Capcom has been pulling as many stops as they can lately when it comes to revitalizing their reputation. Street fighter V had a very clumsy launch, with online play being the only viable game mode from day 1. Critics and fans alike blamed Capcom for rushing the newest release in a well-respected franchise. The burn from these wounds still exist, as the Street Fighter V Steam page still has an overall user score of “Mixed” reception, with only 57% of reviews being positive.
Despite this grim outset, Capcom is doing nothing but try to win the hearts back of the fans. Resident Evil 7 is considered a return to form for the survival-horror franchise, and it happened against many odds. Capcom is putting in as much work to win back the hearts of Street Fighters around the globe. The Capcom Pro Tour, or CPT, is an annual series of tournaments funded by Capcom that has several SF tournaments around the world designated as “premier events.” In addition to the largest prize pools the Fighting Game Community has ever seen, winners are assigned points that rank them on the official Capcom Cup Leaderboards. The top 32 will be allowed to enter the final tournament held in December. This appropriately named “Capcom Cup” will have the largest amounts of cash and glory available for the taking.
One of the most recent tournaments was Final Round 20, held in Atlanta in mid-March. Often considered one of the most exciting annual SF tourneys, Singapore player Xian took 1st place, with Japan’s Fuudo taking 2nd, and America’s NuckleDu taking 3rd. NuckleDu was the expected victor for many, as he is the winner of the Capcom Cup last year. Xian is known for utilizing characters very few other players practice with. He did it this time with Ibuki, and has done it before in Street fighter IV with Gen, which earned him 1st place at the Evolution Championship Series, or EVO, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament.
But is he considered the best? Close, but no cigar.
Xian is only 2nd place on the CPT leaderboards now, though. Haitani from Japan, who made a name for himself using Makoto in SFIV, recently won UFA in France with Necalli, and currently is in 1st place with 470 points. Xian currently has 400.
The pacing of the premier events so far has been unpredictable, taking a very different turn from its course last year. Infiltration, 2-time EVO winner in SF, is not taking up the spotlight this time as many once believed. More new faces entering the scene are causing even more upsets in tournament rankings. Korean player Verloren is in 6th place, out placing known vets such as K-Brad and GamerBee. But we’re still 3 months away from EVO, and most of a year away from the Capcom Cup in December.
But these placings are always changing, and these players will be shuffled around once again this weekend. The next premier event is NorCal Regionals, or NCR, one of the most anticipated SF tournaments each and every year. It will be held from April 14-16 in Sacramento, CA, and like all CPT events will be streamed by CapcomFighters.
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