Coliseum

Earlier this year, budget constraints forced Mad Catz to restructure with a 37% decrease in staff. One of these cuts, unfortunate enough, was Mark “MarkMan” Julio, who had served as the company’s community and sponsorships manager since 2011.

As one of the foremost ambassadors of the fighting game community, it was sad to see MarkMan leave Mad Catz. During his tenure, the organization produced countless arcade sticks for the competitive scene, making the peripherals affordable and readily available in markets that typically went without. His constant presence at events across the globe showed his willingness to improve the community, and it was only a matter of time before that passion and talent found itself another home.

Funny enough, it’s actually found two homes.

In a pair of recent announcements, MarkMan revealed that, moving forward, he will be working with both the Evolution Championship Series and the Tekken team at Bandai Namco Entertainment America. His roles will be similar to those he managed at Mad Catz: promoting brands, working with the community, and expanding the presence of fighting games worldwide.

“We are glad to have Mark on the Evo team. He is a valuable asset and brings a multitude of relationships and professionalism to the table,” Evo organizer Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar relayed. “His work ethic is unmatched, as we look forward to working together to make Evo bigger and better!”

Speaking with us previously, MarkMan mentioned that the Evo position won’t be his “main” job, and that sentiment was expressed again today when he announced his position at Bandai Namco. We look forward to hearing more about his latest adventure in the future, and are overjoyed to see that he will remain close to the fighting game community in these professional capacities.

Source: MarkMan, featured image c/o Mad Catz

You may recall the recent release of a limited edition Shadow Jago figure which resulted from a partnership between the Killer Instinct team and the folks at Ultimate Source. Well, it looks like that Shago statue will soon have a pal to stand beside on bookshelves and coffee tables everywhere thanks to a similar collectible release for series top-bot Fulgore.

Just like the possessed ninja before him, this miniature Fulgore comes equipped with an exclusive code to unlock a snazzy alternate color for the character in Killer Instinct. This palette, pictured below, won’t be available anywhere else.

We don’t currently have a launch date for the figure, but it’s due to release “very, very soon.” While the Ultimate Source Killer Instinct site says several of these statues, including additional models for Sabrewulf, Hisako, Jago, and Spinal, will be available for purchase this month, we can’t say for sure exactly when that will be.

In the meantime, check out the gallery below and let us know what you think of this upcoming collectible.

Click to view slideshow.

Source: Ultra-Combo