Central Fiction Special Edition comes to Switch on Feb. 7, 2019, in Japan

The most recent game in the mainline BlazBlue series will be coming to Nintendo Switch early in 2019 with some bonuses for late adopters.

According to Famitsu, many of the additions to the core of BBCF that were paid DLC in other versions will be included in BlazBlue Central Fiction Special Edition when it releases on Nintendo's console. No list of the content is available at this time, but it seems a good bet that at least all the DLC characters—Jubei, Es and Mai Natsume—will be included.

BlazBlue Central Fiction first released to arcades on Nov. 19, 2015, with a PlayStation 3 and 4 release coming in the fall of 2016. A Steam version of the game followed in the spring of 2017.

Arc System Works announces ArcRevo World Tour

The makers of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue have announced a new circuit of events that will put more than $100,00 into the pockets of players.

ArcRevo World Tour will see players competing for cash prizes in BlazBlue Central Fiction, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle and Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 at tournaments across the globe. The action will start in the fall of 2018 and run for one year, culminating in the finals at ArcRevo America 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

So far 10 events have been named as ArcRevo qualifiers—Evo, Frosty Faustings, CEO and Texas Showdown in the U.S.; Revolution, Brussels Challenge and Headstomper in Europe; ArcRevo Japan and Evo Japan; and South East Asia Major—with more to be announced.

For more information on the ArcRevo World Tour, readers can check out the series' official website and watch the trailer after the jump.

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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.

Final brackets, player introductions released for Arc System awards

Arc System Works has released two new competitor trailers and the final brackets for the tournaments at its upcoming Fighting Game Awards 2017 broadcast on Jan. 13, 2018.

The ASW Fighting Game Awards will feature two double elimination events—Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 and BlazBlue Central Fiction—featuring some of the strongest players of their respective characters. For Xrd, Nage (Faust), Ruki (Dizzy), Ogawa (Zato-1), Daru (I-No), Takehara (Ramlethal), Rion (Ky), Samitto (Chipp) and Omito (Johnny) will square off, while Monster (Izanami), Dora (Bang), Matoi (Kokonoe), Meister (Lamda-11), Grover (Carl), Iwashi (Ragna), Fenrich (Jin) and Film/Gackt (Hakumen) will fight it out in BBCF.

Interested viewers will be able to check out the stream with English commentary on the Arc System Works Twitch channel or on Niconico. Past iterations of the awards have also included new game and update announcements from ASW, so it is possible the tournaments will not be the only excitement for the event.

Readers can check out the player trailers and brackets after the jump.

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Exceed Assault highlights online BlazBlue exhibitions

A new series of online BlazBlue Central Fiction events is helping raise awareness of players and content creators in the scene.

Exceed Assault is the creation of Chickzama, who wanted to show love for BlazBlue and get more players into the game. Since its first event in early August 2017, EA—originally named CrossXBattle—has presented same-character team battles to showcase different players in the scene and matchups in the game.

The fourth Exceed Assault will happen on Sept. 28, 2017, with a three-player round robin joining the normal team battle. The round robin will feature Milk_Kaichou, Fame and Tectal Eastside competing, while the team showdown will pit Hibiki players NeoBuster, SuperKawaiiWeeb and Gigaitachi against Mai players Kyou-chan, Shaka and MetalWolf.

The event will start at 6 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. PDT, 7 p.m. EDT) with streaming on Logichole's Twitch channel and commentary by MiniMatt, ChaoticGamez and ZackOnestar.

BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0 coming to Steam on Sept. 14

The recent update to BlazBlue Central Fiction will be coming to Steam in the second week of September 2017.

The official BlazBlue Twitter account has confirmed that BBCF 2.0 will be coming to the platform on Sept. 14. Jubei will release along with the patch and will be sold separately for $7.99 in the United States.

BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0 contains many balance changes for the cast of BBCF as well as new character Jubei. Translations of the various character alterations can be found at Google Docs.

Jubei, BBCF 2.0 claw their way to console on Aug. 31, 2017

The recent arcade update to BlazBlue Central Fiction will be coming to Japanese and North American consoles along with its new character at the end of August.

Arc System Works has confirmed that Jubei will release along with the patch on Aug. 31. Jubei will cost players 800 yen or $7.99.

There is currently no date for the Steam version's corresponding patch.

New introductory video shows off Jubei gameplay in BBCF 2.0

Arc System Works has released a new video breaking down BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0's new character Jubei, who releases to arcades on Aug. 3.

The eight-minute video shows off Jubei's special moves, drive ability and other quirks specific to Jubei in BBCF 2.0. Jubei can side switch characters with his normal dash, has catch counters and according to Hiago also suffers from additional hitstun because he is small and "hard to catch." 

Although the new video is in Japanese, many players will be able to get the big ideas from watching the action on the screen. Readers can check out the footage after the jump.

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BlazBlue Central Fiction marked down for U.S. PS Plus members

The most recent version of BlazBlue is now available to U.S. PlayStation Plus members at a heavy discount.

From July 25 through Aug. 1, 2017, PS Plus members can pick up the title for $17.99. This is a steep discount from the game's original price of $59.99.

While BBCF 2.0 arrives on Aug. 3, the coming version will be a free upgrade whenever it is finally available for console players. In the meantime, those considering the new version can get acquainted with BBCF for a very reduced price.

Cat's out of the bag: more details on Jubei's appearance in BBCF 2.0

Famitsu has a new article (scans courtesy of HDKirin) explaining the basic moves and abilities of Jubei as he appears in the upcoming BlazBlue Central Fiction 2.0 update.

According to translations by GREATFERMAN, Jubei is a small character that excels at speed. His drive, Shiranui, marks opponents and allows him to keep strong pressure. Jubei also has a slow-moving fireball and a slash attack with different enders. The character's biggest move of note, however, is his install super Fudou Sharenjin which powers up both his special moves and his drive for the remainder of the round.

According to Hiago, BBCF 2.0 will be a free update, but there is neither a release date nor a price for Jubei listed at this time.

BBCF version 2.0 brings balance changes, Jubei to arcades on Aug. 3

A new update to BlazBlue Central Fiction was first announced during Evolution 2017 and now the update's release date has been confirmed: Aug. 3, 2017.

BBCF 2.0 will come first to arcades and include new character Jubei as well as changes for the entire cast. The list of alterations is in Japanese, but Brazilian player HiagoXYZ is currently translating them on Twitter. These translations and others are also being collected in a Google Document.

There is no console release date for BBCF 2.0 at this time.

Seven games announced for Evo Japan

Seven titles have been announced for the inaugural Evo Japan.

Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, King of Fighters XIV, Smash Bros. for Wii U, ARMS, BlazBlue Central Fiction and Street Fighter V round out the current roster of titles for the 2018 event. 

Evo Japan will be held on Jan. 26-28, 2018, at Akihabara UDX, which is close by Akihabara Station in Tokyo.

Readers can check out the new trailer after the jump.

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Arc System Works announces BlazBlue Tag Battle, Jubei coming to BlazBlue Central Fiction in summer 2017

After BlazBlue Central Fiction finals at Evolution 2017, Arc System Works announced a new character for BBCF and a new project that is on the horizon.

First, the company revealed that the last of the six heroes, Jubei, will be coming to BBCF sometime during summer 2017.

Arc System Works also showed footage of a new title named BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, which will be a two vs two tag battle game that encorporates characters from BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late and the anime series RWBY. Readers can check out the BBTB and Jubei trailers after the jump.

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A spectator's guide to BlazBlue Central Fiction by Ebonic Plague

With Evolution 2017 only weeks away, Portland's Ebonic Plague has compiled a guide to help viewers enjoy the title when it makes its appearance on the main stage.

The "Spectator's Guide to BlazBlue" is a 15-page document that tries to break down the game's system and characters in a way that viewers of other fighting games can easily understand. It offers small paragraphs on each of the system mechanics and characters in BBCF, and also includes notable players to watch at the upcoming event. Ebonic Plague even offers a small frequently asked questions section and other useful links at the end of the guide.

Readers can check out the guide on Google Documents.

Fable eSports signs Kizzie Kay, Suicune Master

Fable eSports has added two more members to its roster with the signings of Keenan "Kizzie Kay" Kizzie and Christian "Suicune Master" Patierno.

The acquisitions come with Kizzie on a streak of tournament victories, winning both BlazBlue Central Fiction and Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- at Northwest Majors, NorCal Regionals and Texas Showdown in 2017. He has also made high placings at other majors in 2016 and 2017, along with many top three finishes at Wednesday Night Fights in Southern California.

In a statement to IPLAYWINNER, Kizzie said that signing to Fable ended "the first chapter of my journey" in competitive fighting games but that now he wants to work "10 times harder than I did in chapter one" to represent the Fable brand.

Patierno, for his part, is a storied player in the Pokkén scene. He is the 2016 Pokkén Tournament national champion in the Masters Division, won CEO 2016, placed fifth at Evolution 2016 and took fourth at Final Round XX in March 2017. He comes off a second place finish in Pokkén at the recent Dreamhack Austin.

Kizzie and Patierno join Jason "KidViper" Srouji as recent additions to the Fable team.

BlazBlue Central Fiction coming to Steam on April 26, 2017

The newest BlazBlue game will receive a PC release before the end of April.

According to the game's Steam listing, BlazBlue Central Fiction will arrive on April 26 and come bundled with a digital soundtrack and "Memorial Book."

There is currently no price listed for the Steam version of BBCF. Central Fiction was first released in Japanese arcades on Nov. 19, 2015, with a U.S. console release coming almost a year later on Nov. 1, 2016.

BlazBlue Central Fiction heading to Steam soon?

The most recent version of BlazBlue may shortly be getting its PC release.

According to Twitter user Gatoray (via Shoryuken), the Korean ratings board has listed BlazBlue Central Fiction for an upcoming PC release. This could mean the game is being set up for distribution on the platform soon.

However, SRK also reported that BBCF was seen in the Steam database more than two months ago, so it is still unclear if the release is pending or this is simply more preparation for its eventual availability.

Burst League circuit announced to support King of Fighters XIV, Guilty Gear Xrd and BlazBlue communities

A collaboration between tournament website Smashgg and organizers across the United States has lead to the creation of the Burst League, a system ranking and rewarding top players across three games.

Starting retroactively with Frosty Fausting IX in January 2017, Burst League will track the top placings of Guilty Gear Xrd, BlazBlue Central Fiction and King of Fighters XIV and award them points. The point leader in each of the three games after East Coast Throwdown will be given a free trip with housing to CEOtaku 2017 in Orlando, Florida.

The ultimate goal behind the Burst League is the creation of an Anime FGC Invitational, which will take place sometime in 2017. 

For a full list of Burst League events and the point breakdown, readers can head over to Reddit. Those with questions about the league or who would like an event added to the league can contact Burst League or BearUNLV on Twitter.

BlazBlue Central Fiction discounted as part of PlayStation Plus

The digital versions of the most recent entry in the BlazBlue franchise are currently on sale for half of their original price.

Until April 3, PlayStation Plus users can pick up the PS3 and 4 versions of BBCF for just $24.99 and $29.99, respectively.

Central Fiction will be part of Evolution 2017 and Arc System Works recently announced a $10,000 pot bonus for it Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 at the event.

This is a great time to buy for any player who has been on the fence about picking up the title, or who was just waiting for a good sale to come along before purchasing.

Super TSB bringing national competition to New York on March 18

New York City's Team St1ckbug tournament series has previously hosted out-of-towners for its events, and on March 18, 2017, it will again be going major.

With several players already planning to visit the city during March 2017, New York's airdash scene decided to create a gathering of players from across the nation for its monthly tournament. Due to their promotion, 15 competitors from various states have already made plans to attend.

Confirmed players for TSB include: KizzieKay, TheBeautifulDude, Jona, RaphTX, Hamad, Nakkiel, Doren2k, Hotashi, MiniMatt, Grant_Chi, Bears, Kenji, Blacksnake, Eshi and Havoc_Noah.

Games at TSB include Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-, BlazBlue Central Fiction, Koihime Enbu and KOF XIII, while exhibitions and other events are still being finalized at this time. The tournaments will be streamed on Blazeu's Twitch channel. For complete information on Super TSB, players can check out the Dustloop thread.