Coliseum

Early this year, peripheral maker Mad Catz announced that they would be letting go of 37% of their staff. Ever since that announcement, more than a few folks have been wondering about the status of the company’s team of sponsored players. After the recent Street Fighter V Crash tournament in Korea, the folks at Team Spiritzero got a chance to talk to Team Topanga, including two players potentially affected by the current Mad Catz situation: Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi.

Their statements on the topic–which were transcribed by Chigesoku and translated by EventHubs, then later verified by Shoryuken’s staff–were quite surprising, indicating that both of their contracts expired back in March. Both were also quick to clarify that the contracts in question were only for a one year period. Tokido then postulated that the folks at Mad Catz may still be discussing whether or not to renew their contracts moving forward.

As for fellow Mad Catz teammate Daigo Umehara, Tokido stated that they couldn’t speak for him, so whether or not he’s in the same situation remains unknown.

Both Mago and Tokido aren’t just professional players, but they’re also longtime members of the fighting game community who have contributed a lot to it. We here at Shoryuken wish them the best in their future endeavors, be it with Mad Catz or otherwise.

Source: Team Spiritzero, via Chigesoku, Eventhubs, feature images courtesy of Mad Catz