has stated that they will be announcing further dates and venues in the coming weeks.

The King of Fighters XIV hits PlayStation 4 on August 23 in North America, August 25 in Japan, and August 26 in Europe.

Source: SNK