UYU adds Suiken as player manager

UYU has welcomed another Tekken player to its ranks with the signing of Michael "Suiken" Khieu as the team's player manager.

Khieu is a veteran of the Southern California Tekken scene, with strong placings across multiple iterations of the series. A longtime player of Lei Wulong, Khieu was forced to switch characters in Tekken 7 when his favorite was omitted. Even so, he made top 8 at Evolution 2017 and has continued to play multiple characters as he searches for a proper replacement.

According to UYU, Khieu will "be working closely with our FGC pro players to provide an extra level of support, mentoring and guidance through the upcoming season and beyond."

"I'm truly grateful for this opportunity," Khieu responded on Twitter, "it's always been a dream of mine!"

NRG signs HookGangGod, Supernoon

Two more Dragon Ball FighterZ players have found a team as NRG Esports has announced the signings of Eduardo "HookGangGod" Deno and Steve "Supernoon" Carbajal.

Both Supernoon and HookGangGod have made names for themselves in the nascent DBFZ scene, with HookGangGod taking top placings at Next Level Battle Circuit and qualifying for June's Summit of Power event thrown by Beyond the Summit.

Supernoon, meanwhile, has shown strong placings at Wednesday Night Fights as well as a third-place finish at NorCal Regionals 2018 and fifth place at CenCal Standoff. He has opted in for the Summit of Power's nomination process in hopes that he will join HookGangGod at the event on June 9-10, 2018.

HookGangGod and Supernoon represent the first fighting game players signed by NRG since Nairo joined the organization in August of 2016. According to ESPN Esports, Both will compete under the NRG banner for the first time at Super TSB on April 28, 2018, in New York City. Readers can check out the announcement video after the jump.

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Hakumen, Vatista, Naoto Shirogane coming as DLC for BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, open beta test announced for Japan

Arc System Works has released information on the three more characters coming to BBTag, as well as the game's upcoming open beta test.

In a new trailer, BlazBlue's Hakumen, Persona 4 Arena's Naoto Shirogane and Under Night's Vatista have all been revealed as new additions to the title. They represent the third of six DLC packs of fighters that will be added to BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle after its release.

ASW also announced a public beta test for Japanese players. Both PlayStation 4 and Switch players will be able to participate in the beta, but the details for each are different. Players on PS4 will be able to check out the demo on May 9 if they digitally preorder, with the normal demo running from May 12-14. Meanwhile, the Switch demo will only run from May 11-14. According to AFGCNews on Twitter, during the test players on both systems will have access to the casual online lobby, VS match and Tactics Mode (a mixture of Tutorial, Challenge and Mission modes).

After the beta period ends on May 14, however, players will still have access to a playable version of BBTag. Those that preorder the game on PS4 will be able to use all the game's characters and play Tactics Mode, VS CPU and normal Versus Mode, while those who didn't preorder and Switch players will be limited to using Ragna, Hyde, Yu and Ruby in Tactics and VS CPU modes.

With the Japanese beta coming so close to the game's release, it will be interesting to see if players in North America will be given a similar demo. Readers, meanwhile, can check out the new character trailer after the jump, and details on the beta can be found at the AFGCNews Twitter account.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle releases for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam on May 31, 2018, in Japan and June 5, 2018, in the rest of the world.

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Fused Zamasu confirmed for Dragon Ball FighterZ DLC

V-Jump magazine has unveiled one of the next playable characters coming to DBFZ.

Fused Zamasu is the merger of Goku Black and Future Zamasu, with an appearance combining aspects of both. According to HiagoXYZ, Zamasu will be able to enter a float stance "where he moves around the air by inputting any of the 8 directions." His supers are Seinaru Gekirin or Holy Wrath, which is a giant ki blast, and Zettai no Kaminari or Absolute Lightning, a level three that will rain lightning down on the stage.

He will be the third DLC character coming to DBFZ, and fits the possible DLC fighter list that was datamined shortly after the game's release. Readers can check out the V-Jump scan after the jump.

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Player voting process revealed for Summit of Power

[Update April 19, 9:49 p.m. CDT]: Beyond the Summit has added two more events that will allow players to opt in to the nomination process. Players that got top 16 at Michigan Masters 2018 and who do the same at Super TSB on April 28, 2018, will also be elligible.

Beyond the Summit has described the process by which five additional players will make their way to the Dragon Ball FighterZ Summit of Power on Jun 9-10, 2018.

Starting on April 18, players that placed in the top 32 at Winter Brawl 12 and Final Round 2018 as well as those in the top 16 at NorCal Regionals 2018, Anime Ascension 2018 and Brussels Challenge Major Edition can opt in to the Summit's nomination process.

From there, starting on April 30 those players will be elligible for nomination by users on Twitter. Each Twitter account will only be able to nominate one player, and when that process ends on May 7 the 20 players that get the most nominations will move on to the round of voting. From that, five players will be selected to join the eight invited players and three winners of qualifying events.

For the complete rules as told by BtS, readers can head over to Reddit, and players that have opted in to the nomination process can be found at Smashgg.

New patch coming to correct King of Fighters XIV update

SNK is readying a patch for KOF XIV version 3.00.

According to translations by Frionel, King of Fighters XIV version 3.01 will fix issues including the body distortion glitch from Robert's command throw and remove the ability for Blue Mary to activate Max Mode on f+B or b+B. There will also be some changes to fellow DLC characters Heidern and Oswald.

Players can find the official changes of the new patch on the Taito website, and translations of the changes can be found on Frionel's Twitter.

Free as a bird: Falke descends into Street Fighter V on April 24

The third character in SFV's Season 3 will join the game at the end of April 2018.

Another escapee from Shadaloo, Falke fights with a staff and comes to Street Fighter sporting different controls much like Ed. Holding and them releasing punches yields one of three projectile attacks, while pressing two punches gives her a move similar to an uppercut and two kicks allows her to vault forward using her staff.

Falke's V-Skill is Psycho Trombe, which spins her staff in front of her. This can be cancelled into from normal attacks and also reflects fireballs. Her first V-Trigger is Staerken, a two-bar Trigger that alllows her to use buffed versions of her projectile attacks by pressing HP+HK. Her second V-Trigger is Psycho Angriff, a three-bar Trigger that will immediately pop opponents into the air and gives Falke access to new moves Psycho Sturm and Klinge.

Readers can check out Falke's trailer below. As with other DLC characters, Falke will cost players $5.99 or 100,000 Fight Money separately or $29.99 as part of the Season 3 Character Pass.

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Don't sleep: Siegfried joins the cast of Soul Calibur VI

Another character that has been part of the Soul series since its very inception has been introduced as part of the cast in Soul Calibur VI.

Siegfried Schtauffen returns in SCVI and his trailer shows some of what fans can expect from Nightmare's alter ego in this installment of the series.

Siegfried is the 10th character announced for SCVI, joining Geralt of Rivia, Ivy, Zasalamel, Kilik, Xianghua, Gr0h, Nightmare, Mitsurugi and Sophitia in the new title.

Readers can check out Siegfried's trailer after the jump. Soul Calibur VI releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam sometime in 2018.

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Patch notes released for King of Fighters XIV version 3.00

SNK has release the details of the character balance changes taking effect in the new version of KOF XIV.

The 31-page document includes changes for all 54 of the games characters, but while some combatants such as Vanessa received many changes, others like Luong got only one to three.

Readers can check out the complete list on the official SNK website. King of Fighters XIV version 3.00 is currently live, and the new DLC characters Blue Mary, Najd, Heidern and Oswald will be available on April 12, 2018.

Collector's Edition of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle revealed

Arc System Works has unveiled the special version of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle that will be available to buyers in North America.

The Collector's Edition will include special packaging, a SteelBook game case, the BBTag soundtrack CD, a soft cover art book and acrylic stands for Ruby Rose, Ragna the Bloodedge, Hyde Kido and Yu Narukami. It does not come with the game's DLC characters included.

According to Arc System Works, the BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle CE will cost players $99.99 and will be available for preorder exlcusively on the Arc System Works web store starting on May 4, and will also be available on the Rooster Teeth store when the game releases on June 5, 2018. The Collector's Edition will be produced for both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

In addition, ASW also released the first trailer featuring the game's English dub, which can be seen after the jump.

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Leffen, ApologyMan are the last two direct invites to Summit of Power

Beyond the Summit has announced the last of its own eight invites to the Summit of Power by revealing Leffen and ApologyMan.

Completing a promotional art piece created for the event, Leffen appears as Goku Black while ApologyMan wears the cape of Piccolo. They will join Go1, SonicFox, Nakkiel, Dogura, Kazunoko and Chris G as players handpicked by BTS for its competition.

There are still three qualifier events—one at both Next Level Battle Circuit and Wednesday Night Fights, and Combo Breaker 2018—which will earn the winning player a place at the Summit.

Beyond the Summit has not announced how the remaining five entries to the 16-player Summit of Power will be decided at this time. The Summit will take place on June 9-10, 2018, with a prize pool of $10,000 for competitors.

Injustice 2 Pro Series Season 2 announced, $150,000 in prize money

Warner Bros. Entertainment is teaming up with Samsung and SIMPLE MOBILE to present the second year of its Injustice 2 pro tour.

The Injustice 2 Pro Tour Season 2 will consist of eight major events, five offline Premier and three regional online events, that will give players points toward the global leaderboards. From that, the top 12 players will advance on to the grand finals event in November 2018. The other four qualifying players will be decided by regional competitions—one in Canada, Latin America and Europe, respectively—as well as a last-chance qualifier before the grand finals.

Each Premier stop on the Pro Series will boast a $10,000 pot bonus and the tour begins with Combo Breaker 2018 on May 27-28, 2018.

For more information, including registration for the individual leagues, head over to the Injustice website. Readers can check out the tour's trailer after the jump.

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Two more players invited to Summit of Power

The number of players confirmed for Beyond the Summit's upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ invitational event has risen to six with the announcement of Kazunoko and Chris G.

In promotional art for the event, Chris G is depicted as Trunks while Kazunoko appears as Adult Gohan. They will join Go1, SonicFox, Nakkiel and Dogura as players handpicked by BTS for its competition.

There are still two invited players that have not been revealed by BTS, and three qualifier spots—one at both Next Level Battle Circuit and Wednesday Night Fights, with a third at Combo Breaker 2018—which will allow a winning player to earn a place at the Summit.

Beyond the Summit has not announced how the remaining five entries to the 16-player Summit of Power will be decided at this time. The Summit will take place on June 9-10, 2018, with a prize pool of $10,000 for competitors.

SNK Heroines adds Shermie, game release on Sept. 7, 2018

During the SNK panel at PAX EAST 2018, the company revealed Shermie as the newest playable character in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, as well as the game's release date.

Shermie comes to Heroines with many of her classic King of Fighters moves. Her inclusion marks her first playable appearance in a SNK fighter since NEO GEO Battle Coliseum, which was released in 2005.

Readers can check Shermie's trailer, which also detailed the game's September 2018 release, below. SNK Heroines will release for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles on Sept. 7, 2018.

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Blue Mary, KOF XIV version 3.00 arrive on April 12, 2018

SNK has revealed the last of four new DLC characters coming to King of Fighters XIV as well the release date for those characters and the game's update. 

Blue Mary and her sambo-based fighting style will join Najd, Heidern and Oswald as new entrants to the title when version 3.00 becomes available on April 12. Version 3.00 will also include character balance adjustments, but SNK has currently not made those alterations public.

Readers can watch Mary's trailer after the jump. SNK has provided no details on the cost of the new characters, but previous DLC Rock, Yamazaki, Whip and Vanessa sold for $5.99 each or as a bundle for $19.99.

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ProWrestlingTees to discontinue Tekken shirts, Devil Jin y Naito available

The shirt designs featuring collaboration artwork from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Tekken will soon no longer be sold by ProWrestlingTees.

In a tweet on April 2, the retailer made it known that the Tekken items would be removed from the store, and on April 4 announced they will end sales in 60 days.

Items that will be removed from PWT include the original Bullet Club x Tekken and Rainmaker x Tekken designs; the Kenny Omega x Bryan Fury shirt and bandana; and the new Devil Jin y Naito Los Ingobernables de Japon art.

Buyers interested in picking up these items before they are gone will be able to take advantage of the company's Wrestlemania sale, which will offer 20 percent off on purchases from April 5 through April 9.

Senko no Ronde 2 physical edition coming from Limited Run Games

The sequel to G.Rev's mash-up of fighting games and shoot-em-ups will be seeing a physical release for PlayStation 4.

Starting on April 13, 2018, publisher Degica Games and Limited Run Games will team up to offer the title in both a standard $49.99 and a $99.99 collector's edition that comes with an artbook, an asset viewer DVD and the official soundtrack. Both versions will come with reversible cover art.

Limited Run Games has not stated at the time how many copies will be made available for purchase. The company's production run often fluctuates based on perceived demand for each individual title. 

Senko no Ronde 2 first launched as a digital title for Steam and the PS4 in early September 2017.

Nakkiel signs with Panda Global

The recent flurry of FGC signings refuses to slow down, as Derek "Nakkiel" Bruscas revealed himself as the latest addition to Panda Global during NorCal Regionals 2018.

Bruscas is a longtime veteran of anime fighting games, at times considered one of the strongest players in the U.S. at BlazBlue and a top contender in Guilty Gear Xrd. He has currently set his sights on being the best in Arc System Works' newest title, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and placed seventh at NCR.

"I'm excited to be a part of Panda Global and a teammate to so many strong players and wonderful people, including one of my best friends Jachin 'SKD' Harte," Bruscas said in an interview with ESPN esports. "I've been working hard towards this goal, and I'll keep going to be one of the best DBFZ players around."

Nakkiel is yet another major signee from fighting games within the last 30 days. He joins Infiltration as part of Panda Global; Kizzie Kay, Cloud805 and Qudans were added to the UYU roster; Team Liquid picked up Nemo and John Takeuchi; and Echo Fox signed Punk.

New balance changes arrive for Season 3 of Street Fighter V on April 3

With Capcom Pro Tour 2018 underway, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be receiving a new update that looks to change how players approach the rest of the season.

On April 3, 2018, Capcom will roll out a patch affecting all 30 characters in SFV. While some like F.A.N.G., R. Mika and Birdie have only a few changes to their gameplay, some fighters such as Zeku and Sakura have extensive lists of alterations. There are also new system-wide changes to crush counter scaling, as well as small tweaks to throw damage and recovery.

Readers can check out the list of changes at Capcom Unity.

Sanane, Hayate, DLC plans announced for Fighting EX Layer

On April 1 in Japan, one year after Arika revealed the then-unnamed Fighting EX Layer, the company has revealed two new characters and the possibility of more.

A new trailer the developer has announced Sanane and Hayate for the game. Hayate first appeared in Street Fighter EX2, while Sanane is a brand new character that seems to be based on that game's Nanase.

In addtion, Arika's president and CEO Akira Nishitani mentioned that he would like to add more characters to the game as DLC after release if the game sells enough copies to warrant the new fighters. He then showed updated renditions of Area, Sharon, Vulcano Rosso and Pullum Purna.

Readers can check out the trailer showing off the new characters and Nishitani's statement after the jump. Fighting EX Layer is schedule for release in June 2018.

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