Capcom details update to Street Fighter V online, offers free PC beta

Capcom has heard the various complaints about Street Fighter V's online and offline experience and is readying an update in hopes of fixing many of the problems.

In a post on Capcom-Unity, the company has outlined a new update that will address many issues players have had with SFV since the game's release. Among the fixes will be a better friend management system, better stat-tracking, decreased loading times for Ranked and Casual matches, more improvements to the Rage Quit Penalty System and county/league-based rankings. A big offline change will be that Training Mode now saves user settings when they exit the mode.

These features will all be tested in an upcoming PC-only beta happening from March 28-April 3, 2017, and will also include the Season 2 balance changes. The beta will be free for new and existing PC users, with new CFN data created and then deleted at the end of the trial. Players can check out Capcom-Unity for the full list of updates.

Balances changes coming to Street Fighter V at the end of April

Capcom has announced a list of changes coming to the second season of Street Fighter V, which will debut in late April 2017.

On a system level, Capcom has increased the number of frames needed to hold a direction for charge moves, attempted to remove throw break option selects and once again changed dragon punch attacks for Ryu, Ken, Juri and Akuma. On a character-specific front, there are changes for most of the cast including health nerfs to some of Season 2's strong characters (Urien and Balrog) while some of its weaker characters (Alex and F.A.N.G.) saw more tweaks to the frame data of their normals.

There is no set date for the release of the changes other than the vague "late April" window at this time.

Capcom Pro Tour 2017 details revealed

Capcom has revealed the dates and rules of the upcoming Capcom Pro Tour 2017. Again 32 players will qualify for Capcom Cup, and the tour will start with Final Round 20 on March 10-12, 2017.

However, the qualification process is different in 2017. Only six spots at Capcom Cup are guaranteed: four go to regional finals winners, one to a last-chance qualifier at Capcom Cup and the last to previous champ NuckleDu. The other 26 competitors will be decided by the global points leaderboad.

With almost no tournament granting auto-qualification, Ranking and online events could be more important than ever before in CPT. To accompany this change, point distribution has been altered to give more weight to Evolution 2017 and Premier events. Fifteen Global Premier events have been announced, with venues ranging from Chicago, Illinois, to Chengdu, China.

For a full breakdown on how the system will work, along with global and regional event locations, head over to the CPT website. Players can check out the point distribution chart and official trailer after the jump.

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ELEAGUE to debut $250,000 Street Fighter V invitational in March

Turner and IMG's ELEAGUE will make its first foray into the fighting game scene as it produces a $250,000 tournament for Street Fighter V starting in March.

The event, which will be shown on TBS and Twitch starting on March 27, will feature a preliminary round where 32 players compete to move into regular season competition. From there, group play will determine which eight move into the playoffs, and then on to the finals.

Players for ELEAGUE will consist of the "top 16 competitors based on the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour" along with the other 16 chosen by special invitation from Capcom. Matches in the preliminaries will be best of three matches, while everything after will be best of five. For more information, players can check out the release on ELEAGUE's official website or watch the trailer after the jump.

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Second Season 2 SFV character to be revealed at Lupe Fiasco premier

One year after rapper Lupe Fiasco helped Capcom kick off the release of Street Fighter V in San Francisco, his record release party will be the debut of a new Street Fighter V character.

On Feb. 15 the Folsom Street Foundry will play host to a joint celebration for the release of Lupe's new "DROGAS Light" album as well as the beginning of the Capcom Pro Tour 2017. It will also reveal the next Season 2 DLC character, which will be released later in February. 

The event will also feature exhbition matches between NuckleDu and Ricki Ortiz; Justin Wong and Snake Eyez; and The Beast will return as Daigo takes on Filipino Champ. For more details of the event, head over to Capcom Unity.

Wizard World Gaming returns with 2017 tour

After serving as the host for most of the Tekken Tour in 2016, Wizard World is returning in 2017 with tournaments in mainstay FGC titles.

Wizard World Gaming will be part of 10 dates in the convention schedule, with Tekken 7 again being a feature title. Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will also be run at select Wizard World conventions.

Wizard World's first stop will be Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 17-19. For the other locations as well as a breakdown of what games will be played at each Wizard World event, check out the Wizard World Gaming official website. 

Evolution 2017 lineup announced

In a sit-down interview with Mike Ross on Red Bull eSports, Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar revealed the games that will be part of Evo 2017.

The Evolution staff has chosen eight games for competition at this year's Evo: Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev. 2, BlazBlue Central Fiction and King of Fighters XIV.

A ninth game will also be added to the roster as a result of Evo's first player vote since 2013. Mortal Kombat XL, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Skullgirls, Pokkén Tournament, Killer Instinct, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Arms, Windjammers and Nidhogg will compete for the spot via money donated on Generosity.com.  The game that wins will have a guaranteed $10,000 prize pot and will open Evo finals on the main stage on Sunday, July 16, 2017.

For its part, Arc System Works is working to prepare a playable demo version of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev. 2 for competitors in the same way that -Revelator- had in the spring of 2016. Mark "Markman" Julio also made his yearly appearance, bringing with him the first gameplay trailer of Tekken 7's preorder DLC character, Eliza.

Registration for Evolution 2017 opens Jan. 24, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. PST on the Evo website. Competitors can also register for their hotel rooms at Mandalay Bay.

Evolution 2017 is coming July 14-16! Make sure to check the Evo website for updates!

The Evolution staff has chosen eight games for competition at this year's Evo: Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev. 2, BlazBlue Central Fiction and King of Fighters XIV. A ninth game will also be added to the roster as a result of Evo's first player vote since 2010. X, X and X will compete for votes cast IN THIS WAY

Other information revealed includes the return of the Indie Games area. Brook's Super Converters will be allowed but can be banned if any future issues affect them.

Patch notes for Street Fighter V Season Two released

Street Fighter V's second season of content and characters begins on Dec. 20, 2016, but Capcom has decided to give players a head start in preparing for the next year with the list of changes coming to the game.

There are plenty of changes coming to Season Two of Street Fighter V, not including Akuma and five "brand new" fighters throughout the year. Changes to the rage quit system, support for Direct Input controllers and music select are all new this season.

The characters of SFV are also getting an overhaul. Capcom Unity provides an overview of the general direction the company wants to take each character in Season Two, but they have also compiled all the changes in a rather lengthy PDF. The 90-page document will help competitors figure out how to approach SFV going into 2017.

Akuma coming to Street Fighter V on Dec. 20, 2016, first character of season two DLC

The teaser video back at Red Bull Proving Grounds national finals ultimately led up to this: Akuma is coming to Street Fighter V.

This full reveal also kicks off the second season of new downloadable characters planned for 2017. This version of Akuma still has him wearing his signature dark gi while his hairstyle gets a more vibrant design.

The announcement trailer, featured after the jump, shows off various new moves with classic ones returning. His V-Trigger seems to be using aspects of Shin Akuma such as the ability to create two air fireballs. Akuma also gains use of his signature Raging Demon during V-Trigger.

Akuma releases on Dec. 20, 2016. Also releasing that day is the second season pass, which will cost $29.99 with extra outfits and colors in addition to the new characters. If you are at PlayStation Experience 2016, you can try Akuma out now!

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Capcom announces Christmas content for Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V will be getting more holiday-themed DLC in December with new costumes and a stage dedicated to the winter holiday.

STREET FIGHTER HOLIDAY UPDATE SCREENSHOTS

First, Capcom is offering a special version of SFV's New York stage titled "Frosty Blvd.," complete with snow and Christmas trimmings all over the landscape. The company is also offering holiday attire for Zangief, R. Mika, Ken, Laura, Juri and Karin.

Each special costume will cost players $3.99 and includes colors 1-10, and the special New York stage will be $1.99 or 40,000 Fight Money. There is also special bundle that will give players all the content for $19.99.

All this content will only be available until January 17, 2017, with a release date announced during PlayStation Experience 2016. Players can check out the trailer after the jump.

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Capcom Cup 2016 live stream and event details released

Capcom has nailed down some of the smaller details for people interested in watching Capcom Cup 2016.

In a post on the official Pro Tour website, the company has listed the tournament bracket, stream schedule and list of commentators and presenters who will be narrating the action. There is also a final trailer and a link to profiles of all 32 competitors.

Capcom Cup takes place Dec. 2-3, 2016, with finals day live from the PlayStation Experience in Anaheim, California.

"Skies of Honor" banned at Capcom Cup 2016, Pro Tour 2017

Capcom has announced that the newest DLC stage in Street Fighter V will not be seen in official Capcom tournament play.

According to the Capcom Fighters Twitter, the stage has been banned from Capcom Cup 2016 and the entire Capcom Pro Tour 2017 season due to "being too distracting for tournament play."

"Skies of Honor" was released on Nov. 8, 2016, and costs players $3.99 or 70,000 Fight Money.

Amazon heavily discounts Street Fighter V

Amazon has marked down Capcom's newest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise to less than half of its original price.

The online retailer is currently selling the normal PlayStation 4 edition of the game for $18.11, while the Collector's Edition will cost buyers $38.97.

The standard edition sale represents a drastic markdown from the game's original pricepoint of $59.99, and is more than half off of Amazon's list price of $39.99. 

Capcom Cup 2016 format, locations detailed

The final event of the Capcom Pro Tour 2016 is undergoing some changes from past tournaments.

Capcom Cup will now be a two-day event, spanning Dec. 2-3, 2016. The first day will be held at Esports Arena in Santa Ana, California, as the top 32 Street Fighter V players will fight for a spot in top 8.

Day two of the event will be then be held at the PlayStation Experience in Anaheim, California, as eight competitors face off for the title of Capcom Cup 2016 champion.

Both events will be held under a double elimination, three-out-of-five-matches format with "seeding based on the Capcom Pro Tour Global Leaderboard." Tickets for each day of Capcom Cup are sold separately.

For more information, including links to ticketing and special activities happening during both days, head over to the Capcom Pro Tour website.

More Street Fighter V news coming at Capcom Cup?

Akuma was teased at Red Bull Battle Grounds on Nov. 6, but it seems there may be another surprise in store for players at Capcom Cup.

Street Fighter series producer Yoshinori Ono tweeted that even after the new teaser trailer shown at RBBG, there is still a surprise remaining for the finals. While there is no indication what that reveal could be, many players are hoping another character will be announced for SFV.

Capcom Cup finals will take place at PlayStation Experience in Anaheim, California, on Dec. 3-4, 2016.

New stage coming to Street Fighter V on Nov. 8

Capcom has announced that a new DLC stage will be available for purchase in early November.

"Skies of Honor" will be available for 70,000 Fight Money or $3.99 starting on Nov. 8. The stage features players fighting on a wing of a plane that bears Rashid's name as it soars above a cityscape.

"Skies" is Street Fighter V's ninth DLC stage, as the title has added both brand-new vistas and alterations to the game's original levels since its release.

Akuma is coming to Street Fighter V

At the end of Red Bull Battle Grounds, a brief teaser was shown revealing the back of a character who will be playable at PlayStation Experience on Dec. 3-4, 2016.

While the appearance would seem to indicate the character as Akuma, the kanji on his back is that of Shin Akuma as he appeared in games like Capcom vs. SNK 2. There is also small hint of a different hairstyle.

The teaser can be found here. No other information has been featured.

Toushinsai reveals The King of Fighters XIV for arcades, PC version of Street Fighter V coming to arcades and more

The inaugural Japanese arcade tournament Toushinsai brought about some big news for fighting games.

FK Digital's Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe will finally be getting its PlayStation 4 release in November 2016. They also revealed that FK will follow up with a second expansion in 2017 that will run on full 16:9 widescreen.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel will be updated to version 1.08 on Oct. 27, 2016. Whether it will apply to the arcade version or will be featured on consoles as well is still to be determined.

Capcom will be bringing Street Fighter V to arcades in the near future in the form of the the PC version. Details will be clarified at a later time.

For Taito, the company announced NESiCAxLive 2, its follow-up arcade digital content platform. Companies such as Arc System Works, Examu, FK Digital and French Bread have pledged support for the system. SNK will also take part by announcing that The King of Fighters XIV will be coming to Japanese arcades through this platform.

You can check the announcements towards the end of the Twitch archive here.

Special Halloween costumes, stage offered as Street Fighter V DLC

Capcom has announced an October update that gives players the chance to buy Halloween-themed downloadable content for SFV.

Seven costumes and one stage will be available for purchase from Oct. 11 until Nov. 29. The costumes are all standard Halloween fair, from ghosts to wolfmen, but also feature references to the Darkstalkers series. The new stage is a modified version of SFV's Russia stage, decked out with pumpkins and other trimmings in the spirit of the season.

The costumes each cost $3.99 and include colors 1-10, and the special Halloween stage will be $1.99. More information, including images of all the costumes, can be found at Capcom Unity.

Capcom Cup 2016 returning to PlayStation Experience on Dec. 3 at Anaheim, CA

The coming Capcom Cup finals will be part of Sony's annual public PlayStation event yet again.

The PlayStation Experience 2016 has been announced for December 3-4 in Anaheim, California, and will play host to Capcom Cup 2016. The top 32 Street Fighter V players from both Premier tournaments and Ranking leaderboards all over the world will meet to see who is the best. The first part of the tournament will start on the 3rd at 6:00pm PST.

Thanks to the sales of Capcom Pro Tour downloadable content for Street Fighter V, the Capcom Cup 2016 prize pool increased to over $300,000 and will grow as the months go by.

If you are looking to attend Capcom Cup, tickets for the PlayStation Experience are on sale now. Single day events will vary ($45 for Saturday and $40 for Sunday) while the full weekend pass will be $60.