New NorCal StrongStyle set for July 13-14, 2019, 3 vs. 3 team tournament as main event

NorCal's premiere Tekken tournament series will be returning for the new year with a shift in focus.

The newest iteration of StrongStyle will take place on July 13-14, 2019, at San Jose's Doubletree by Hilton hotel, the same venue as the 2018 event. Instead of being a singles tournament like its past entries, next year's StrongStyle will primarily be a 3 vs. 3 team battle tournament.

StrongStyle will also have a qualifier event in Japan where they will take the top three-player team to San Jose to represent the country. This was announced at Japan's popular team tournament Mastercup 10. No details on the date of the qualifier have surfaced.

Follow NorCal StrongStyle on Twitter for future updates.

Seventeenth edition of 3rd Strike's largest team tournament Cooperation Cup dated for early January 2019

The annual Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 5v5 team tournament in Japan will return with a new edition next year. If you and your friends are looking to visit Japan for the weekend to participate, here are the dates.

Cooperation Cup Vol. 17 has been set for Jan. 5-6, 2019, and will take place in Hulic Hall Asakusabashi at Tokyo's Taito district, same as Vol. 16 earlier this year.

Expect Jan. 5 to be dedicated to Pre-Cooperation Cup, where five-player same-character teams will compete. The next day will be the actual Cooperation Cup tournament itself. While Coop Cup brings out a variety of players from Japan, it also gets foreign players from all over the world to participate as well.

Cooperation Cup 17 was announced during Game Newton's 3rd Maniax -Natsu no Jin- 2018 team tournament in Akihabara's e-Sports Square. Winners from 3rd Maniax -Natsu no Jin- 2018 will be presented with a special recommendation frame at Cooperation Cup Vol. 17.

As 2019 gets closer, more info will be available. Make sure to check out the official Cooperation Cup website for news as well as the opportunity to register for the longest running 3rd Strike tournament to date. For now, check out the archive to Cooperation Cup Vol. 16 in its entirety after the jump!

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Archive of Godsgarden 12, all about Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2

The long-running Japanese tournament series Godsgarden continues on with Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 being the focus in this latest iteration.

The twelfth edition of Godsgarden took place on Oct. 8, 2017, at Tokyo, Japan's Ikebukuro Storia. The stream archive, found after the jump, features part of the initial preliminary matches and all of top eight. Much like past editions of Godsgarden, this tournament is running on consoles setups instead of arcade cabinets.

Featuring the best players from Japan, including Samitto, FAB, Nage and more, the six-hour archive of Godsgarden 12 is something to watch if you play Guilty Gear!

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Archive of AfreecaTV Tekken League season two top four finals

While JDCR, Saint and Jeondding were dominating at SoCal Regionals, there were four more South Korean players fighting for first place at NicegameTV's AfreecaTV Tekken League second season finale.

Lowhigh, Malgu, Begin and ROX Gaming's Knee fought through the 16-player bracket in NGTV's multi-week tournament series to end up at the round of four. They all converged at AfreecaTV's FreecUP Studio at Seoul's Gangnam District. The champion received ₩3,000,000 while the runner-up snagged ₩2,000,000. Instead of using arcade setups, the top four finals were running on linked PCs introduced midway through this concluded season.

You can watch all the three hour-long finals (videos 33-39), along with the rest of season two, after the jump!

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NorCal Regional 2017 to feature crowdfunded bonus prize pools for SFV & KOFXIV

With the next edition of NorCal Regionals looming closer, a crowdfunding site dedicated to tournaments will provide extra money to a couple of games at the event.

The King of Fighters XIV and Street Fighter V are getting support through Matcherino. You can easily donate now to either of the events with your Twitch account and using the coupon code "NCR" for SFV or "KOF" for KOFXIV which automatically adds $1. If you want to donate more, you can add funds or pay for special rewards.

For SFV, rewards include a shoutout from Daigo Umehara on Twitter, an Amazon Echo and a variety of Street Fighter-related merchandise. The KOFXIV side features a live analysis of your match and a first-to-five challenge versus Arcade Shock's Reynald. There are also generic rewards including a month of XSplit Premium, various drinks from Soylent and Matcherino clothing.

Donate now on the links above!

Combo Breaker 2017 utilizing "3-out format" to change tournament play

Combo Breaker is switching up the usual format of competitive play for big events by allowing three players in each pool to move to the next round in hopes of creating a better tournament experience.

At Combo Breaker 2017, any game with at least 81 players will benefit from the "3-out" system. What this means is that there is no classic losers final for each pool, as both the winner and loser of winner's finals will advance along with the remaining player in the losers bracket.

According to Combo Breaker Competition Director Max Wasserman, the decision provides two advantages: it removes losers finals, which "is always the last match of pools to be played" and "cannot be played simultaneously with any other matches," and also removes many occurances of double jeopardy, a situation many players find inconvenient and frustrating in their event experiences.

For a more in-depth explanation of Combo Breaker's decision regarding this change, readers can check out the official CB website.

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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New event and stream info on The King of Fighters XIV World Championship finals

With The King of Fighters XIV World Championship finals coming Feb. 18, 2017, here are new details for those attending the event in Tokyo, Japan, or watching overseas.

The event will take place at the UDX Theater in Tokyo's Akihabara district. People who live in Japan and want to attend can expect the doors to open at 2:30 p.m. JST time with the entire event running from 3:00-7:30 p.m. Registration is required to attend. Benefits include goods special to the event and the opportunity to communicate with the 16 players and various SNK staff members. The deadline for registration is Feb. 6, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. JST.

The event will be simulcasted on both Team Spooky for English-speaking viewers and SNK's own channel for Japan.

Along with the main tournament, SNK will announce new info related to KOF.

Japanese 3rd Strike's premier tournament Cooperation Cup Vol. 15 coming Jan. 8, 2017

Illustration by Motoki YoshiharaOne of the longest-running Japanese Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournaments returns in 2017.

Cooperation Cup is on its 15th edition and will be taking place yet again at Tokyo Leisureland Palette Town on Jan. 8, 2017. This 3rd Strike 5v5 team tournament brings in many teams from all over Japan and the rest of the world to see who is the best. Like past entries, the main event will be preceded by the Pre-Cooperation Cup tournament where single-character five-man teams battle it out the day before.

If you and your friends plan to compete in Cooperation Cup, here are the signup forms for Pre-Cooperation Cup and the main tournament itself. Deadline is on Dec. 4, 2016, before midnight in Japan time.

Both tournaments will be streamed on Game Newton's Twitch channel.

You can check out the trailer and the finals from Cooperation Cup Vol. 14 after the jump!

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Stunfest 2017 cancelled, plans to return in 2018

French nonprofit group 3 Hit Combo has announced its decision to put the Stunfest gaming festival on hiatus in 2017.

In a statement, the group claims the cancellation was a difficult decision but that members "need to take a break to better prepare for the future, for the well-being of the festival and the organisers." The organization also notes that it "need[s] to reevaluate how we run things and find a new approach to doing everything while still bringing you the quality you expect."

3 Hit Combo says it will continue to be active in and around Rennes, France, with hopes of creating a better future for the festival and its attendees. For the full statement, head to the Stunfest website.

Capcom updates, clarifies player sponsorship rules for pro tour

Capcom has announced new amendments to the rules for its Capcom Pro Tour, based on "community feedback [the company] received." Previously, Capcom had prohibited player sponsorship by companies that produced adult entertainment, but due to comments surrourding the decision Capcom has revised its stance.

Now, the company says that all players will be allowed to compete no matter the sponsor but that "Capcom will not allow, and will not allow third parties, to display, advertise, or otherwise promote in any manner sponsorship, endorsement or commercial or any other type of affiliation with" those companies.

Furthermore, Capcom has added to the list of prohibited sponsors "companies that manufacture, sell, distribute or market alcoholic beverages, cigarettes or vaping (e-cigarette ), drugs, guns or other weapon[s]." The new addition, Capcom said on Twitter, was designed to "provide an inviting atmosphere for players of all ages" and have the tour's rules reflect that notion.

The complete updated rules can be found on the Capcom Pro Tour website.

Relive the Guilty Gear Team Battle Summit from Combo Breaker 2016

BGCallisto has uploaded all his footage of Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-'s Team Battle Summit that happened on Friday night at Combo Breaker 2016.

Eight five-player teams—including one that was established in a last chance qualifier earlier in the evening—competed in a double elimination tournament with many of the U.S.'s strongest players taking part. Matches were done Pokémon style with best of one game deciding which player moved forward.

Many of the teams also represented a certain region or state in the U.S. Check out the full list of teams and the archives after the jump.

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Alex Jebailey joins Avyd as fighting game head

Community Effort Orlando's Alex Jebailey will be leading Avyd's FGC efforts going forward, according to an announcement made by the company on May 17.

After an admittedly rocky start that involved the company changing its plans for Street Fighter V, Jebailey said Avyd has learned from its early missteps and is working to make sure "their entry into the FGC is done right."

Avyd still has plans for its winter championships, and will also be sponsoring Combo Breaker, CEO and other future FGC events.

Mikado Open Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- tournament to be held April 23

One of Japan's premier Guilty Gear arcades will be holding a double elimination tournament in the coming days.

The Mikado Open will take place on April 23 at roughly 2 p.m. Japan Standard Time (1 a.m. EDT and Friday, April 22, at 10 p.m. PDT in the U.S.) and will feature many of the players who have registered for Evolution 2016. The event will be streamed on Jonio's Twitch Channel.

MajinObama has suggested possibly creating a Challonge bracket so English-speaking viewers can follow along with the action, and those interested should follow him on Twitter for more information as the event gets closer. Those who speak Japanese can also follow Jonio for more updates.

ESL announces Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3

Mortal Kombat's ESL Pro League will be returning for a third season, with more money in prizes than ever before.

During the third season, Pro League players will compete for a total of $500,000 in cash prizes including a $200,000 award for winning the ESL finals in Burbank, California. ESL also promises more ways to win, including the introduction of the Challenger Cup set of weekly tournaments.

The regular season of the ESL Pro League begins April 3, 2016, while the Challenger Cup begins for North America, Europe, the CIS and newly added Latin America on April 2. For more information, check out the MKX Pro League website.

Avyd announces $100,000 fighting game championship

Fledgling eSports company Avyd has announced a Winter Championships tournament that will pay out $100,000 across six fighting games: Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat X, Guilty Gear Xrd, Killer Instinct, Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Orlando, Florida, based company has also designated a group of tournaments—both offline and online events—that will serve as qualifiers for this championship, with the winners of each being put into the closed eight-person bracket at the final event. Six of the spots will be filled this way, with two remaining spots filled at the Winter Championships itself.

Avyd qualifiers begin with NorCal Regionals on March 25-27, 2016, and will end with an online event sometime in November. Winners will receive free lodging at the Winter Championships and a VIP weekend pass for the event. Check out the full list of Avyd events after the jump.

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Super Desperation Radio episode 509 archive online

The latest episode of Super Desperation Radio is now available for watching on Team Spooky's YouTube channel.

Super Desperation Radio was joined by Shinobi to give an overview of the tournament that was Final Round 19.

The conversation, which ran the entire length of the show, went into detail about what lead to the various problems at the event and the many difficulties the staff had to work through during the three-day competition.

Shinobi was very candid in his thoughts about what needs to happen for Final Round to prove that it is still a marquee event in the coming years, and SDR joined in talking about how important organization really is in the era of Street Fighter V.

Super Desperation Radio is live every Monday at 6:30 p.m. PST on Team Spooky, and will be archived at the TS YouTube channel. Classic episodes can still be found on the IPLAYWINNER YouTube.

HackerFight 5.0 featuring Street Fighter V, USFIV and Super Turbo at Facebook HQ

The Silicon Valley-exclusive fighting game tournament series returns with Street Fighter V added to the lineup.

HackerFight, in its fifth iteration, will be returning to Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on March 11. Teams representing various companies including Twitch, Google, Capcom and more will be participating in Street Fighter V and Ultra Street Fighter IV team tournaments. Super Street Fighter II Turbo will also be at HackerFight 5.0 as well but as an invite-only exhibition.

Team Spooky will be streaming the event with help from the 10/0 production crew. You can find out more information about HackerFight 5.0 on the Facebook event page.

NorCal Regionals 2016 trailer released

The promotional trailer for NorCal Regionals 2016 is now available.

NCR will be returning to the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza in California's capital for the third straight year. From March 25-27, the tournament will host Street Fighter V, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and Mortal Kombat X. SFV is part of the Capcom Pro Tour as a Premier Event.

While the aforementioned games are part of the main list, players can also participate in the Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round and Killer Instinct community tournaments.

Players can register for NCR 2016 on the event's website. Check out the trailer after the jump.

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Combo Breaker 2016 to offer free entry to spectators

As the fighting game community and its tournaments have grown bigger, venue fees have increased and spectator fees have become a normal occurrance. However, thanks to Gaming Generations, spectators will be admitted free to Combo Breaker 2016 and able to partake in all but its tournaments.

"Come cheer your friends and family on as they compete! Check out the in venue arcade and see the wide variety of products our well stocked vendors have for sale. Take a moment to commission that character portrait you’ve always wanted from one of the artists in our artist alley. Lose your voice getting lost in the hype of a Grand Finals match-up!"

This is a welcome respite to those who may be accompanying a player, whether they be friends or loved ones. Combo Breaker 2016 takes place at The Mega Center in St. Charles, Illinois, on May 27-29, 2016.