Echo Fox adds Punk to its roster

The most dominant team in fighting games has added another star to its roster with the signing of Victor "Punk" Woodley.

Woodley was one of the strongest Street Fighter V players during 2017, with wins at NorCal Regionals, Dreamhack Austin and West Coast Warzone, along with second-place finishes at CEO and Evolution 2017. His Karin play has consistently been at the highest level, with a focus on strong poking and whiff-punishing.

"We're honored to have Victor "Punk" Woodley, one of the most exciting names in the fighting games genre, join our Echo Fox family," said team founder Rick Fox. "I'm confident his talent will continue to solidify our position as one of the leading esports organizations across genres, and will strengthen our roster."

Punk's first event as part of Echo Fox will be the sight of one of his 2017 victories, as he will attend NorCal Regionals 2018 in Sacramento, California, on March 30 through April 1.

CD Projekt discusses bringing Geralt of Rivia to Soul Calibur VI

In a new video from Bandai Namco, members of The Witcher's development studio talk about transporting their character into the world of fighting games.

The short video describes who Geralt is, what the team hopes to accomplish as he moves into a new genre of game and the challenges they have encountered in trying to transition him to a new platform. They also discuss how Geralt's Soul Calibur VI appearance could easily be seen as an extension of The Witcher's ongoing story.

Readers can check out the video after the jump.

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Welcome the night with new Darkstalkers costumes for Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V will reintroduce "the children of the night" as it offers three skins inspired by the Darkstalkers series of titles starting on April 3, 2018.

A fighting game comprised of horror-movie-inspired characters, Darkstalkers (known as the Vampire series in Japan) spawned five titles in the 1990s as well as compilations and remakes.

Menat, Urien and Juri will each take the role of one of the series' characters: Menat references Khaibit and Anakaris, Juri dresses as Lilith and Urien becomes Donovan Baine.

Each skin will be sold separately and cost players $3.99. For more information, players can check out Capcom Unity.

UYU signs Cloud805, Kizzie Kay

UYU has added two more players to its roster with the additions of Jonathan "Cloud805" Morales and Keenan "Kizzie Kay" Kizzie.

Morales was the 2017 Battle for the Stones champion in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, as well as a player with many tournament victories in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Kizzie, meanwhile, has posted victories in major tournaments for both BlazBlue and Guilty Gear Xrd in recent years.

While dominant players in their own right, both players have now set their sights on the burgeoning Dragon Ball FighterZ scene with hopes to prove their strength across titles. Morales is scheduled to attend the upcoming NorCal Regionals 2018, while Kizzie is in the brackets for this year's Anime Ascension event.

Morales and Kizzie are the two most recent acquisitions of UYU, a team that has been adding players from all games across the fighting game community. Before these signings, UYU had most recently signed 2017 Tekken World Tour champion Qudans. 

AnimEvo 2018 lineup announced

AnimEvo has announced the 19 games that will be a part of its event during Evolution 2018.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[st], Gundam Versus, Hokuto no Ken, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Koihime Enbu, The King of Fighters XIV, Samurai Shodown V Special, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Blazblue: Central Fiction, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Puyopuyo Tetris, Catherine, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Arcana Heart 3 Love Max Six Stars!!!!!!, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Vampire Savior and Yatagarasu Attack on Cataclysm will all be side tournaments run by the community in Las Vegas.

Registration is not currently open, but the staff behind AnimEvo has put out a call for game suggestions, as well as a call for volunteers that can be found on Google Documents.

For more information as it becomes available, players can check out the official AnimEvo website or message AnimEvo on Twitter. AnimEvo takes place on Aug. 3-5, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Blastoise aims to drench opponents in Pokkén Tournament DX

The classic cannon-bearing turtle Pokémon has joined the Switch version Pokkén Tournament as part of the second wave of Battle Pack DLC.

Blastoise is water-type Pokémon that fights with attacks like Rapid Spin, Hydro Pump and Bubble. It is joined in wave two by support Pokémon Mew and Celebi.

Readers can view Blastoise's trailer after the jump. Pokkén Tournament's Battle Pack DLC is currently on sale for $14.99 and also features wave one, consisting of battle Pokémon Aegislash along with supports Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu.

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Take combos further beyond with hit stun exploit in Dragon Ball FighterZ

A recently uncovered exploit in DBFZ is allowing players to create infinite or near-infinite combo situations with Captain Ginyu.

It seems that any combo that starts with the Eraser Gun attack from Recoome has its hit stun scaling removed, effectively allowing situations where infinites are possible because the opposing character is never allowed to tech out.

Players such as Yohosie are already compiling lists of characters that can take advantage of the situation, and others like Rikir are showing its practical application (with Yamcha).

As this is likely an oversight of the assist's properties, it may get patched in a future update to the game like Ginyu's super glitch was in February. For now, however, players should be wary of the orange-haired Ginyu Force member.

Najd shows off her mysterious powers in new King of Fighters XIV trailer

SNK has released a new gameplay trailer for the fan-designed Najd, who will be part of DLC coming to King of Fighters XIV in April 2018.

A college student by day, Najd uses her special powers to protect her fellow citizens at night. From the short trailer, it seems Najd has a counter of some kind as well as a fast-moving flying knee attack. She also has three different supers.

Readers can check out the trailer after the jump. Najd joins Heidern, Oswald and one still-unrevealed character as part of the second wave of KOF XIV downloadable content in April 2018.

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Broly, Bardock join Dragon Ball FighterZ on March 28

The first two DLC characters joining DBFZ will land just before the end of March 2018.

Bandai Namco Europe announced the date along with a short trailer for Bardock, which shows the father of Goku performing some of his signature attacks like the Final Spirit Cannon and Revenger. The company also said players should expect "dramatic scenes and fun discussions between the Saiyan warrior and Frieza."

Readers can check out the clip after the jump. No individual pricing for each of the characters has revealed at this time.

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Capcom Pro Tour 2018 downloadable content revealed

Sakura and Akuma will be getting new outfits as part of the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour DLC.

According to Famitsu, the two will be launching with the DLC's release on April 4, 2018. They will be joined later in the year by the Ring of Power stage, featuring a Shadowloo theme, and the Birdie costume created by Capcom Cup 2017 champion MenaRD.

In addition, those who purchase the Capcom Pro Tour DLC pass will receive 5,000 Fight Money, five special titles, two themes, additional challenges, new colors for the whole cast, all three costumes and the stage. Prices for North American consumers are not yet available, but the Pro Tour Pass will cost Japanese buyers 2,000 yen, while individual costumes will run 600 yen each.

Infiltration joins Panda Global

At Final Round 2018, Lee "Infiltration" Seon-woo revealed that he has joined Panda Global.

Infiltration is a multiple-time Evolution champion across several games, most recently winning Street Fighter V at Evo Japan 2018.

According to Panda Global CEO Alan Bunney, "Infiltration's work ethic, dynamic personality and incredible skill fit Panda Global perfectly, and we already feel like he's one of us for how well we get along."

Infiltration will retain his sponsorship from Monster Energy. He was previously part of Team GRAPHT before leaving the team in February 2018.

Readers can check out Panda Global's announcement video after the jump.

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Aegis, Jubei, Carmine announced for BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle

The second of six DLC character packs for the upcoming Arc System Works crossover game has been unveiled.

Persona 4's Aegis, BlazBlue's Jubei and Under Night's Carmine will be coming to the game, bringing with them their signature moves and playstyles. Much like the first DLC pack, this second reveal also includes one character from each franchise, which may be a trend for the remaining four.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is scheduled to add 20 characters as DLC, including the free Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. There will be six DLC packs of three characters each, which will cost players $4.99 or they can purchase all DLC together for $19.99. Readers can check out the trailer after the jump.

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The Witcher comes to Soul Calibur VI

Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist of The Witcher series of games, is joining the cast of Soul Calibur VI.

Geralt fights with his sword and magical abilities, and his stage will be Kaer Morhen, an old witcher training ground.

Geralt is the ninth character announced for the upcoming title, which is set for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Steam sometime in 2018.

Readers can check out Geralt's trailer after the jump.

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Spring into battle with Tekken 7's newest DLC, Noctis, on March 20

Bandai Namco has confirmed that Noctis Lucis Caelum will be joining the game's cast on the first day of the new season in late March 2018.

The Final Fantasy XV protagonist was first unveiled as one of Tekken 7's guest characters during the Tekken World Tour finals in November 2017. Players who purchase Noctis will not only get his personal stage, Hammerhead, but will also receive five different costumes as part of his DLC offering.

Readers can check out Noctis' new trailer featuring the new stage and costumes after the jump.

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Broly is large and in charge in new Dragon Ball FighterZ trailer

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for the Legendary Super Saiyan, one of the first two DLC characters coming to DBFZ.

In the short video, Broly is shown to be a huge character, towering over Goku. It appears the third hit of his autocombo has a grab, much like Android 16's, and that one of his supers will be Eraser Cannon/Omega Blaster. 

Readers can check out the footage after the jump. Bandai Namco has not yet revealed a release date for Broly, saying only that the character will be "coming soon."

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Vayne Carudas Solidor revealed for Dissidia, first console DLC

Final Fantasy XII's main antagonist will be the first of six characters joining the console version of Dissidia as part of the game's Season Pass.

Although he does have some ranged attacks, Solidor seems to rely mostly on his fists, with fast attacks that help close the gap between him and his opponents.

Readers can check out Solidor's trailer and a gameplay breakdown after the jump. He will join the Dissidia Final Fantasy cast in the game's arcade update in March, while console players will be able to get their hands on him in late April.

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BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle open beta coming to PlayStation 4 in Japan, digital preorders gain additional access

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle will have an open beta test in Japan before its May 31 release date, and players who digitally preorder the game on PlayStation 4 will get extra days to play it.

According to the Japanese PlayStation website, the beta will take place sometime during mid-May for five days. Only two of those days, however, will be open to the general public, while the the other three are being held for players who purchase the digital version of the game. Preorders for the game started on March 13 in Japan.

In the U.S., Sony has not currently opened preorders for the game on the PlayStation web store, so it will be interesting to see if a similar offer is made to players in the region. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle releases in North America for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam on June 5, 2018.

Qudans joins UYU

Fighting game team and brand UYU has signed 2017's Tekken World Tour champion.

In a statement on Twitter, the team announced that Byung-moon "Qudans" Son has joined UYU's roster and that he "will be defending his title this year across the EU, NA and Asian stops of the #TWT."

Qudans joins a host of high-profile competitors including Jeondding, P.Ling and Brian F. as part of UYU. He was previously part of Rox Gaming, joining shortly after his victory at the Tekken World Tour in November 2017.

Nintendo reveals Super Smash Bros. for Switch, coming in 2018

At the end of the Nintendo Direct on March 8, the company revealed that Super Smash Bros. will be coming to the Nintendo Switch console in 2018.

A brief trailer for the game showed Inklings from the Splatoon series, Mario and Link as well as the silhouettes of many yet-unrevealed characters.

No other information about the title is available at this time. Readers can check out the game's teaser trailer after the jump.

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Gundam Versus adding more balance changes with 1.12 update

A new patch is coming soon to the Japanese version of Gundam Versus.

Version 1.12, which will go live on March 13, will include balance changes as well as text and bug fixes. In addition, players will now be able to change their navigators, select music and access the development tree when they are in a Player Match room.

The balance tweaks will affect suits such as Build Strike Gundam (Full Package) and Duel Gundam while striker nerfs are coming for Zaku, Banshee, Crossbone Gundam X1 Kai and Crossbone Gundam X3.

There is currently no word as to when the patch will become available for Gundam Versus players in other regions. The full list of translated changes can be found at GGEZ.