Why did “Street Fighter 6” revive fighting games that were on the verge of extinction?Looking back on an intense year where there was no shortage of topics to talk about.

In 1991… “Street Fighter II'' began operating in arcades, and everyone from adults to children became enthusiastic, and “competitive fighting games'' became a huge boom.

However, due to the diversification of gaming culture and the increasing complexity of fighting games themselves, the fighting game industry is gradually becoming narrower and deeper.

Although an e-sports scene has existed in recent years, it is true that it has become a genre that is quite difficult for the average person to enter.

“Street Fighter 6'' is the driving force behind the revival of such fighting games and their return to major movement. At this turning point, which will soon be one year since its release on June 2, 2023, let's follow the flow of the fight game up to its revival.

◆From trial version to open beta test.Expectations for a “masterpiece” are gradually emerging
The trial version of “Street Fighter 6” was released on April 21, 2023. Although only two characters, Ryu and Luke, could be used in the trial version, overseas gamers were surprised to see Japanese professional gamers playing the game for over 100 hours.

Since the trial version did not allow for online battles, there were sometimes videos of top pros gathering at someone's house and playing against each other offline, just like elementary school students on summer vacation.

At this point, the basic system was completely completed, and we were able to enjoy the exchange of drive impacts and the aggressive design that started with the drive rush, and the game received positive reviews.

After that, an open beta test was held from May 19th to 22nd. There are only 8 characters: Luke, Jamie, Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Kimberly, Juri, and Ken, but you can finally play against your friends online in Battle Hub.

From this point on, a reputation among players began to form, saying, “Isn't this a pretty well-balanced game?'' By the way, pro gamer Kazunoko went on a rampage using Kimberly, whose OD Bujin Senpukyaku had invincibility.

◆Finally released…Streamers are hooked by the CR Cup!
“Street Fighter 6” will finally be released on June 2nd. The game got off to a good start, and the number of concurrent Steam users exceeded 60,000. I don't think there's any need to talk about the quality of the game anymore.

However, the reason why this work went beyond the framework of a fighting game and created a trend is not only because of its perfection, but also because it became popular among streamers.

With “STR 6'' being featured in the streamer event “CR Cup'' held on June 26th, many influencers and VTubers will be shown having fun playing the fighting game. Thanks to the modern controls, which allow special moves to be performed with the press of a single button, beginners were able to suddenly reach the level of mutual reading, which is the real thrill of fighting games.

Commenting on the boom caused by this streamer, Shuhei Matsumoto, the producer of “STR6”, commented, “I'm extremely grateful.”

◆Professional gamers can't lose either!Fierce battles take place at home and abroad
And from July 7th, the “Street Fighter League'', also known as SFL, will start. This is an official CAPCOM team tournament held every year. Preliminaries were carefully held over half a year, and many great matches were seen in this tournament where participants competed for the right to compete in the GRAND FINAL at the end of the year.

What we must not forget is “EVO 2024,” the largest festival in the fighting game industry, which was held from July 20th to 21st. ANGRY BIRD won the close battle.

Furthermore, a high prize money tournament called “Gamers8'' was held in Saudi Arabia, and young Japanese professional gamer Sho was the winner. There was even a meme called “KAKERU” where you just parry and take away the opponent's attack.

◆“Strike 6” has some sort of event happening almost every month.Efforts by the community and management to keep the boom going
It's surprising that so many big events have happened within two months of release, but here's what's important. As far as I've seen, events related to Street Fighter 6 have been held almost every month or every week since then.

The first new character “Rashid” will be introduced at the end of July, and “AKI” will be introduced in September.

Also, SFL's 2nd STAGE started in October, and I was glued to YouTube while eating dinner. In November, “KZHCUP” hosted by VTuber Kuzuha was held, which also attracted a large number of viewers.

The SFL playoffs will be held at the end of the year, and the SFL GRAND FINAL will be held in January 2024, so it almost feels like the year has passed while watching “STR6”. The following February, a large competition called “CAPCOM CUP

When we opened the lid, the person who won this large tournament was not a player belonging to a professional gaming team, but an amateur named UMA. I was able to witness the depth of the “STR6” community and the upset caused by the unpredictable nature of the tournament!

There are also other events of all sizes, such as the “Streamer Hyper Game Tournament'' in March, where Mr. Kokujin once again sold out, and the success of “EVOJAPAN 2024'' held at the end of April. It was a year when the event was held.

With the implementation of modern controls, anyone can now play Strike 6. However, that alone is not enough to survive in the competitive online game industry. This resurgence would not have been possible without careful adjustments by the development side, endless advertising by CAPCOM, the uplifting of the community by streamers, fierce competition among professional gamers, and above all, without each and every player having fun from the bottom of their hearts. .

If the currently announced Gouki is implemented, “Stoic Strike 6” will finally enter Year 2. Who is the new character? What kind of tournaments will be held in the future? Will new systems and games be added? I would like to maintain this excitement and hope for further progress!